The medieval town of Gubbio

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The bus dropped us off at the main Piazza Quaranta Martiri in Gubbio. I had directions on how to get to our hotel. We walked up a very steep, cobblestoned, road that was only wide enough for one small car. We came upon a small store that sold various important sundries and we made our first purchase of wine. Jeff wanted to buy local and so we purchased a couple bottles of red wine grown in the region. They each cost around 3 to 5 euros. We were thrilled. We also purchased some local cheese that had the regions famous black truffles laced throughout. We continued walking up the very steep hill. Jeff was smart, as always, and he only had a daypack with all of his belongings. I had a too large suitcase with wheels, thank goodness. Jeff offered to drag my suitcase up the hill but it was my burden to bear and so that’s what I did. At the top of the hill we were told to go inside a certain building and take the elevator up to the top. We got off the elevator and that brought us to the road that our hotel was on, Hotel Bosone Palace. The Palace was built for the Raffaelli family in the 14th Century. Dante was one of it’s first guests. We arrived much later than he did, I imagine. When I had made the reservation for the room I asked for a room up high with a view. The young man at the front desk took my bag and said to follow him. He took us up a winding iron staircase that wound up and up and was only wide enough for one person. We got the finest suite of the whole hotel. My jaw dropped as I walked inside the room. The bedroom was immense with beautiful floors, stuccoed walls and then there was that ceiling. The walls stood about 15 feet high and on top of that there was a domed ceiling that was completely painted with a beautiful frescoe. Next to the bedroom there was a sitting room. This room was a corner room and it had two windows, one on each wall. We parted the curtains and threw open the shutters. To my amazement we were situated very high up the hill and our room overlooked the whole of Gubbio. Outside one of the windows we overlooked a large Piazza which stood outside a huge medieval stone building. The view was astounding, and the room was the nicest I have ever seen. We cracked open our bottles of wine, got out the knife and cut some cheese and began to toast our good fortune. The mood was quite celebratory and we were soon standing at the windows enjoying the view chattering away. After the two bottles of wine were consumed we each got cleaned up after having flown from our homes some 24 hours before. We ventured outside in search of food. Jeff had a book with recommendations and so we went in search of one of those restaurants. We eventually found San Francesco il Lupo, a Ristorante Pizzeria. I was intent in having some of the locally famous black truffles and so I ordered a pasta with specks of truffles in the sauce. Jeff decided to partake in their Turistico menu for 15 euro. Jeff made the better decision. Both of us had very tasty food. The Ristorante was inside an old cave. We were the only persons inside enjoying the cave. We wondered how this Ristorante could survive with so few patrons. Others had come later and sat outside on the terrace which was full of people enjoying their meals. I was quite exhausted by now after having travelled so far to get where I was. I slept soundly all night long. We kept the windows open all night and I fell asleep listening to the sounds of the birds and the chatter of people far below us.

The next morning I awoke and the first thing I saw was the amazing ceiling above my head. I thought to myself how blessed I was to be enjoying this view. Soon we went downstairs to the breakfast room. This room too was covered in frescoes. Breakfast was quite good and I enjoyed my first of many Cappucinos in Italy. Delicious!! After breakfast we headed towards the Funivia, a coffin shaped wire basket that two people climb in and ride up the mountain. I was a tad apprehensive but I was also very intrigued by the whole idea. We found the Funivia and purchased one way tickets - up only - with the decision to walk back down from there. The Operator motioned for me to stand on one red dot and Jeff to stand on the other. I was the first to jump inside the cable car and Jeff hopped in after me when the car came to where he was standing. The ride up was quite peaceful with the sounds of birds in the trees and the view got more beautiful as we rode up the mountain. We were never too high above the ground and the scenery below us was quite beautiful. The ride ended much sooner than I had anticipated and Jeff jumped off first and then it was my turn. I stumbled slightly as I jumped off and was grateful that all of my parts and pieces followed along with me when I jumped. There is a church at the top of the Funivia and we went inside. This is where the Candles are kept that are carried up the hill for the festival which had been held a week earlier. The candles are made of dark, heavy wood, octagonal in shape and stand from floor to ceiling and are about 8 feet in circumference. It takes a team of strong men to carry them on their backs, running up the hill only taking them less than 10 minutes to reach their destination. I cannot imagine it as they look to be very heavy indeed. Also inside the Church is the mummified body of St. Ubaldo encased in a glass coffin to the right of the Altar. We gave him the name - Dead Guy, as that seemed most appropriate to us.
Jeff’s book outlined a hike one could take from the Funivia which he had been intrigued by earlier. We began our descent on a very wide road to go back to the town. At the top I had wondered when we would pick up our trail and I should’ve said something. As it was, we went down two switchbacks before Jeff looked at his book again and we then determined our trail was back up at the top of the Funivia. It just figures!! Now of course the sun has decided to come out in full force as we walk back up the two switchbacks. I am now sweating profusely as when I left Jackson Hole it had still been snowing. Now I am finding myself in temps in the mid-80's. Ouch!! We got back up to the top of the hill and we cannot see a trail in sight. We sit down on a bench outside of a hotel and I suggest we ask the front desk person. She doesn’t speak much English but Jeff manages to finally make a hand signal of a mountain and that we want to go to the top. She completely understands now and shows us where the trail begins. The trail is just around the corner and we begin our first hike in Italy. As we find ourselves above the church we had just visited the bells begin to toll loudly. We determine it is noon and church bells are chiming throughout the whole valley making such a beautiful sound. Not too long we come to a ruined castle which sits at the top of the Mountain, Mt. Ingino. We walk around the castle and enjoy the views all around us. As we begin to descend the hill on the other side I say to Jeff, is that a huge chicken I see, to which he replies, yes. Far below us is a huge chicken and one just has to wonder what that’s all about.

