The beautiful Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo, patron saint of Gubbio, stands on the top of Mount Igino, in a commanding position with respect to the rest of the city, which stretches out at the foot of the hill.

The original building dates back to the 13^th century, and to a pre-existing church where the remains of the saint were brought in the Middle Ages. The current church is the result of successive interventions carried out between the 16^th and 20^th centuries.

Construction of the Basilica began in 1513 and ended a few years later, in 1527, with the addition of an adjoining cloister and convent. What was once a basilica rich in ornamental Renaissance and Baroque-style stuccos was the subject of considerable restyling in the modern era, in the early 20^th century, sought by Father Emidio Selvaggio, the Priest and Custodian of the Basilica. The current appearance of the religious complex is due to these works.

While imposing in its overall structure, its decorative aspects are very sombre. The entrance portal leads to a beautiful cloister, made of bricks with round arches whose lunettes were decorated with 15^th-century frescoes attributed to Pier Angelo Basili, which unfortunately are no longer very visible. The basilica has a simple facade but with five access portals that correspond to the same number of internal aisles into which the church is divided.

On entering the building, devotees and tourists are immediately captivated by the central altar housing the monumental neogothic shrine that contains the still perfectly-preserved remains of the saint, who died in 1160. A base, finely decorated with images of saints linked to the history of the city, supports the urn, while behind the altar, the beautiful stained glass windows created by Mossmeyer display scenes from the life of St. Ubaldo.

The Basilica contains several noteworthy works of art: the Battesimo di Cristo (Baptism of Christ) by Felice Damiani; the Madonna col Bambino tra i Santi Ubaldo e Giovanni Battista (Madonna and Child between the Saints Ubaldo and Giovanni Battista) created by Salvi Savini in 1610 and Sant’Orsola by Allegrini, to name just a few.

The original urn that for centuries has contained the remains of the saint remains on display on the side of the main altar, while the famous Ceri di Gubbio are still kept inside the building. On the 15^th May, on the occasion of the ‘Corsa dei Ceri’, a very popular festival for the locals, the ‘Ceri’ (huge wooden pedestals each bearing a statue) are carried around the city, to the top of Mount Igino and then back inside the Basilica.

The building often referred to as Casa di Sant’Ubaldo is actually the ancient noble residence of the Accoromboni family from Gubbio, although no official documentation confirms the fact that the palace hosted Gubbio’s patron. This medieval building, built between the 13^th and 14^th centuries in the same architectural style as the city, is still well preserved despite numerous alterations. The facade was apparently set back and completely rebuilt following the construction of the important city buildings opposite. The house is, in fact, very close to Piazza Grande and Palazzo dei Consoli.

The building is currently owned by the University of Gubbio and entrusted to the city’s official ‘Sbandieratori’ (flag-wavers). The original wall decorations remain largely intact and some sections are on display for visitors: the part dedicated to the ‘Iconography of the Patron’ is composed of paintings of various origins dating from the 16^th to the 19^th century; the section dedicated to ‘Dipinti e Maioliche’ (Paintings and Maiolica) contains valuable paintings and maiolica (ceramics) by various artists ranging from the 17^th to the 20^th century, with traditional and modern decorations.

The Chiesetta di Santa Maria della Vittorina is situated outside the city walls, nestled in a nature park built in the early 1990s.

The original building was probably built in the 9^th century on the occasion of one of the city’s victories against the Saracens but its fame was linked to the history of Saint Francis. According to tradition, related in chapter 21 of the Fioretti (‘Little Flowers of Francis of Assisi’, a collection of popular legends about the life of St. Francis of Assisi and his early companions), it was here, in around 1220, that St. Francis met and tamed the wolf that threatened the inhabitants of the city.

In 1213 the small church was assigned to Francis of Assisi by the Bishop of Gubbio Beato Villano and was the first settlement of the Franciscan friars, who remained there for several decades, until 1241. Having moved to the new convent of San Francesco, the friars left the church to the Clarisse nuns, who in turn left the building in emphyteusis to the Compagnia di S. Maria della Vittorina in 1538. The building underwent several renovations over the years, including under the local administration and the supervisory authorities. It was finally returned to the Franciscan Order in 1948 and in 1957 it was officially reopened to the public.

