The number three holds special significance in Gubbio. There are, in fact, three towering wooden structures carried during the famous “Ceri Festival”, celebrated every year on May 15 in honor of the city’s patron saint, the beloved bishop Ubaldo, who died on May 16, 1160. The origins of the festival can be traced back to ancient Umbrian rituals, which medieval spirituality revived and transformed, preserving its meaning as a great popular celebration of hope and renewal. The three Ceri represent the three medieval social classes of Gubbio’s society—masons, merchants, and farmers—and they perform three runs (“birate”) and three ceremonial bows during the event.
The number three is often associated with the cycle of life (birth, life, death) and with the Christian Holy Trinity. In the Ceri Festival, this symbolism can be seen as a celebration of the community’s enduring life and faith, passed down through the generations. And with three turns around the Bargello Fountain—more famously known as the “Fountain of the Madmen”—you can earn the city’s legendary “license of madness”. Of course, this whimsical “document” holds no legal status, but it’s a lighthearted symbol that reflects the city’s humor and cultural identity. It’s an ironic certificate that proves you possess a healthy dose of eccentric charm and a willingness to join in the fun—essential qualities for truly experiencing Gubbio and its rich calendar of traditions and events.

Gubbio is a small yet grand medieval city with a proud and generous soul.
Carved by the northern wind, brightened in spring by the yellow blooms of broom shrubs, it is whimsical and full of life. If you’re arriving from Perugia along Regional Road 298, after a series of curves, the view of the city resting at the foot of Mount Ingino will take your breath away. Reaching toward a remarkable focal point—the Palazzo dei Consoli, built between 1332 and 1342 to a design by Angelo da Orvieto (although some attribute it to the local architect Matteo Gattapone)—the city appears wrapped in a unique atmosphere, as if time had stood still during one of its wealthiest and most vibrant eras.

If, as they say, there’s such a thing as a “geography of perception”, then encountering a city is always an emotional journey—an attempt to enter into its essence and truly understand it. Gubbio is no exception. As you arrive, you’re inevitably drawn to the magnetic pull of this iconic building, once home to the General Council of the People, the Consuls, and the Gonfaloniers during the golden age of the free commune. The Palazzo tells the story of a city proud and fully aware of its own beauty. Majestic and hewn from stone—as if it had risen from the very rock itself—it remains one of the most important public buildings in all of Italy.

Gubbio is one of the few places in the world where the history of Earth’s paleomagnetism can be studied in sedimentary rocks.

In the 1970s, geologist Walter Álvarez discovered a high concentration of iridium in a thin clay layer in the Gola del Bottaccione, indicating the impact of an asteroid around sixty-five million years ago.

This discovery revolutionized the understanding of the extinction of the dinosaurs and radically changed geological thinking, demonstrating that catastrophic events can dramatically alter life on Earth in a very short time.

“And you, Brother Wolf, do you promise to keep the peace pact with these people, not to harm men, animals, or any other creature?” These words, found in The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, chapter twenty-one, recount the story of the taming of the wolf by the Saint. Saint Francis communicated with the animal, convincing it to stop harming the townspeople in exchange for the promise that the inhabitants of the city would care for him. The wolf accepted, and from that moment on, lived peacefully among the people of the city until the end of his days. This story has become a universally recognized symbol of peace and harmony between humans and nature.

The Museo Civico inside the Palazzo dei Consoli is truly worth a visit. Here, in the “Old Chapel,” you can admire the mysterious Eugubine Tablets, and in a small room dedicated to ceramics, two 16th-century plates created using the lustre technique by Mastro Giorgio Andreoli.

This master, whose works are scattered around the world in major museums and private collections, perfected a method of firing majolica considered the pinnacle of a tradition rooted in the Arab and Eastern worlds. Seen up close, they almost seem alchemical…

Sixty meters tall. That’s the height of the Bell Tower of the Palazzo dei Consoli. Atop this tower, with its Guelph-style battlements, stands the mighty Campanone. When rung with full force by the six brave bell ringers, its sound is said to reach all the way to Gualdo Tadino! With heights like this, Gubbio might just be considered a medieval New York…

Gubbio is home to one of the largest suspended squares in the world—and the largest in Europe. Piazza Grande, which seems made of sky and clouds thanks to the lightness it conveys, rests on four massive arches clearly visible from the street below, Via Baldassini. The square impresses visitors with the harmony of its proportions and the perfect balance between the Palazzo dei Consoli and the Palazzo Pretorio. From here, the view is guaranteed. In spring, you can sit on the stone staircase—the “Scalea”—that leads to the entrance of the Palazzo dei Consoli and simply gaze at the sky, often filled with swallows. In September, the sunsets seen from this square are among the most vivid and breathtaking you’ll ever witness. The beauty of Piazza Grande is one of the many reasons why people from all over the world choose to celebrate their weddings here in Gubbio

Overlooking Piazza Grande is Palazzo Ranghiasci Brancaleoni, built around the mid-1800s by incorporating medieval dwellings and cladding them with a neoclassical façade. This touch of romanticism—quite unusual when compared to Gubbio’s typically austere architecture—softens the view and blends surprisingly well with its surroundings. Perhaps it’s due to the story behind it, which is, in fact, a love story.

