Gubbio () is an
Italian town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...
'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian
province of Perugia (
Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the
Apennines.
History
The city's origins are very ancient. The hills above the town were already occupied in the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. As ''Ikuvium'', it was an important town of the
Umbri
The Umbri were an Italic peoples, Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the Regio VI Umbria, ancient Umbria.
Most ancient Umbrian cities were settle ...
in pre-Roman times, made famous for the discovery there in 1444 of the
Iguvine Tablets, a set of
bronze tablets that together constitute the largest surviving text in the
Umbrian language. After the Roman conquest in the 2nd century BC – it kept its name as ''Iguvium'' – the city remained important, as attested by its Roman theatre, the second-largest surviving in the world.
Gubbio became very powerful in the beginning of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. The town sent 1000 knights to fight in the
First Crusade
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...
under the lead of
Girolamo Gabrielli Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome.
It may refer to:
* Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler
* Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – ...
, and according to an undocumented local tradition, they were the first to penetrate into the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre when Jerusalem was seized (1099).
The following centuries were quite turbulent, and Gubbio was engaged in wars against the surrounding towns of Umbria. One of these wars saw the miraculous intervention of its bishop,
Ubald, who secured Gubbio an overwhelming victory (1151) and a period of prosperity. In the struggles of Guelphs and Ghibellines, the Gabrielli, such as the
Cante dei Gabrielli da Gubbio (c. 1260–1335), were of the
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Well ...
faction, supportive of the papacy; as
Podestà of Florence, Cante exiled
Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His '' Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ...
, ensuring his own lasting notoriety.
In 1350
Giovanni Gabrielli, count of Borgovalle, a member of the most prominent noble family of Gubbio, seized communal power and became lord of Gubbio.But his rule was short, and he was forced to hand over the town to Cardinal
Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz, representing the Church (1354).
A few years later,
Gabriello Gabrielli,
bishop of Gubbio, proclaimed himself again lord of Gubbio (). Betrayed by a group of noblemen which included many of his relatives, the bishop was forced to leave the town and seek refuge at his home castle at Cantiano.
With the decline of the political prestige of the
Gabrielli family, Gubbio was thereafter incorporated into the territories of the
House of Montefeltro.
Federico da Montefeltro rebuilt the ancient Palazzo Ducale, incorporating in it a veneered with
intarsia like his at Urbino. The industry at Gubbio reached its apogee in the first half of the 16th century, with metallic
lustre glazes imitating gold and copper.
Gubbio became part of the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of ...
in 1631, when the family
della Rovere, to whom the
Duchy of Urbino had been granted, was extinguished. In 1860 Gubbio was incorporated into the Kingdom of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
along with the rest of the Papal States.
The name of the
Pamphili family, a great papal family, originated in Gubbio then went to Rome under the pontificate of
Pope Innocent VIII (1484–1492), and is immortalized by
Diego Velázquez and his portrait of
Pope Innocent X.
Geography
Overview
The town is located in northern
Umbria, near the border with
Marche. The municipality borders
Cagli (
PU),
Cantiano (PU),
Costacciaro,
Fossato di Vico,
Gualdo Tadino,
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...
,
Pietralunga,
Scheggia e Pascelupo,
Sigillo
Sigillo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 35 km northeast of Perugia.
Sigillo borders the following municipalities: Costacciaro, Fabriano, Fossato di Vico, Gubbio.
History
B ...
,
Umbertide and
Valfabbrica.
''Frazioni''
The
frazioni (territorial subdivisions) of the ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...
'' of Gubbio are the villages of: Belvedere, Bevelle, Biscina, Branca, Burano, Camporeggiano, Carbonesca, Casamorcia-Raggio, Cipolleto, Colonnata, Colpalombo, Ferratelle, Loreto, Magrano, Mocaiana, Monteleto, Monteluiano, Nogna, Padule, Petroia, Ponte d'Assi, Raggio, San Benedetto Vecchio, San Marco, San Martino in Colle, Santa Cristina, Scritto, Semonte, Spada, Torre Calzolari and Villa Magna.
Main sights
The historical centre of Gubbio has a decidedly medieval aspect: the town is austere in appearance because of the dark grey stone, narrow streets, and Gothic architecture. Many houses in central Gubbio date to the 14th and 15th centuries, and were originally the dwellings of wealthy merchants. They often have a second door fronting on the street, usually just a few inches from the main entrance. This secondary entrance is narrower, and a foot or so above the actual street level. This type of door is called a ''porta dei morti'' (door of the dead) because it was proposed that they were used to remove the bodies of any who might have died inside the house. This is almost certainly false, but there is no agreement as to the purpose of the secondary doors. A more likely theory is that the door was used by the owners to protect themselves when opening to unknown persons, leaving them in a dominating position.
Among most visited buildings and sites in the city are:
*''
Roman Theater
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
'': This ancient open air theater built in the 1st century BC using square blocks of local limestone. Traces of mosaic decoration have been found. Originally, the diameter of the cavea was 70 metres, and could house up to 6,000 spectators.