The church is very simple in shape on the outside and is made of local limestone with some terracotta inserts. Access is via a single entrance portal in grey sandstone, surmounted by a small window. On the right side, there is a smaller second entrance and a window, now walled up, on which two slabs appear: the first presents the symbol of the Tau with the inscription ‘Pax et Bonum 1226/1926’, while the second bears a simple inscription that reads ‘Qui Francesco placò la perniciosa Lupa’ (Here Francis appeased the pernicious Wolf). In memory of the miraculous event, two bronze monuments were erected not far from the church: a bas-relief made in 1973 by the Bolognese sculptor Farpi Vignoli and a statue created in 2002 by the sculptor Francesco Scalici.

Inside, the church has a single nave with a humpback vault completely decorated with 16^th century frescoes. In the centre is the Holy Father with two little angels holding up the globe, surrounded by thirty-four extraordinarily beautiful decorative panels by the painter and native of Gubbio, Benedetto Nucci. Below the vault, the walls are decorated with Marian Scenes created by another local painter, Giovanni Maria Baldassini.

Only the apse and the small single-lancet window adorned with two rosettes remain of the original 13^th-century structure.

Immediately to the right of the entrance there is a chapel whose walls are decorated with frescoes illustrating the eight stories of St. Francis, adding to the overall artistic splendour of the church.

Even today the church is so popular with visitors and devotees that a Nativity scene (Presepe delle Vittorina) has been on display since 1988, in the surrounding park, to celebrate the nativity and remember St Francis, its inventor.

The convent complex dedicated to Sant’Agostino stands just outside the city walls, not far from Porta Romana.

The building has undergone various alterations over the centuries but was built entirely in the second half of the 13^th century, from around 1251 to 1294. The current facade is attributable to work carried out in the 18^th century.

The church has a single nave, with a rectangular apse and a covering of wooden beams resting on pointed arches supported by pillars. It is decorated on both sides by chapels built in the 16^th century that protect exceptionally beautiful works of art attributed to various artists: on the left side is Gesù e la Samaritana by Virgilio Nucci (1580) in the first chapel and the Madonna del Soccorso by an unknown artist (15^th century) in the fifth; on the right side we find the Madonna di Grazia by Ottaviano Nelli in the third chapel and finally the Battesimo di S. Agostino by Felice Damiani (1594) in the fourth.

What makes the church special, however, are the extraordinary frescoes on the triumphal arch and apse. The Last Judgment is represented on the arch, a wonderful work attributed to Nelli and his workshop, probably assisted by Jacopo Salimbeni from San Severino. The apse, on the other hand – which reads from top to bottom and from left to right – is occupied by scene di Vita di Sant’Agostino (scenes of the Life of St Agostino), which trace the biography of the saint from conversion to Christianity. The paintings, dating back to 1420, are one of the most significant examples of late-Gothic painting in the city.

Two important Augustinian priests are also buried inside the church: the Blessed Pietro da Gubbio and Blessed Francesco da Gubbio (who lived, respectively, in the 13^th and 14^th centuries).

The Convent complex next to the church has a very well preserved Cloister housing a cistern in the centre for collecting rainwater and a well – now closed – located to the side. The limestone bell tower seems to be a later architectural addition, datable perhaps to the 15^th century. Finally, a small adjacent room the size of a cave hosts a permanent Nativity scene. The idea, developed by parishioners for Christmas 1977, has become a real tourist attraction since the 1980s: it is modified annually with new elements and can be viewed throughout the year .

The Duomo di Gubbio was built between the 13^th and 14^th centuries at the foot of Mount Igino, on the site of a previous Romanesque church, and dedicated to the Saints Mariano and Giacomo Martiri.

The building has a very elegant Gothic style. Access is through a large central portal with a pointed arch surmounted by a very large circular window, with an ornament floral frame and the symbols of the four evangelists and of the Lamb of God all around.

The inside of the church has a single nave and a ceiling with transverse pointed arches which were built following 20^th-century restoration work. Along the side walls, there are small chapels, including the noteworthy Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento, built in the 16^th century at the behest of Bishop Alessandro Sperelli, decorated with frescoes by the local painter Francesco Allegrini and the Nascita della Vergine (Birth of the Virgin) by Gherardi.

On the right wall there are still valuable traces of 14^th-century frescoes and the Immacolata Concezione by Virgilio Nucci painted in the 16^th century, while on the left wall there is an altar created with a recycled Roman sarcophagus depicting St Ubaldo.

