26-28 March 2024

Because it is close to the Sabbatini home town of Serra, we have often taken day trips to Gubbio, in northwest Umbria, but never stayed overnight. This time we booked an apartment for a few days. Our dear friend in San Mateo, Dea Mattei, descended from a family in Gubbio. And Jessup, Pennsylvania, where she was born and grew up, is a sister city of Gubbio.

Gubbio dates to pre-Roman times. Bronze tablets in the city museum from 3 to 1 BCE are written in the Etruscan and Umbrian languages. The Umbrian tablets contain the most extensive text of its kind in Italy describing religious ceremonies. The city grew so prominent in the Middle Ages that it sent 1,000 knights on the first Crusade.

Like other cities of the period, it weathered turbulent times, fighting rival powers, often in support of the pope. Many shops and museums now display antique weapons and sell colorful wooden replicas for kids. When Gubbio’s power waned, it was first absorbed by the House of Montefeltro led by the Duke of Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro. Gubbio next became part of the Papal States in 1631 and then part of unified Italy in 1861.

In several parts of this medieval city, beautifully maintained stone houses are clustered on very narrow, winding streets, so confusing that we lost our way home from a restaurant only a three-minute walk from our apartment! Our excuse was the dark! The blue dot on Google maps is always baffled about where we are in Gubbio, and Apple and Google maps often conflict.

But the most striking feature of Gubbio is that the old town is perched on a single dramatically steep slope of the Apennines, overlooking a broad agricultural valley. The town site is so vertical that it has two public elevators—one to take you up from one street to the main piazza on the next street and another to take you up one more block to the cathedral. Before the elevators, we used to slog all the way. There is also third offering, a metal basket that can hold two people, suspended from a cable, to take you to the top of the mountain. The views must be spectacular. Next time.

Gubbio survives on tourism so there are many shops selling local foods that include an assortment of salumi as well as crescia—the flatbread enjoyed here and in Le Marche. We sampled some, but we believe the best is in Le Marche and in Robert’s backyard. His mom once said Robert’s was better than what she ate in Serra! And because Gubbio produced famous pottery in the Renaissance, many shops sell ceramics.

Today, Gubbio’s population is 32,000. The town still boasts that the television series Don Matteo was filmed here from 2000 to 2011. Think of a friar on a bicycle solving murders.

On the Road to Gubbio

Bonnie is happy to have the Italian road atlas on her lap again. And she remembered to bring the disk for the dashboard when we park somewhere with a time limit.

We stopped for lunch along the way to Gubbio. Basic and good. It appears to be a workers’ lunch spot. Some semis were parked nearby.

A Word About Saltless Bread in Umbria

Lodging

Lucia, the owner of Dimora Casina Abbondanza, the apartment we booked in Gubbio, met us at the free parking lot at the Roman amphitheater just outside the walled portion of the city. We were not sure whether our four modestly sized pieces of luggage would fit into her car (Fiat Panda?), but they did—two in the trunk and two stacked on the back seat. Her tiny car was essential for the narrow streets leading to the apartment. In some cases, the street narrowed to about six feet with only a few inches to spare for the car. Bonnie sat in the front seat gasping.

The small apartment is great. Two levels. King-sized bed. Newly renovated. Lucia is extremely attentive and texts several times a day to make sure all is well. She controls the heat via WiFi. Smart given the high cost of energy in Italy. If you stay in Gubbio, this is an excellent place to stay.

Wanderings

We had rain and heavy wind in Gubbio. The weather didn’t encourage drinking a spritz outside in late afternoon, but we managed!

The Madmen’s Fountain

Tradition holds that from the water in this 16th-century fountain one can acquire a healthy dose of Gubbio’s particular brand of folly. You can obtain a madman’s license from a nearby shop if your run around the fountain three times in the presence of a citizen of Gubbio.

Palazzo Dei Consoli—Museo e Pinacoteca Comunale

The enormous palazzo, now a museum, was constructed in 1332-49. It served as the meeting place of the ruling council. The palazzo faces a major outdoor piazza with expansive views over the countryside and has many floors that extend above and below the entry level.

The museum offers a wide range of artifacts including the bronze Iguvine Tablets mentioned an above, and beautiful Maiolica plates, also known as lusterware. Renaissance ceramic artists used a tin metal wash over clay to create an opaque white surface on which to paint with brilliant colors. Some of the plates created in Gubbio were by Mastro Giorgio Andreoli, considered one of the most important ceramic artists of the Renaissance.

The museum also holds paintings, wooden religious sculptures, coins, and objects from the campaigns for unification of Italy including a red shirt worn by Garibaldi’s troops. We spent three hours in the museum, which included climbing and descending steep, narrow staircases.

Drinks and Dinners

Crescia Anyone?

Each town in Umbria and Le Marche offers its own take on crescia—the flat bread. So, we sampled some from Gubbio. The restaurant offered two types. One grilled on the stove. The other fried. Both were good. Robert noted that the crescia here was softer than in Serra or Frontone, where it is flakier. He asked if they used lard (struzzo) in the recipe. They did not.

Second Dinner

We had planned to eat at Ristorante Grotta Dell’Angelo, a favorite of Leonard and Kathy, but it was closed that night!!! Our choice was even more elegant. Robert had the passatelli for his first course. His choice of amaro at the end of the meal was Amaro di Matteo di Gubbio. The biscotti were compliments of the restaurant. Bonnie’s chocolate tort was not. Both were very good.

Colazione a Al Ponte

Robert slept in!!! He did not exit the apartment until 9:00 am. He went to Al Ponte where he had drinks with Bonnie the night before. The place was in full swing. Full of retired people talking and workers getting their caffes (about a half centimeter in a shot glass). He returned the next day before 8:00 am. A few customers had entered. Undoubtedly more to come.

Next – Bonnie’s Meeting with the Mayor of Serra Sant’Abbondio!