{"id":5124,"date":"2024-03-29T11:09:33","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T10:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ilikegubbio.com\/discover-gubbio\/storia-arte-cultura\/gubbio-in-numbers\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T10:49:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T08:49:21","slug":"gubbio-in-numbers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilikegubbio.com\/en\/discover-gubbio\/storia-arte-cultura\/gubbio-in-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Gubbio in numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Gubbio
in numbers<\/h1><\/div>
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Since Gubbio is affectionately known as the\u00a0\u201cCity of Madmen\u201d<\/strong>\u2014in the most playful and lighthearted sense\u2014we\u2019ve decided to share some fun numbers. Numbers are always a bit magical and interconnected, just like the rich tapestry of Gubbio\u2019s history, art, and culture.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 7<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> SEVEN<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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Seven<\/strong>\u00a0are the\u00a0Eugubine Tables<\/strong>. Engraved on bronze in the Umbrian language, they are universally regarded as the most important ritual text of the entire classical antiquity. Their dating goes back to the 3rd\u20131st century BC, although they likely reference much older texts, possibly dating as far back as the 1st millennium BC. They can be admired in the\u00a0Civic Museum of Palazzo dei Consoli<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Gubbio is also the\u00a0seventh largest municipality in Italy<\/strong>\u00a0by territorial extension: 525 km\u00b2.<\/p>\n

This means that in addition to its historic center, the city includes a vast surrounding area with outlying districts, hills and mountains, woodlands, and both cultivated and wild countryside. It lies at the foot of\u00a0Mount Ingino<\/strong>\u00a0and is crossed by two streams, the Camignano and the Cavarello.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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<\/span> 8<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> EIGHT<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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The first eight seasons of the popular TV series\u00a0Don Matteo<\/strong>, starring Terence Hill, were filmed in Gubbio. Even today, many tourists seek out the locations associated with the beloved character. One of the most memorable and cherished sites is the fa\u00e7ade of the\u00a0Church of San Giovanni<\/strong>, located in the San Giuliano district. In 2005, a significant urban renewal project\u2014entrusted to renowned architect\u00a0Gae Aulenti<\/strong>\u2014sought to recreate and highlight the relationships between the various elements of the beautiful square, through a new paving design and lighting system.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/span> 3<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> THREE<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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The number three holds special significance in Gubbio. There are, in fact,\u00a0three towering wooden structures<\/strong>\u00a0carried during the famous\u00a0\u201cCeri Festival\u201d<\/strong>, celebrated every year on\u00a0May 15<\/strong> in honor of the city\u2019s 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\u00a0three Ceri<\/strong>\u00a0represent the three medieval social classes of Gubbio\u2019s society\u2014masons, merchants, and farmers\u2014and they perform\u00a0three runs (\u201cbirate\u201d)<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0three ceremonial bows<\/strong>\u00a0during 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\u2019s enduring life and faith, passed down through the generations. And with\u00a0three turns around the Bargello Fountain<\/strong>\u2014more famously known as the\u00a0\u201cFountain of the Madmen\u201d<\/strong>\u2014you can earn the city\u2019s legendary\u00a0\u201clicense of madness\u201d<\/strong>. Of course, this whimsical \u201cdocument\u201d holds no legal status, but it\u2019s a lighthearted symbol that reflects the city\u2019s humor and cultural identity. It\u2019s an ironic certificate that proves you possess a healthy dose of eccentric charm and a willingness to join in the fun\u2014essential qualities for truly experiencing Gubbio and its rich calendar of traditions and events.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 298<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT<\/span><\/h3><\/div>

<\/span> 298<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> <\/span><\/h3><\/div>

TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT<\/h3><\/div>
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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\u2019re 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\u2014the Palazzo dei Consoli<\/strong>, built between 1332 and 1342 to a design by Angelo da Orvieto (although some attribute it to the local architect Matteo Gattapone)\u2014the city appears wrapped in a unique atmosphere, as if time had stood still during one of its wealthiest and most vibrant eras.<\/p>\n

If, as they say, there\u2019s such a thing as a \u201cgeography of perception\u201d, then encountering a city is always an emotional journey\u2014an attempt to enter into its essence and truly understand it. Gubbio is no exception. As you arrive, you\u2019re 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\u2014as if it had risen from the very rock itself\u2014it remains one of the most important public buildings in all of Italy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/span> 65<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> SIXTY-FIVE MILLION<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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Gubbio is one of the few places in the world where the history of Earth\u2019s paleomagnetism can be studied in sedimentary rocks.<\/p>\n