The ornate presbyterial area is also worth a visit: on the choir there is an Episcopal Seat carved in the 16^th century, while under the high altar a precious late ancient sarcophagus preserves the remains of the Cathedral’s two patron saints. Another Seat decorated with exquisite inlays by Benedetto Nucci stands on the left of the altar and finally, on the triumphal arch of the apse are beautiful murals painted by Augusto Stoppoloni (1916-18).

In an elevated position with respect to Piazza Grande, which it overlooks, the Palazzo dei Consoli is one of the most successful urban planning achievements of the Middle Ages and the symbol of Gubbio.

Approval for the building’s construction was given between 1321-22 but the work itself was carried out between 1332 and 1349, based on a plan by Andrea di Orvieto (who is also commemorated in an inscription on the entrance portal) and the intervention of Matteo di Giovannello, also known as Gattapone. The Palazzo dei Consoli – together with the Piazza Grande and the nearby Palazzo del Podestà – was part of an ambitious urban planning project that was designed to demonstrate the power and autonomy of the Free Commune of Gubbio during the years of its great expansion. This was the reasoning behind the choice of construction site (the building stands exactly in the town centre, as a hub of the various districts, illustrating its administrative centrality for the entire community) and the grandeur of the structure. Inside the building there were toilets and fountains, fed by an extraordinary internal plumbing system, proof of the expertise achieved by local workmanship.

The Palazzo has an elegant but sober facade, divided into three levels by horizontal pilasters: the monumental entrance portal is on the ground level, accessible via a fan-shaped staircase, with mullioned windows on either sides; on the next level there are six elegant windows decorated with denticulate arches; the top level has an embattled upper edge and a panoramic terrace. On the upper part of the left side stands the bell tower while the lower part is supported by a loggia that descended into Via Baldassini. Gubbio’s famous ‘Campanone’ (huge bell) dates back to the 18^th century and weighs about 20 tons.

Inside the building, the ground floor is occupied by the immense Sala dell’Arengo which once housed the General Council of the People and today is home to the city’s Museo Civico. A rich collection of inscriptions, sculptures and decorations attest to the history of Gubbio and its surrounding territory between the 1st century BC and the 3^rd century AD. Of all the archaeological finds, of course, the most outstanding are the Iguvine Tablets: seven bronze tablets discovered in the 15^th century bearing inscriptions in Latin and in the ancient Umbrian language relating to religious rituals and the daily life of the time.

In addition to the epigraphic collection, the museum, inaugurated in 1909, includes the Pinacoteca (picture gallery) on the upper floor, a room formerly used for work by medieval consuls.

Every year, on the first Sunday of May and until the 15^th of the same month, the famous Ceri di Gubbio are carried from the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo to the Sala dell’Arengo in the city, where they are kept until the day of the folk festival run.

On via dei Consoli, in Gubbio’s historic centre, stands a wonderful example of perfectly preserved Gothic medieval architecture: Palazzo del Bargello, named after the town’s magistrate and chief of police, which had its headquarters in this building.

Built at the beginning of the 14^th century, today the palazzo is the headquarters of the permanent exhibition of Crossbows (Esposizione Permanente della Balestra). Divided into three rooms, the exhibition displays different types of crossbows, from mounted to manual, together with faithful reproductions of original period costumes. The exhibition is a tribute to the famous Palio della Balestra, a popular festival that is celebrated in the town every year on the last Sunday of May.

Although the building stands out for its distinguished design, it owes its fame to the famous Fontana dei Matti, which was built in the 16^th century (and restored in the last two centuries) in the square in front of the building from lends it its name: Largo del bargello.

Tradition has it that anyone who aspires to obtain the coveted title of ‘madman’ bestowed by the city of Gubbio, must undergo a ritual that involves running around the fountain three times and being baptized with its water.

Palazzo del Podestà (or Pretorio) stands on the opposite side of its twin Palazzo dei Consoli, overlooking Piazza Grande, and was meant to be an integral part of the ambitious municipal project that started in Gubbio in the 14^th century.

The building, designed by Andrea da Orvieto with the intervention of Gattapone, was supposed to obey the architectural rules of the ‘golden rectangle’, exactly like Palazzo dei Consoli. It consists of overlapping floors, occupied by two perfectly equal rectangular rooms. The presence of a single central octagonal pillar, which opens like a lily in support of the floors, is highly unusual and is an example of Gubbio’s awe-inspiring architectural engineering.

Building work began in 1349 but unfortunately it was never completed, as can be seen from some protruding ashlars on the side facing Palazzo dei Consoli, which were almost certainly the supporting juts for the on-going construction of the building.

