Gubbio is an Italian town of 31 394 inhabitants in the province of Perugia, in Umbria. The surface of its municipal territory is the largest in the region.
Location and Regional Context
Gubbio lies at coordinates
approximately 43°21′11″N 12°34′45″E, about 40 km northeast of Perugia
(Umbria’s capital) and near the borders with the Marche region to the
east and Tuscany to the west. This transitional position has
historically linked it culturally and politically to neighboring areas.
The large comune covers 525.78 km² (one of Umbria’s bigger
municipalities) with a 2025 population of roughly 30,300, yielding a low
density of about 58 people per km²—meaning most of the territory is
rural hills, forests, and farmland rather than urban sprawl.
The town
proper clings to the lowest slopes of Monte Ingino (a modest Apennine
peak), at an elevation of 522 m (1,713 ft) above sea level. From here it
overlooks a wide, NW–SE oriented valley that slopes gently down toward
the Tiber River plain. The surrounding landscape includes rolling hills,
limestone ridges, and deeper gorges, with the municipality’s elevation
ranging from about 213 m (700 ft) in lower valleys to over 1,694 m
(5,558 ft) on higher peaks (average around 576 m / 1,890 ft across the
mapped area).
Topography and Terrain
Gubbio occupies a classic
intermontane basin in the Umbrian Apennines (specifically the
Umbria–Marche Apennines). The Gubbio Basin is a tectonic graben—a
down-dropped block of crust formed during the Pleistocene by extensional
faulting. Steep limestone escarpments bound it to the northeast, while
gentler marly-arenaceous (clay-sandstone) hills rise to the south and
west. Alluvial fans from the escarpment have built up the central valley
floor, creating subtle topographic divides.
Key nearby features
include:
Monte Ingino — the town’s immediate backdrop, topped by
the Basilica of Sant’Ubaldo.
Monte Cucco (a few miles away) — known
for karst caves and part of a regional park.
Gola del Bottaccione — a
dramatic gorge between Monte Ingino and Monte Foce (also called Monte
Calvo), carved by the Camignano stream over millions of years.
The terrain is highly varied: narrow, stepped urban streets climb the
slopes, while the broader comune includes open agricultural plains,
wooded ridges, and upland pastures. This mix of steep slopes and valley
floors has shaped everything from medieval defense to modern land use.
Geology and Notable Formations
Geologically, the basin is filled
with river and lake sediments overlying older marine limestones. In
prehistoric times it held a lake that drained in the early Holocene,
leaving the current stream network. The Gola del Bottaccione is
world-famous among geologists: its vertical walls expose a nearly
complete stratigraphic sequence from the Jurassic through the Cretaceous
and into the Tertiary periods, complete with fossils. A thin
iridium-rich layer discovered here in the 1970s helped confirm the
asteroid-impact theory for the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) mass
extinction.
Hydrology
The Gubbio valley features unusual
bidirectional drainage due to the central alluvial high point. Streams
on the northwestern side (including the Assino River) flow northwest,
while those on the southwestern side (including the Chiascio River) flow
southwest—both ultimately joining the Tiber River system. Smaller
tributaries like the two Saonda streams further complicate the
watershed. The Camignano River (or stream) runs right through the
historic center, nearly dividing the town and crossed by several
bridges; it carved the Bottaccione gorge over 2–3 million years.
Prehistoric inhabitants relied on perennial mountain streams, natural
springs, and seasonal watercourses. Medieval engineering added ditches
and levees to manage flooding and irrigation.
Climate
Gubbio
has a temperate climate (Köppen Cfb/Cfa transition—mild oceanic with
some Mediterranean influence), moderated by its elevation and Apennine
setting. Summers are warm (average highs around 29 °C / 84 °F in
July–August) but rarely extreme; winters are cool to cold (lows often
near or below freezing, with occasional snow). Annual precipitation
averages roughly 900–920 mm (35–36 inches), distributed fairly evenly
but with slightly wetter autumn and spring. Cloud cover and humidity are
higher in winter, while summers bring clearer skies and more sunshine.
The significant local relief (over 1,800 ft elevation change within a
couple of miles of town) creates microclimates—cooler and windier on the
slopes, milder in the sheltered valley floor.
Natural Environment
and Vegetation
In the Bronze Age the valley was cooler, moister, and
heavily wooded (oak, beech, and other species), supporting red and roe
deer, smaller game, nuts, berries, and fish. Centuries of clearance for
cereal crops, olives, vines, flax, hemp, and pasture gradually
transformed the landscape. Today the comune features a mosaic of
cultivated fields, olive groves, vineyards, hay meadows, and residual
woodlands on steeper slopes. Upland areas retain scrub and forest
patches despite historical erosion. The surrounding Apennine ridges
(including Monte Cucco Regional Park) preserve denser beech and oak
forests, supporting wildlife typical of central Italy.
