World's biggest Christmas Tree :-)
by Trekki
When you happen to look at Gubbio’s website anytime between December 7 and January 10, you will see a special intro photo. This is how Gubbio indeed looks like from the valley during Christmas time. The world’s biggest Christmas Tree decorates the slopes of Monte Ingino between the city walls and the mountain top. The Star of Bethlehem is permanently mounted on top of the hill; you can see it anytime you visit Gubbio or pass it along the road (which would be a shame – passing it only I mean!), see photo. On this photo and on another one you can also see the wooden poles on which the lights will be mounted to form the trees. The measures of this tree are amazing. It is 650 metres high, 350 m broad and 12.000 m of electrical cables are laid out. During Christmas season 250 green lights form the tree shape, 400 coloured lights form the tree lights. The Star of Bethlehem has 1000 m2 of area and is illuminated with additional 200 light points through 400 m of cable.
When I was in Gubbio first time (April 2008) and walked uphill to Basilica Sant’ Ubaldo, I saw these structures but didn’t think that these would be the permanent poles for the tree. Have a look when you walk uphill so that you don’t miss it.
The tree is being illuminated on December 7. As with so many local events, also this illumination is being accompanied by a big table of events with live greeting messages from Eugubini all over the world, of course also from the ones of Jessup, Pennsylvania, and of course with an appearance of Gubbio’s sbandieratori. At a point in time during this event the responsible person presses the button to start all the lights. And all this is being accompanied by extended fireworks.
On the website of Gubbio’s Christmas Tree are several photos of how the tree (resp. the lights) is erected. It is in Italian only but the photos are easy to find (gallery).
There is also a short video on youtube with tree, fireworks and il Campanone
Luckily TeleRadioGubbio transmits the ascension and illumination life, so last year (2009) I could sit at home at the evening of December 7 and watch this all through the internet. This year though I will be there and watch the illumination live :-) Tickets are already booked :-)
(In case you wonder about my main photo: good old Nobby had decided to stay in Gubbio for a while and my dear Italian teacher Edvige was nice enough to take a photo of Nobby with the tree in the background.)
© Ingrid D., November 2009 (just in case, RickS or others come along and think they can steal texts), update July 2010.
Almost as many towers as S. Gimignano
by Trekki
They are not as obvious as in San Gimignano, but then San Gimignano has a complete different location on top of a hill and not on a slope. But I would bet that Gubbio has just as many towers. Have a look over the town from the balcony of Palazzo dei Consoli and you will see what I mean (see photo). Several of these towers are inside the town walls and were also built by the several families to demonstrate power and strength. I have yet to find out which one belonged once to which family and what it stood for, next time! In addition to the ones in town many towers of the town wall are also still exisiting, including many parts of the town wall itself plus entrance gates. My most favourite part of town wall is the one in my main photo. The best view for this one is from outside of chiesa San Francesco in the afternoon when the sun starts to descent and spills out magic light over the city. With the slender trees in front of the wall, it makes for a magnificent photo :-)
© Ingrid D., December 2009 (just in case, RS or others come along and think they can steal texts).
Madonnas and frescoes everywhere
by Trekki
Umbria is a holy country. Among one of the many striking sights are frescoes and saints literarily around every corner. And Gubbio is no exception. Of course Sant’Ubaldo has a special place in the hearts of Gubbio’s locals. But there are also many little shrines for other saints everywhere. When I wandered through the town and uphill to Basilica Sant’Ubaldo I always stopped and looked around to make sure that I didn’t miss any of them. Many of the frescoes did suffer over time or maybe due to the many earthquakes, Umbria and Gubbio has to face once in a while. Images of madonnas and saints are also very much present throughout Gubbio. Often they are embedded into the walls as little reliefs or paintings or frescoes, and sometimes there are little statues, and very often these are decorated with fresh flowers. Several frescoes have been painted by the local artist Ottaviano Nelli, such as the one in my main picture (at chiesa della SS Trinità, opposite of Porta Romana inside the city walls).
© Ingrid D., November 2009 (just in case, RS or others come along and think they can steal texts).
don't limit to the main street
by andy-g
In the center of the town, don't limit to follow the main street looking for the wellknown monuments on your map. In the secondary, narrow streets you can find nice street-views and street life scene. I can't remember the name of the street in the picture, however it's near Palazzo dei Consoli, then down the main street, on the right you find a narrow stair between two buildings and you are there.
Loggia dei Tiratori & Piazza dei 40 Martiri
by Trekki
Piazza Quaranta Martiri at the bottom of Gubbio is most likely where travellers to Gubbio will arrive. It is a wide and open space and filled with hustling and bustling life. Gubbio’s market is held here on Tuesdays. Small food stalls with delicious products are set up daily under the arcades. The dominating church is chiesa San Francesco and only after my second visit to Gubbio (Oct. 2009) I have been inside. It is indeed a very beautiful one with frescoes all over. And it also plays an important role in Gubbio’s history. When San Francesco came to Gubbio, he was invited by the wealthy Spadalonga family, a dynasty of wool traders. They gave him shelter and gave him clothes. So this is where he got the brown frock from. He always had a good relationship with this family and they donated of their storage room when San Francesco’s followers wanted to build a church in Gubbi after his death. The wall of this storage room is now part of the inside walls of chiesa San Francesco. Even if chiesa S.M. Vittorina is more related to him, chiesa San Francesco is the one which is devoted to him and his life with frescoes and stained glass windows. Next to the church is a cloister (Chiostro della Pace). But I could not find out how to get there. Next time for sure, because given the descriptions I have read it must be marvellous. And it should also have the sigillo della custodia Eugubina inside and the Francisoc library with more than 10000 books, some of which are of 13th century. Yes, I must find out how I can visit the library!
Next to San Francesco’s entrance portal is another statue of San Francesco and the wolf, by the way.
Another obvious building at the piazza is Loggia dei Tiratori, the long two-storey building with an open loggia on the first floor. In the past it was the house of Gubbio’s weavers’ guild. After dyeing the fabrics, they were stretched to a defined size and dried here (the fabrics, haha, not the weavers…). At Loggia dei Tiratori’s eastern wall is a huge beautiful old clock, but that’s a story for the local customs section.
Piazza Quaranta Martiri has its name in memory of the brutal massacre, the brainsick German SS nazis were responsible for on April 22, 1944: they picked fourty (quaranta) locals and executed them….The memorial is outside the city walls and when I come again I will lay flowers. I am also grateful to all the people I met in Gubbio for their hospitality and friendliness. This means very much to me given my actual nationality.
Loggia dei Tiratori on Google Maps.
© Ingrid D., February 2009, updates in December 2010 (just in case, RS or others come along and think they can steal texts).
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Ceri Mezzani, fixing the cero of Sant'Antonio
Luigi's nephew rings the bells of San Giovanni
Abandoned farmhouse near Montone
San Francesco gets his habit