A brick structure was built in the 18^th century next to the 14^th-century building in stone ashlars and is still visible today.

The upper room of the building, called ‘la larga’, was also used as a prison until the 19^th century before becoming, in more recent times, the seat of the Municipal Administration. The Sala del Sindaco houses two beautiful battle scenes, painted by the 17^th-century artist Allegrini.

The beautiful Palazzo Ducale stands in front of the Duomo, in the upper part of the city, and is the only example of Renaissance architecture in Gubbio, retaining a mostly medieval layout.

The palazzo was built in a very short time in the second half of the 15^th century and was commissioned by Federico di Montefeltro but the works probably ended after the latter’s death, under the direction of his son Guidobaldo. The architectural and decorative design stands out for its elegance and magnificence and it created by the native of Siena Francesco di Giorgio Martini who perhaps took up a model previously developed by Laurana.

Construction of the noble residence by the Montefeltro family required modification of some pre-existing medieval buildings, whose vestiges are still visible on the external walls of the building next to the large central courtyard, which once housed the town square.

The splendour and importance of the palazzo was illustrated by the presence, inside, of the ‘studiolo di Federico’ (a private study belonging to Federico), made with beautiful inlaid panels and painted tablets on the model of the famous ‘studiolo’ in Urbino. Unfortunately these works of art were later dismantled and sold, ending up at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 1939, where they are still held today.

A beautiful replica of the original studio has been on display in Gubbio since 2009. It can be visited and admired together with original furnishings that are still preserved in the internal rooms and a valuable collection of Gubbio paintings created between the 13^th and 18^th centuries.

Piazza Grande, the beating heart of the town of Gubbio, is one of the most successful examples of medieval town planning, being one of the largest terrace-squares ever built.

The ambitious project was decided upon in 1321 by city magistrates in order to build two new buildings (Dei Consoli and del Podestà) and a central piazza that constituted the new civic centre to replace the previous municipal residence. Works began in 1332, led by the architect Angelo da Orvieto, but they had to be interrupted with the advent of the Lordship of the Gabrielli family for several decades, from 1350 to 1384. Only at the end of the following century, in 1482, was building work completed. In 1508 a long loggia was built on the valley side, which was demolished in 1839. The huge square extends to embrace all four districts of the city: S. Andrea, S. Giuliano, S. Martino, S. Pietro, thereby fulfilling the functional aims for which it had been built. However, of the two palazzi that should have completed the project, only Palazzo dei Consoli was finished while Palazzo del Podestà remained unfinished. The north-eastern side of the square was finally framed by the neoclassical Palazzo Ranghiasci.

Today, with its imposing architectural structure, elegant arcades and unique design, Piazza Grande, is the impressive and inimitable arena in which Gubbio’s numerous folk traditions are re-enacted.

The Teatro Municipale di Gubbio stands in Piazza del Popolo and the project for its construction was presented in 1713 by an academy of Gubbio noblemen. The interior decoration was carried out some years later, in 1737, and entrusted to the expert hands of two famous artists from Parma: the architect Maurizio Lottici and the painter Giovanni Mattioli. The theatre was inaugurated on the occasion of the Carnival of the following year, immediately hosting recitals and concerts until its first structural problems appeared in 1822, requiring important restoration and alteration of the original structure.

Work began in 1840 under the engineer Ercole Salmi, who even proceeded to purchase the adjoining house to allow for the expansion of the stage. Between 1859 and 1862, interior decoration was also carried out, an activity that featured important local and foreign artists, including Raffaele Antonioli, Ulisse Baldelli and Nazzareno Lunani.

The new theatre was then inaugurated for the second time in 1862 and was home to thriving artistic and cultural activities for a century until 1961 when, once again, it was declared unstable due to its precariousness.

New building works commenced in 1975 under the engineer Giuseppe Tosti, ending in 1985 with the definitive reopening of the theatre, named after maestro Luca Ronconi in 2015.

In its present form, the theatre has a capacity of 414 seats and hosts a wide variety of theatrical  performances that invigorate Gubbio’s social scene every year.

Immediately outside the city walls, near Porta degli Ortacci, stands one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the city. Today, the site of Guastuglia stands in what was the ancient late-republican quarter of the 2^nd-1^st century BC and includes several attractions: the Teatro Romano, the Antiquarium, which exhibits various archaeological finds from the area, and the Mausoleo di Pomponio Grecino.