Urban and
Human Geography
The historic center is compact and dramatically
terraced up Monte Ingino’s slope, with stone buildings, narrow alleys,
and four medieval districts (contrade) named after patron saints. City
walls once enclosed about 34 hectares; expansion in the 12th–13th
centuries reflected population growth. The layout hugs the
topography—steeper upper districts near the cathedral and basilica,
lower quarters opening toward the valley. Modern development spreads
into the plain below, but the medieval core remains remarkably intact.
The large rural comune supports agriculture, forestry, and tourism, with
the town serving as a cultural and service hub.
The first forms of settlement in the Eugubino territory
are to be placed already in the Paleolithic. Remains of a Neolithic
village have been found in San Marco. In the Bronze Age a settlement
developed for several centuries on the above Mount Ingino; the
relative tombs, discovered only in the final bronze age, were
located in the area subsequently occupied by the center.
The
Eugubine Tables
Gubbio was an Umbrian city with the name of
Ikuvium or Iguvium, located on the communication routes between the
Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic. Evidence of the Umbrian period are the
Eugubine Tables, discovered around the middle of the 15th century
and purchased by the municipality in 1456, consisting of seven
bronze tables, partly written in the Umbrian alphabet and partly in
the Latin alphabet, but always in the Umbrian language, now
preserved at the civic museum of the Palazzo dei Consoli.
Roman period
Allied with Rome in 295 BC, in 167 BC. Genzio was
kept there, the last king of Illyria taken prisoner by the praetor
Lucio Anicio Gallo.
Gubbio obtained in 89 BC Roman
citizenship: it was elected a municipium and ascribed to the
Clustumina tribe.
High Middle age
Invaded by the Heruli,
it was destroyed in 552 by the Goths of Totila, but was rebuilt with
two powerful defensive towers by the Byzantines of Narsete, general
of Justinian, no longer on the plain, but on the slopes of Mount
Ingino. During the eighth century, Gubbio was affected on several
occasions by the expansion of the Lombard kings Liutprando, Astolfo
and Desiderio in the Byzantine territories of central Italy.
San Francesco in Gubbio
The city of Gubbio is closely linked to
the history of St. Francis, in particular to an event in his life
mentioned in the XXI chapter of the Fioretti di San Francesco,
namely the meeting with the "wolf" which took place near the church
of Santa Maria della Vittoria, known as della Vittorina; the
miraculous episode is one of the best known in the world and
historical truthfulness has long been debated: it is possible that
the wolf, or she-wolf, is a metaphor for a bandit reconciled with
the city by Francis, but many scholars speak of an animal true.
The Franciscan sources write: "Francis made the sign of the most
holy cross to him, and called him to himself and said," Come here,
brother wolf, I command you on the side of Christ that you do not
harm either to me or to a person ". what to say! Immediately that
Saint Francis had made the cross, the terrible wolf closed his mouth
and stopped running; and having done the commandment, he came meekly
as a lamb, and threw himself at the feet of Saint Francis to lie
down. "
In Gubbio, Francis took refuge after moving away from
Assisi, finding asylum with the Spadalonga family, and right here
the true conversion took place, as having lived together with the
poor and lepers of the place radically changed his life. Precisely
for this reason, the city is crossed by several paths traveled every
year by thousands of pilgrims, all in the name of the saint. One of
these is called the Assisi path.
Free municipality
Ceded
to the Church with the donations of Pepin the Short and Charlemagne,
the city, although subject to the bishops, was constituted as a free
municipality of a Ghibelline faction and, in the 11th century, began
an expansionist policy. Destroyed Luceoli, located on the Via
Flaminia near today's Cantiano, its vast territory was incorporated
into that of Gubbio and, in a more strategic position, Pergola was
founded (later an autonomous city from 1752). The creation of
Pergola was considered dangerous by the nearby city of Cagli, which
already felt threatened by Gubbio, as the Gubbio family had obtained
the imperial concession on the strategic Cantiano castle,
effectively controlling the connections on the Via Flaminia; a
series of clashes arose which involved, by virtue of the alliances
promoted by the Cagliesi, also Perugia. The continuous border wars
led Gubbio to have more than one hundred castles under its dominion
but, at the same time, to enter into strong conflict with Perugia,
alarmed by its expansionism.
In 1151 eleven confederate cities, headed by Perugia, attacked
Gubbio with the intent to wipe it out. The city withstood the shock
and the subsequent counterattack led to a crushing victory for the
besieged. The event was attributed to the miraculous intervention of
St. Ubaldo (1080-1160), then bishop of the city. The military and
commercial power that Gubbio was increasingly showing off led to
other clashes with Perugia, until in 1257 the Perugians occupied
part of the Gubbio territories, which were then returned with the
peace treaty of 1273.
