Gubbio Medieval Town (from the inland Marche)

Gubbio is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Umbria, climbing the steep grey limestone slopes of Monte Ingino just over the border from the inland Marche, and a rewarding day trip from the Pesaro-Urbino or Ancona hinterland. It lies about ninety-five kilometres from Ancona and considerably closer to the Marche border, reached in around an hour and a half by car on the SS76 and mountain roads toward Umbria; public transport is limited and indirect, so a car is the practical choice. The town is built almost entirely of pale grey stone, which gives it a severe, monumental character, and it is arranged in steep terraces up the mountain. Its centrepiece is the Piazza Grande, a remarkable suspended square built out on great arches over the slope, hanging in the air above the rooftops with a sweeping view over the valley, dominated by the battlemented Palazzo dei Consoli, a fourteenth-century civic palace that now houses a museum including the famous Eugubine Tablets, ancient bronze inscriptions in the Umbrian language. From the upper town a small open-cage funicular climbs Monte Ingino to the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo, which holds the huge wooden ceri carried in the town's spectacular Corsa dei Ceri festival each May, and the summit gives a panorama over Gubbio and the Apennines. The town is also steeped in the legend of Saint Francis, who is said to have tamed the wolf of Gubbio here. A practical one-day plan is to arrive late morning, climb through the grey-stone streets to the Piazza Grande and the Palazzo dei Consoli, take the funicular up to the basilica for the views, see the Roman theatre below the town, and break for lunch. The streets are steep and cobbled, so comfortable shoes are essential. Spring and autumn bring the most comfortable weather, and the famous Corsa dei Ceri race on 15 May is the town's great spectacle. For food, the area is known for crescia flatbread, truffles, and game, with local Umbrian wines. Combining a dramatic suspended square, a hilltop basilica reached by funicular, Roman remains, and Franciscan legend, Gubbio is one of the most atmospheric medieval towns within reach of the Marche.