Reaching the Ducal Palace means climbing winding and evocative paths that might discourage you. Don’t worry—Gubbio is equipped with two elevators that connect the different levels of the city. Once you reach the top, you’ll immediately feel a different atmosphere. We move from the 14th to the 15th century, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The Ducal Palace stands right in front of the Cathedral and was built in imitation of the Ducal Palace of Urbino, designed by the architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini. Inside is a stunning courtyard—intimate and elegant. The palace houses an art gallery and hosts temporary exhibitions. The precious furnishings and the famous Studiolo—a small room used by Duke Federico for meditation, entirely lined with wooden inlays—were moved elsewhere over the centuries, but the Palace remains a “true museum of itself.”
A fine replica of the Studiolo can still be admired inside.

The visit is completed by a section on the upper floors of the Palace dedicated to the winning works of the Gubbio Biennale of Contemporary Art.
The Biennale of Gubbio is one of the longest-running in Italy. Since 1959, although discontinuously, the Gubbio Biennale has been a pioneer in the development and affirmation of contemporary art between the 1960s and 1980s. Many well-known artists have passed through Gubbio and left significant marks.

Among them, one not to be missed for your photo collection is Mirella Bentivoglio, who left her famous sculpture “Ovo” in our city—the first public feminist sculpture in Italy, described by the artist herself as “a peace treaty between man and woman in the name of equality.”

In 2023, the Municipality of Gubbio relaunched the Biennale with the edition “Imagina,” curated by Spazio Taverna.

The Cathedral and the Canonica of San Mariano date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The interior is striking—single-naved, vertical and austere—where the light, the silence, and the long reverberations of the soundscape evoke emotion and contemplation. Within the 13th-century complex of the cathedral canons is the Diocesan Museum, featuring an art collection that traces the long history of the Eugubine Diocese, along with archaeological and early medieval sections.

Curiosity: If you’re interested in esotericism, you might find intriguing the story of the Magdalene Altarpiece inside the Cathedral. Painted in 1521, it was probably commissioned by Caterina Sangradali—a surname that literally means “Holy Grail.” The Sangradali family of Gubbio is said to derive its name from Christianity’s most famous relic!

Outside, just a few steps from the Ducal Palace, you’ll be amazed by the absolute beauty of the Hanging Gardens, accessed through the “Voltone.” A succession of light and shadow, enclosed and open spaces. Looking for a photo-worthy view? You’ve come to the right place.