In the 10th century Gubbio prospered in
peace, growing both from an urban, economic and demographic point of
view. In 1263, the Guelphs took power, which they held until 1350
except for brief periods, such as when, in 1300, Gubbio was occupied
by the Ghibelline troops of the Count of Ghiacciolo (Uberto
Malatesta) and Uguccione della Faggiuola. Finally, falling under the
lordship of Giovanni Gabrielli, in 1354 it was besieged and
conquered by Cardinal Albornoz, papal legate, who subjected it to
the Church, however granting the city its ancient privileges and
statutes. The peace was short-lived because the papal government did
not keep the promises made by Cardinal Albornoz: the Gubbio in 1376
rose up and established a self-government.
A few years later,
in 1381, the bishop Gabriello Gabrielli, supported by the pope,
proclaimed himself lord of Agobbio, the medieval name of Gubbio,
provoking the rebellion of the citizens who, reduced to hunger, in
1384 rose up in arms against the bishop. Unable to resist the
combative bishop, who did not want to lose dominion over the city,
the Gubbio "surrendered" spontaneously to the Montefeltro, dukes of
Urbino, thus losing the title of free municipality, but obtaining a
long period of tranquility. The Montefeltro family, art lovers,
returned to Gubbio the privileges and civil regulations, the city
thus returned to flourish culturally and artistically; in that
period the Palazzo dei Consoli was rebuilt. Except for brief
interruptions for the lords of the Malatesta and Cesare Borgia, the
city remained in the Montefeltro family until 1508 when the Della
Rovere family took over the dominion of the city, who held it until
1631 when, with the death of Francesco Maria II Della Rovere , last
heir of the family, all the goods and all the feuds passed, as per
testamentary will, to the papal state.
Kingdom of Italy
In
1860 Gubbio was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and, as a result of
the Minghetti decree, on 22 December 1860 it was detached from the
Marches and aggregated to Umbria, detaching it from the Apostolic
Delegation of Urbino and Pesaro and aggregating it to the newly
established Province of Perugia.
Following the economic
depression of 1873-1895, following the agrarian crisis that occurred
in Italy around 1880, many inhabitants emigrated in search of work
and better living conditions. This phenomenon continued for about a
century, in various waves conditioned by the first and second world
wars, to end in the seventies. The destinations were essentially
European countries, such as Luxembourg, France, Belgium,
Switzerland, Germany, the countries of North America (Canada and the
United States) and South America (Argentina and Brazil), and also
South Africa and Australia.
During the Second World War, on
22 June 1944, following the murder of 2 Germanic medical officers in
a city bar, the Germans carried out a ferocious retaliation, raking
and subsequently slaughtering 40 innocent citizens with machine gun
shots, near the church of the Madonna del Prato, where today a
mausoleum commemorates the "40 martyrs". Furthermore, for about
thirty days, until July 25, 1944, the day of liberation, the city
was severely bombarded by German artillery which, from the
surrounding mountains, beat the valley to counter the advance of the
liberation troops.
Cathedral of Saints Mariano and Giacomo
Dedicated to the Christian proto-martyrs Mariano and Giacomo, the
Cathedral was built on a project by Giovanni da Gubbio starting from
1190 on the area granted by the bishop Bentivoglio. Completed in
1229 and enlarged for the first time in 1336 and a second time in
the middle of the 16th century, it has a very simple facade,
characterized by a staircase and a rose window surrounded by the
symbols of the four evangelists and the mystical lamb, belonging to
the primitive cathedral.
Church of San Francesco
The church was built in the second half of the 13th century at
the warehouse of the Spadalonga family, which would have welcomed
St. Francis of Assisi after his abandonment of his father's house.
The church is probably the work of the architect frà Bevignate from
Perugia, although its attribution is still under discussion.
Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (or della Vittorina)
The
original construction of the small church dates back to the 9th
century, at the point where the Gubbio had beaten the Saracens. This
is why she had been called Vittorina. Inside, the walls of the
single nave were enriched with fresco decorations in the fifteenth
century, while the 14 squares with the stories of the Madonna are
from the seventeenth century. In 1213 the blessed Villano, bishop of
the city, granted the Franciscan friars to establish their seat in
the ancient church. Tradition has it that here St.Francis of Assisi
calms the ferocious wolf that terrified the inhabitants of the
Gubbio countryside around 1222 with the sign of the cross.
Church of San Francesco della Pace (or of the Muratori)
Built in
the first half of the century. XVII from the University of Masons in
the place where, according to tradition, there was the cave where
the wolf of Gubbio lived. Inside you can see the stone on which it
is said that the peace pact between St. Francis of Assisi and the
wolf took place, and the lid of the stone sarcophagus of the alleged
burial of the animal in question. The church also houses the
statuettes of S. Ubaldo, S. Giorgio and S. Antonio placed on top of
the Ceri in the famous feast of May 15th.