In the 1970s, geologist Walter \u00c1lvarez discovered a high concentration of iridium in a thin clay layer in the Gola del Bottaccione<\/strong>, indicating the impact of an asteroid around sixty-five million years ago.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 21<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> TWENTY ONE<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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\u201cAnd you, Brother Wolf, do you promise to keep the peace pact with these people, not to harm men, animals, or any other creature?\u201d These words, found in\u00a0The Little Flowers of Saint Francis<\/strong>, chapter twenty-one, recount the story of the\u00a0taming of the wolf<\/strong>\u00a0by 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 2<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> TWO<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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The\u00a0Museo Civico<\/strong>\u00a0inside the Palazzo dei Consoli is truly worth a visit. Here, in the \u201cOld Chapel,\u201d 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\u00a0Mastro Giorgio Andreoli<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 60 and 6<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> SIXTY and SIX<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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Sixty meters tall. That\u2019s the height of the\u00a0Bell Tower<\/strong>\u00a0of the Palazzo dei Consoli. Atop this tower, with its Guelph-style battlements, stands the mighty\u00a0Campanone<\/strong>. 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\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 4<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> FOUR<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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Gubbio is home to one of the largest suspended squares in the world\u2014and the largest in Europe.\u00a0Piazza Grande<\/strong>, 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\u2014the \u201cScalea\u201d\u2014that 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\u2019ll 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<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 1800<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> EIGHTEEN HUNDRED<\/span><\/h3><\/div>

<\/span> 1800<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> <\/span><\/h3><\/div>

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED<\/h3><\/div>
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Overlooking Piazza Grande is Palazzo Ranghiasci Brancaleoni<\/strong>, built around the mid-1800s by incorporating medieval dwellings and cladding them with a neoclassical fa\u00e7ade. This touch of romanticism\u2014quite unusual when compared to Gubbio\u2019s typically austere architecture\u2014softens the view and blends surprisingly well with its surroundings. Perhaps it\u2019s due to the story behind it, which is, in fact, a love story.<\/p>\n

Marquis Ranghiasci married the wealthy Englishwoman Matilde Hobhause and wished to gift her the most beautiful view in the city\u2014the very one we can still enjoy today from this truly unique square.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/span> 320<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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And thanks once again to the love of Marquis Ranghiasci for his wife, visitors in Gubbio can stroll through Ranghiasci Park<\/strong>, 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\u2014but 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 1422<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> A THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO<\/span><\/h3><\/div>

<\/span> 1422<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> <\/span><\/h3><\/div>

A THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO<\/h3><\/div>
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Climbing up from Piazza Grande\u2014via steps and a few inclines (don\u2019t worry\u2026 there are plenty of elevators throughout the city to make your visit easier)\u2014you\u2019ll reach the Ducal Palace and the Hanging Gardens<\/strong>. Here, along with breathtaking views, you can sense the rare harmony of the Renaissance interwoven with the fabric of the Middle Ages\u2014a kind of natural evolution brought to the city by one of Italy\u2019s most famous and important patrons of the arts, Federico da Montefeltro<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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<\/span> 6000<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> SIX THOUSAND<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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The Roman Theatre<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, a small but significant archaeological museum. And for some family relaxation, this green area just a stone\u2019s throw from the city center offers plenty of safe playgrounds for children.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 40<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> FORTY<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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From the hanging gardens, you can enjoy a splendid view. From here, you can admire the back of the Logge dei Tiratori della Lana<\/strong>, another iconic building and a true gateway to the city. The Logge, along with the War Memorial<\/strong>, the gardens, and the Church of San Francesco<\/strong>, are located in the lower part of town, in Piazza Quaranta Martiri<\/strong>. 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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span> 1300<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span> THIRTEEN HUNDRED<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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This is the year of construction of the Palazzo del Bargello<\/strong>, which at the time housed the Bargello\u2014the head of the police\u2014and today serves as a museum space as well as the seat of the Eugubine Crossbowmen Society.<\/p>\n

This perfectly preserved palace intrigues many visitors for two reasons:<\/p>\n