The Italian region of Umbria is a modern creation. Historically, the region where the Ancient Umbrians lived, ‘the oldest of the peoples of Italy’[1], was both much smaller and much larger. It was smaller because the western part of modern Umbria was in the hands of the Etruscans, who lived…
Gubbio’s Piazza Grande, a gigantic platform supported by walls and arcades, offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area. From the square one can for instance see the churches of San Giovanni Battista and San Francesco in the lower part of town, and the Duomo higher up the slope of…
People who want to visit the church of Sant’Ubaldo high up the slope of Monte Ingino basically have three options. If they are lazy, they can go by car, which should take about 10 minutes from downtown Gubbio. A more challenging option is to go on foot. From the Palazzo…
After our visit to the Duomo of Gubbio, we spotted a poster about an interesting exhibition in the former Ducal Palace opposite the cathedral. The title of the exhibition was “Gubbio al tempo di Giotto. Tesori d’arte nella terra di Oderisi”, which translates as “Gubbio in the era of Giotto.…
The Duomo is often the most beautiful and most richly decorated religious building of a city or town. The Duomo of Gubbio or cathedral of Santi Mariano e Giacomo is unfortunately an exception. It is a dark and chilly building with a slightly gloomy atmosphere. Most Italian cathedrals adjoin large…
The church of San Domenico is by far the most peculiar building in all of Gubbio. Just take a look at its unfinished facade, which is higher on the right than on the left. Opposite the church is a nice restaurant called Trattoria San Martino, the name of which gives…
The church of San Giovanni Battista has one of the best locations in all of Gubbio. The town is built on a series of terraces against the slope of Monte Ingino. From the square in front of the San Giovanni Battista one has a nice view of the first terrace,…
When visiting churches, looks can be very deceiving. I had taken a look at the rather unimpressive late eighteenth century facade of the church of Sant’Agostino, and upon stepping inside had never expected to find gorgeous frescoes from the fifteenth century both in the apse of the church and on…
Establishing the exact chronology of the life of Saint Franciscus of Assisi (1181/82-1226) is impossible, but it must have been in about the summer of 1206 that he first visited the town of Gubbio, some 30 kilometres and at least a day’s walk north of Assisi. Franciscus had a friend…