St. John Baptist
The church was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, probably
on the site previously occupied by the primitive Cathedral of San
Mariano. The church has a purely Gothic facade, while the bell tower
is Romanesque. The interior consists of a single nave with a square
apse, while the roof is supported by stone arches on coupled
columns. Many of the original frescoes have been lost; only a few
fragments of a Saint Catherine of Alexandria and a mystical Marriage
of Saint Catherine remain. This church is also famous for hosting
the set of the Rai 1 fiction Don Matteo for many years.
San
Domenico
The church was founded on the oldest church of San
Martino, which existed before 1180, when the Dominicans settled in
Gubbio in the nearby convent (beginning of the 14th century). It was
modified in the 16th and 18th centuries, but the facade remained
unfinished. The apse is supported by corner towers. Mastro Giorgio
Andreoli was buried there.
Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo
The
basilica, located on the top of Mount Ingino at 827 m above sea
level, houses the body of the patron saint of Gubbio, Sant'Ubaldo,
from which it takes its name.
Church of Sant'Agostino
Church of San Francesco di Paola
Church of San Felicissimo behind
the municipal cemetery
Parish of San Martino al Colle
Built around 1321, it was dependent on San Bartolo di Petroio; in
1513, it was joined to the parish of Santa Maria di Narzelle by
order of Pope Leo X, entrusting it to the parishes united to the
Canons Regular of Sant'Ubaldo. In 2016, a chapel dedicated to little
Sara Mariucci and Madonna Morena was built in the parish.
Palazzo dei Consoli
The Palazzo dei
Consoli was built in the fourteenth century by the city government,
which in this way wanted to testify to the greatness and power
achieved by the city. The building, in Gothic style, has been the
seat of the civic museum since 1901 which, among other things,
houses the very precious Eugubine Tables.
Palazzo Pretorio
The Palazzo Pretorio is located in Piazza della Signoria, known as
Piazza Grande di Gubbio, right in front of the Palazzo dei Consoli.
Its construction began in 1349 and continued until the 17th century,
without ever reaching completion. Originally the palace had three
vast superimposed rooms, each with a cross vault resting on a single
central pillar. It is currently the seat of the municipality of
Gubbio.
Ducal Palace
The Palazzo Ducale is located in
front of the Cathedral of Gubbio and was built by order of Federico
da Montefeltro after 1470. Inside the palace was the Duke's study,
with a coffered ceiling and walls covered with splendid wooden
inlays. The study was built between 1479 and 1482 by the Florentine
workshop of Giuliano da Maiano, based on designs by Francesco di
Giorgio Martini; the entire room was sold in 1939 to the
Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo
The Palazzo is located in the
San Martino district, dates back to the 13th century and belonged
for a certain period of time to the Gabrielli family. It now houses
a small exhibit featuring some torture tools.
Bargello Palace
Typical example of Gothic architecture in Gubbio. It rises in the
suggestive Via dei Consoli and was built in the early 1300s. It is
the seat of the crossbow museum. Gubbio is traditionally defined as
the city of madmen, referring to the proverbial unpredictability and
irony of the Gubbio. A traditional custom is to give the driver's
license to those who run three full laps around the
sixteenth-century fountain of the mad, located in Largo del Bargello
in front of the Palace, to then receive baptism from the splashes of
the same.
Roman theatre
Just
beyond the Roman walls, there is the Roman theater, dating back to
the 1st century BC. Built between 55 and 27 BC, a plaque found here
mentions a series of works made in the Augustan period by Gneo
Satrio Rufo, quattuorviro of Gubbio.
Excavations and
consequent recovery and restoration works have taken place since
1789 and have brought to light several mosaics of excellent
workmanship. The lower arches, part of the upper arches, the cavea
(which could hold 6,000 spectators) and the scene with curved and
rectangular niches are well preserved.
Antiquarium
Near the Roman theater there is a small but rich archaeological
museum, built on the remains of a domus with beautiful mosaic
floors, which houses interesting finds from various areas of Gubbio,
referable to pre-Roman (Umbrian) and Roman times. The € 3.00 ticket
entitles you to access the museum, the site of the Roman theater and
the mosaics of the "domus del banchetto" in the nearby Guastuglia
area.
Mausoleum
It is a ruin of a Roman tomb, located near
the theater, originally covered with large squared stone blocks,
with a still well-preserved burial chamber with a barrel vault and a
small window. It was considered in the past centuries as the
sepulcher of Genzio, the last king of Illyria. It is actually the
mausoleum of Pomponio Grecino, prefect of Gubbio in the 1st century
BC.
Bottaccione gorge
World-class scientific site.