Marquis Ranghiasci married the wealthy Englishwoman Matilde Hobhause and wished to gift her the most beautiful view in the city—the very one we can still enjoy today from this truly unique square.

And thanks once again to the love of Marquis Ranghiasci for his wife, visitors in Gubbio can stroll through Ranghiasci Park, right in the historic center. A large English-style garden, created in honor of the marchioness. The park can be accessed both from the former carriage entrance on Via Gabrielli and from the upper end of Via della Ripa. Here, among paths that wind across multiple levels, a lovely little temple, medieval towers, and a villa stand out—but what truly dominates is the lush vegetation and the harmonious views of the city below. From the tree layout that predated the marquis’s intervention, a few exceptional holm oaks still survive: the largest has a circumference of 320 centimeters and is located in the highest part of the beautiful park.

Climbing up from Piazza Grande—via steps and a few inclines (don’t worry… there are plenty of elevators throughout the city to make your visit easier)—you’ll reach the Ducal Palace and the Hanging Gardens. Here, along with breathtaking views, you can sense the rare harmony of the Renaissance interwoven with the fabric of the Middle Ages—a kind of natural evolution brought to the city by one of Italy’s most famous and important patrons of the arts, Federico da Montefeltro, born in Gubbio in 1422. In Gubbio, the Duke established his most significant residence after Urbino. The palace and gardens, designed by the Sienese architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, are stunning and well worth discovering.

The Roman Theatre of Gubbio, built at the end of the 1st century BC, is one of the largest of its time and could hold around six thousand spectators. It bears witness to the high cultural, economic, and social level of the ancient city of Iguvium. A visit to the Roman Theatre is always recommended, especially in the summer when it hosts a rich program of theatrical and musical performances. Be sure to visit the Antiquarium, a small but significant archaeological museum. And for some family relaxation, this green area just a stone’s throw from the city center offers plenty of safe playgrounds for children.

From the hanging gardens, you can enjoy a splendid view. From here, you can admire the back of the Logge dei Tiratori della Lana, another iconic building and a true gateway to the city. The Logge, along with the War Memorial, the gardens, and the Church of San Francesco, are located in the lower part of town, in Piazza Quaranta Martiri. The square takes its name from a tragic event that occurred during World War II, when forty citizens were executed in retaliation for the killing of a German officer in a city center bar. This martyrdom is commemorated every year on June 22 with a civic ceremony held in the Mausoleum of the Forty Martyrs.

This is the year of construction of the Palazzo del Bargello, which at the time housed the Bargello—the head of the police—and today serves as a museum space as well as the seat of the Eugubine Crossbowmen Society.

This perfectly preserved palace intrigues many visitors for two reasons:

• The presence of the so-called “Door of the Dead”, a narrow doorway slightly raised above street level. Typical of medieval homes, tradition holds that this door remained sealed and was only opened to carry out the deceased. In reality, it was likely a regular entrance to the living quarters, which in the Middle Ages were usually located on the upper floor above ground-level shops. It would have been accessed via a removable wooden staircase, taken away at night for security.
• The view of the 16th-century “Fontana del Bargello”, better known as the “Fontana dei Matti”, where you can receive the city’s famous “madman’s license.”

There are twenty churches normally open to visitors in Gubbio. In the section dedicated to itineraries, you’ll find several suggestions to discover and admire their historical, artistic, and architectural significance. Here, we’ll focus on a brief story about the Church of San Francesco, located in the lower part of town. It tells of the special bond between Gubbio and Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of Italy. The church dates back to the early 13th century, just a few years after the saint’s death in 1226. It was built next to the house of the Spadalonga family, friends of Francis who gave him shelter after his dramatic break from his family in Assisi. He arrived in Gubbio on a cold March night and asked for a simple tunic to cover himself—the same humble garment that would later become the habit of his order. The church has a three-nave structure and a simple, austere beauty that reflects the spirit of the saint who inspired it. It also houses a number of notable 15th-century frescoes by a young Ottaviano Nelli, depicting the life of the Virgin Mary based on apocryphal gospels.

The enormous “Botte dei Canonici”, well preserved and open to visitors on Via Federico da Montefeltro, could hold up to 20,000 liters of wine! A favorite among tourists, it is one of the largest ancient wine barrels in Europe.