Villa Pia Road Trip: Gubbio
Gubbio is a quintessential, medieval, Northern Umbrian hill town, What makes it even more spacial is that unlike other towns in the region, it has not been overly commercialised. It is not as bustling as Siena and not as touristy as Assisi; but absolutely charming and beautiful.
If you are up for hills, cobblestones (its not particularly push chair friendly) this is a rewarding journey to make. The kids will be enchanted with the twists and turns of the streets, the fountains, arches, vistas and million little glimpses of medieval architecture that makes a trip to Italy so much fun. The grown ups can be kept diverted with gelato and pizza.
Gabbio is also easy to get to on your way to or from, or even while you are visiting Villa Pia (read my review of this fantastic all inclusive family holiday in Lippiano). We went over the Easter holiday and had absolutely no problem with crowds, parking, etc. If you were to go in the height of season, you may want to head in early to get place to park. Also, remember to book your lunch in advance if you would like to eat at any of the amazing restaurants. If you fail to plan ahead, or remember to eat early, you will be stuck with pizza and sandwiches, which are still lovely.
The streets meander and around every curve is a wonderful view that momentarily takes your breath away. You can do this town with a good mountain buggy, if you are OK going up hills. The streets are so cobbled, that a McLaren or travel pushchair would be really tricky; if you kids are old enough to walk a bit, you could get away with one.
The Palazzo dei Consoli is the focal point of the town, its long balcony looks over the valley and you get fantastic foothill backdrops for your portraits. The tower that rises up out of the castle was built by Orivietto in the 1300s and is now part of The Museo Civico which houses many amazing works of art but also the Eugobine Tablets. These are the 7 bronze tables dating from 3rd century BC written in both ancient Umbrian and Latin - the Rosetta Stone of Umbria.
I was overruled on the Museo Civico by half the group who wanted to go on the funivia, or the funicular, up Monte Ingino. This 6 minute ride is not for the faint of heart!
So much so, that the 9 year old and I opted out and sent the 12 year old and her father onto the cable, suspended in a cage, dangling over the tree tops, up the mountain.
The little one and I enjoyed a lovely wander through the streets and then enjoyed a coke and espresso in a cafe looking on the Via dei Consoli, which was all the uplift we were prepared to cope with.
After this we went to the Piazza Quarna Martini where in 1944 Nazis executed 40 innocents in retribution for partisan attacks on their forces.
There is still so much to see that we didn’t get to as we were just happy walking around the town. There is an amazing-looking Roman Theatre in the planes below the town. There is also a dinosaur museum for the little ones.
If you can be in Gubbio in May, the Festa dei Ceri is one of the most amazing festivals I have heard about. This festival is so nuts - teams compete to see which one can get their 400 pound candles up to the church, the Saint Ubaldo team wins every year, and then the town sits down to a lovely meal. I hope to be in Gubbio on 15th May one year.