Jeff determines a direction we should head to do the ring walk that is listed in his book. We soon find ourselves off trail and bushwhacking it quite nicely if I do say so myself. We are sidestepping on a steep hillside that is covered with grass that has grown about a foot high. The grass is slippery and the bushes are thorny, not a good combination. At one point I do slip on the grass and fall down the hill a slight ways until I manage to grasp a lovely thorny bush to save myself. Insert yelping here. Jeff was thrilled to have a successful hike wherein blood was drawn. I do like to make someone elses day! We only had to bushwhack a little ways and we finally emerge out of the thorny bushes and I work my way down the hillside by zigging and zagging my way down. We get to the bottom of the hill and work our way towards the big chicken. It turns out to be a small amusement park with a blown up chicken that’s one of those bouncy houses. Whod’ve thunk? There is a small bar there and I use the bathroom and purchase a cold Coca Cola. We sit down for a break on some benches and review the book for where the trail takes off again. The trail leads up another grassy slope only this time we have an actual trail to walk on. We now have a good trail and we have an enjoyable walk back to town. Just above town we come across another, much smaller church. Outside, under a lovely huge tree are two stone benches. We each take a bench and lay down and take a little nap in the shade. It was quite peaceful. I watched a parade of ants working along the whole stone wall and watched as one single ant walked back towards the others. Each time he would come across another ant they would stop and meet face to face and touch each other and it looked like they would rub faces before proceeding and going on about their business. I watched this one single ant do that for quite a long time. They must’ve all been on the same team as they appeared to know each other or at least not fight each other. After a bit we began to walk down the now paved road. Soon Jeff came across what appeared to be two snakes entwined within each other alongside the road. He just had to know what they were up to. He poked and prodded, and poked some more. It took quite a bit of poking before the one, single, really big snake unravelled himself and scurried off, IN MY DIRECTION! I did some fast backwards walking before he vanished into a hole in the stone wall. Jeff said, did you get a picture of him???? Yea, sure, as I was running for my life I got a picture of him Jeff. Are you Crazy?

We eventually we got back to town. As it was still early in the day we decided to check out Gubbio. We walked hither and yon and went past a bar with tables outside. Jeff said it was too early to start drinking and so I got a Gelato instead and he got a pannino of some sort. We ate on the steps of a church and enjoyed the comings and goings in front of us. I told Jeff we should go back to that bar and have a cold beer. After much persuasion on my part Jeff finally consented. We walked back over and we purchased huge bottles of Amoretti beer and some fried olives and sat down outside. It was still so very warm outside and it was a beautiful day. It was great to sit outside and enjoy all around us. Two young lads kept looking out the window and when no one was looking, they’d throw down a pile of cash register receipts causing it to look like a ticker tape parade. Jeff finally admitted that sitting outside at 4:00 in the afternoon drinking a cold beer was a fine idea indeed. I never had to work so hard persuading him again after that. We walked some more around Gubbio before heading back to our room to get cleaned up for dinner. I told Jeff let’s just go back to the same place as I wanted to get what he’d had the night before. He consented and we got a seat outdoors this time. We each ordered the Turistico menu and our dinner was once again fantastic. After dinner we walked across the street where there were photos posted of the previous week’s festival - the candle festival - I Ceri. Every year on May 15th, the streets of Gubbio are full of colors, with thousands of Gubbio citizens leading the three Candles, weighing each one more than 4 quintals, in an exalting race from the city to the Basilica of St. Ubaldo, through the medieval streets and 300 m. up the hill. After viewing the photos we wandered back to our lovely room and prepared for bed.

We had to get up early the next morning to catch the train to Assisi to meet up with the rest of our hiking group. There were not many trains that ran from Fossato di Vico and we needed to be at the train station by 9:15 the next morning. We set our alarms for 5:30 a.m. to get up the next morning. At 5:00 a.m. some local lads were outside our room in the big Piazza banging on their drums for some festival that day. Who needs an alarm clock when you’ve got around 25 lads banging on drums? This day was another festival and so the busses weren’t running their regular schedule. We found out where to pick up the bus and were at the bus stop before 7:00 in the morning as they would not run again until after 11:00, too late to catch our train. We arrived at the Fossato di Vico train station and waited for our train to arrive.

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Photos

Hotel Bosone Palace
My view upon awakening

Hotel Bosone Palace
Sitting Room

View from window
Hotel bosone Palace

The Funivia
Cable cars running up Mt. Ingino - Gubbio

St. Ubaldo Basilica
At the top of the Funivia

I Ceri - Candles
Each one is carried by a taem of strong men who run up the mountain on May 15th, every year.

Ruined Castle
This castle sat at the top of Mt. Ingino

Hill with cross on top
This was taken while standing at the ruined castle.

Looking back towards Castle
and the town of Gubbio below