*''Roman Mausoleum'': This Mausoleum is sometimes said to be of
Gaius Pomponius Graecinus
Gaius (or Publius) Pomponius Graecinus was a Roman politician who was suffect consul in AD 16 as the colleague of Gaius Vibius Rufus. He was probably a ''novus homo'' raised to the Senate by Augustus. He was a friend and patron of the poet Ovid ...
, but on no satisfactory grounds.
*''
Palazzo dei Consoli
Palazzo dei Consoli is a medieval building in Gubbio, Umbria, central Italy. It was built in 1332–1349 under design by Angelo da Orvieto, who is mentioned in the inscription on the portal.
Description
The palace has a square plan, and sits abov ...
'': Dating to the first half of the 14th century, this massive palace, is now a museum housing the Iguvine Tablets.
*''Palazzo and Torre
Gabrielli Gabrielli is a surname originating in Italy. Due to Italian diaspora, it is also common in other countries such as the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and France. The surname Gabrielli derives from the given name Gabriello (a variat ...
''
*''
Duomo'': This Cathedral was built in the late 12th century. The most striking feature is the rose-window in the façade with, at its sides, the symbols of the Evangelists: the eagle for
John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...
, the lion for
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...
, the angel for
Matthew the Apostle and the ox for
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist (Latin: ''Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of th ...
. The interior has latine cross plan with a single nave. The most precious art piece is the wooden Christ over the altar, of Umbrian school.
*''Palazzo Ducale'': The Palace built from 1470 by
Luciano Laurana or
Francesco di Giorgio Martini for
Federico da Montefeltro. Famous is the inner court, reminiscent of the
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino.
*''
San Francesco'': This church from the second half of the 13th century is the sole religious edifice in the city having a nave with two aisles. The vaults are supported by octagonal pilasters. The frescoes in the left side date from the 15th century.
*''
Santa Maria Nuova'': This is a typical
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...
church of the 13th century. In the interior is a 14th-century fresco portraying the so-called ''Madonna del Belvedere'' (1413), by
Ottaviano Nelli. It also has a work by
Guido Palmeruccio
Guido Palmeruccio, also called Guiduccio Palmerucci (active 1315–1349), was an Italian painter, active in Gubbio.
Biography
Near nothing is known of his biography, and it is likely some of the works attributed to this painter belong to followe ...
. Also from the Cistercians is the ''Convent of St. Augustine'', with some frescoes by Nelli.
*
Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo, with a nave and four aisles is a sanctuary outside the city. Noteworthy are the marble altar and the great windows with episodes of the life of Ubald, patron of Gubbio. The finely sculpted portals and the fragmentary frescoes give a hint of the magnificent 15th-century decoration once boasted by the basilica.
*''Museo Cante Gabrielli'': This museum is housed in the ''
Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo may refer to:
*Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Gubbio
* Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Orvieto in Orvieto
*Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Reggio Emilia
*Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, Siena
{{Coord, 43.3170 ...
'', which once belonged to the
Gabrielli family.
*''Vivian Gabriel Oriental Collection'': This is a museum of Tibetan, Nepalese, Chinese and Indian art. The collection was donated to the municipality by
Edmund Vivian Gabriel
Sir Edmund Vivian Gabriel (28 March 1875 – 13 February 1950) was a British civil servant, army officer, courtier and art collector.
Biography
Edmund Vivian Gabriel was born on 28 March 1875. Educated at Emmanuel College, University of Cambrid ...
(1875–1950), British colonial officer and adventurer, collateral descendant of the Gabrielli who were lords of Gubbio in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
.
*''Piazza S. Giovanni'': This plaza is mentioned in documents as far back as the 12th century. The nearby church of San Giovanni plan, one nave only with four transversal arches supporting the pitched roof, was taken as a model for other Gubbio churches later on.
*''
San Domenico San Domenico may refer to:
Catholic saints
* Dominic de Guzmán (1170-1221), Spanish priest and founder of the Dominican Order
* San Domenico di Sora (951-1031), Italian abbot, patron saint of Villalago
Churches
* San Domenico, Arezzo (Basilica ...
'', once known as San Martino
*''
Sant'Agostino''
*''
Santa Croce della Foce The small church of Santa Croce della Foce is a medieval Roman Catholic church in the lower town of Gubbio, Umbria, in Italy. There is a church of the same name in Sarno in Campania.
History
The church was built in the 13th-century at the site of a ...
''
Culture
Gubbio is home to the Corsa dei Ceri, a run held every year always on
Saint Ubaldo Day, the 15th day of May, in which three teams, devoted to Ubald,
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...
and
Saint Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...
run through throngs of cheering supporters clad in the distinctive colours of yellow, blue and black, with white trousers and red belts and neckbands, up much of the mountain from the main square in front of the Palazzo dei Consoli to the basilica of St. Ubaldo, each team carrying a statue of their saint mounted on a wooden octagonal prism, similar to an hour-glass shape tall and weighing about .
The race has strong devotional, civic, and historical overtones and is one of the best-known folklore manifestations in Italy; the Ceri were chosen as the heraldic emblem on the coat of arms of Umbria as a modern administrative region.