Gubbio’s Roman theatre is still very well preserved thanks to large-scale restoration work carried out between the 19^th and 20^th centuries, although it was clearly a huge building of great importance in ancient times. Planning and construction was carried out in the first century BC, between 55 and 20 BC and – completed under the direction of the magistrate Gneo Satrio Rufo – it was composed of two orders of overlapping arches, with an elegant portico on the upper floor. The ‘cavea’ (a semi-circular seating area) was divided into four parts, with corridors occupied by wooden staircases that allowed the spectators to reach their seats. The entire external structure and the orchestra floor were made of local limestone. The complexity of the structure is evidenced by the presence of a pulpitum (platform) for collecting rainwater under the orchestra and a proscenium with two projecting quadrangular side niches and a central semi-circular space.

At the peak of its splendour, the theatre could accommodate 6000-7000 people (more than the contemporary theatre of Pompeii, which could hold 5000), while today it is still used for classical theatre performances, especially in the summer.

The majestic Chiesa di San Francesco (St Francis) stands to the south of Piazza Quaranta Martiri in the lower part of the city. It was built in 1255 but decorative work lasted for many decades, finishing in 1291.

The church is part of a large complex that was built on land owned by the Spadalonga family, since one of the exponents of this family, Giacomello, is said to have met Francis during his imprisonment in Perugia and maintained a friendship with him over a long period. Tradition has it that St Francis obtained refuge and protection in this very house at the beginning of the 13^th century after leaving his father’s house and it was within these walls that he wore a habit for the first time.

Even today, some traces of the foundations of the ancient noble residence are still visible in the rooms of the sacristy.

Today the church has a monumental appearance, with an ogival plan and an unfinished facade with a large Gothic entrance portal, surmounted by a decorative rose window. At the end of the nave there are three polygonal apses, illuminated by single-lancet windows.

The inside of the building is equally surprising and very elegant. The space is divided into three naves, separated by fourteen octagonal pillars that support the cross vaults, the result of 18^th-century restoration work.

As for the walls, there are exquisite frescoes in the three apses, with scenes of Marian life created by Ottaviano Nelli in the 15^th century and other frescoes of significant artistic value, datable to the 13^th-14^th centuries, attributed to an anonymous local painter: Jesus enthroned with Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Francis and Saint Anthony on the sides and some episodes from the life of St Francis. In addition to the church, the area also houses a monastery complex that is certainly worth a visit. Devotees and visitors are allowed to admire the beautiful ‘Chiostro della Pace’, the ‘Sala Capitolare’ where the friars used to deliberate on the rules of community life, the ‘Refettorio’ which is now used as a Congress Hall, and the ‘Chiostro Maggiore’, currently not open to the public except during events or art exhibitions.

The small church dedicated to San Francesco della Pace belongs to the ‘Università dei Muratori Scalpellini e Arti Congeneri’ (University for Stonemasons and Congregational Arts), to which is owed its construction around the 17^th century.

The church is located on the spot where, according to tradition, the she-wolf tamed by San Francesco lived for about two years. A small side entrance allows access directly from the church to the cave where the animal is believed to have lived.

The church is a small building with a single nave, accessible through an exquisite entrance portal decorated with an oval containing a depiction of the wolf. On the altar is the stone on which St. Francis is said to have held a sermon on peace near the Chiesa della Vittorina, immediately after taming the she-wolf. The church is named after this stone, referred to as ‘della pace’ (of peace), which was transferred from the ‘della Vittorina’ church to that of St. Francis in 1584. The crypt also contains another stone, on which a cross has been carved, venerated as the stone covering the tomb of the wolf. Found in 1873, not far from the church, the tomb housed the remains of an animal identified as a wolf by the vet Giovanni Spinaci. The same room also displays a concrete statue of St. Francis and the she-wolf made by the Gubbio-born artist Antonio Maria Rossi.

The Church is also strongly linked to the city’s Ceri festival. Inside its walls are the statues of the Saints Ubaldo, Giorgio and Antonio, which are placed on the Ceri (huge wooden pedestals) for the 15^th May run. Other statues of saints and the Mezzani and Piccoli pedestals are kept in the sacristy.

Finally, mention must be made of the beautiful painting on the back wall of the church, created by the artist Giovanni Michelini in the 17^th century, which represents the Virgin and Child with the saints Thomas the Apostle (patron saint of masons), St Ubaldo (patron saint of the city ​​and mural arts) and St. Francis with the wolf.