A celebration like the Corsa dei Ceri is held also in
Jessup, Pennsylvania. In this small town the people carry out the same festivities as the residents of Gubbio do by "racing" the three statues through the streets during the Memorial Day weekend. This remains an important and sacred event in both towns.
Gubbio was also one of the centres of production of the Italian
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and po ...
(
maiolica
Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. Italian maiolica dating from the Renaissance period is the most renowned. When depicting historical and mythical scenes, these works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ...
), during the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...
. The most important Italian potter of that period,
Giorgio Andreoli
Giorgio Andreoli (between 1465 and 14701553), named also Mastro Giorgio Andreoli or Mastro Giorgio, was born in Intra, on Lake Maggiore, and died in Gubbio, where he spent most of his life, in 1555. He is considered to be one of the most importa ...
, was active in Gubbio during the early 16th century.
The town's most famous story is that of "The
Wolf of Gubbio"; a man eating wolf that was tamed by
St. Francis of Assisi and who then became a docile resident of the city. The legend is related in the 14th-century ''Little Flowers of St. Francis''.
The Gubbio Layer
Gubbio is also known among geologists and
palaeontologists as the discovery place of what was at first called the "Gubbio layer", a sedimentary layer enriched in
iridium that was exposed by a roadcut outside of town. This thin, dark band of
sediment
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sa ...
marks the
Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, also known as the K–T boundary or K–Pg boundary, between the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
and
Paleogene geological periods about million years ago, and was formed by infalling debris from the gigantic meteor impact probably responsible for the mass extinction of the
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s. Its
iridium, a heavy metal rare on Earth's surface, is plentiful in extraterrestrial material such as
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma, and sometimes also a Comet ta ...
s and
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the Solar System#Inner solar system, inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic o ...
s. It also contains small globules of glassy material called
tektites, formed in the initial impact. Discovered at Gubbio, the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary is also visible at many places all over the world. The characteristics of this boundary layer support the theory that a devastating meteorite impact, with accompanying ecological and climatic disturbance, was directly responsible for the
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event (also known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction) was a sudden extinction event, mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, approximately 66 million y ...
.
Gubbio in fiction
In
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual' ...
's novel ''
Steppenwolf'' (1927) the isolated and tormented protagonist – a namesake of the wolf – consoles himself at one point by recalling a scene that the author might have beheld during his travels: "(...) that slender
cypress on the hill over Gubbio that, though split and riven by a fall of stone, yet held fast to life and put forth with its last resources a new sparse tuft at the top".
[Herman Hesse, ''Steppenwolf'', chapter 1. ("For Madmen Only")]
The town is a backdrop in
Antal Szerb
Antal Szerb (1 May 1901, Budapest – 27 January 1945, Balf) was a noted Hungarian scholar and writer. He is generally considered to be one of the major Hungarian writers of the 20th century.
Life and career
Szerb was born in 1901 to assimilate ...
's novel ''
Journey by Moonlight
''Journey by Moonlight'' ( hu, Utas és holdvilág, literally "Traveler and Moonlight") is a 1937 novel by Hungarian writer Antal Szerb. It is among the best-known novels in contemporary Hungarian literature. According to English literary criti ...
'' (1937) as well as
Danièle Sallenave's ''
Les Portes de Gubbio'' (1980).
The TV series ''
Don Matteo'', where the title character ministers to his parish while solving crimes, was shot on location in Gubbio between 2000 and 2011.
Other
Anna Moroni, a popular cook on the Italian daytime TV series "
La Prova del Cuoco" discusses Gubbio in many of her TV segments. She often cooks dishes from the region on TV, and she featured Gubbio in her first book.
Transportation
The city is served by
Fossato di Vico–Gubbio railway station located in
Fossato di Vico; until
1945 was also operating the
Central Apennine railway (''Ferrovia Appenino Centrale'' abbreviation ''FAC'') with a narrow gauge which departed from
Arezzo
Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation o ...
and reached as far as
Fossato di Vico and in Gubbio had his own
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
located in via Beniamino Ubaldi 2, now completely demolished.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Gubbio is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
Notable people
*
Giosuè Fioriti
Giosuè Fioriti (born 3 May 1989, in Gubbio) is an Italian football forward who currently plays for A.S. Gualdo Calcio.
Appearances on Italian Series
Serie C2 : 1 App
Eccellenza : 3 Apps
Total : 4 Apps
See also
*Football in Italy
...
(born 1989), Italian footballer
See also
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gubbio
*
Mount Ingino Christmas Tree
The Mount Ingino Christmas Tree is a lighting illumination in the shape of a Christmas tree that is installed annually on the slopes of Mount Ingino (''Monte Ingino'' in Italian) outside the city of Gubbio, in the Umbria region in Italy. The tree ...
References
External links
Official websiteGubbio at Associazione Eugubini nel Mondo websiteRugby Gubbio - Official Web SiteSbandieratori di Gubbio (flag-wavers, flag-throwers)*
''The Gubbio Studiolo and its conservation, volumes 1 & 2'' from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Gubbio (see index)
''Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art '' from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Gubbio (see index)
{{Authority control
Hilltowns in Umbria
Roman sites of Umbria