Visit Gubbio
Gubbio is a sizable town situated in the Perugia province of Umbria in central Italy. It is towards the base of Mount Ingino.
In terms of architecture and urban planning, the city of Gubbio consists of a series of parallel streets, running at different levels, steep and precipitous, and by monumental buildings with dark stone houses, with arched and mullioned windows, jambs and window-sills of a typical medieval style.
Among the sacred buildings, first visit the Church of St. Augustine and Santa Maria Nuova. The interior of the Church of St. Augustine is worthy of mention: it has a single nave, with beams supported by eight arches. The classic arcades open along the walls, lodging altars; the choir is rectangular, with vaults, while a large ogival window occupies the centre of the wall. The walls of the Choir are decorated with frescoes by the School of Nelli. Several paintings stand on the altar, such as the "Madonna del Soccorso" by Nelli and other works of his pupils.
The Church of Santa Maria Nuova has a 13th century limestone façade, still perfectly intact, but the interior has been affected by various inadequate restorations. In the sixteenth century, because of the plague and fear of contagion, the inner walls of the church were whitewashed, thus ruining the works of local masters as Guido Palmerucci (active in the XIV century) and some of his pupils. Among the ancient churches of Gubbio, we also remember the Church of St. Peter, already extensively remodelled in the thirteenth century. As far as we know, the Church of St. Peter is of a very ancient origin (seventh century AD), but it underwent numerous changes over the centuries which obliterated the primitive medieval part. Among the paintings in the church note the "Visitation", by a pupil of Perugino (1450 ca.-1523).
Palazzo dei Consoli
Move now towards Piazza della Signoria which has some very important buildings, including the Palazzo dei Consoli, a building of exceptional artistic value dating from 1332 - 1346. (Note: The ancient chroniclers of Gubbio (XV century) named the architect of the imposing building as Matteo di Giovanello di Matteo, better known as “Gattapone”, but according to an inscription located above the main portal, the real author of the Palace is Angelo da Orvieto.)
The main facade, which overlooks the square, is divided into three orders of architecture, with mullioned windows with trefoil arches; on the first floor windows on the second floor have a notched cornice, which follows the arc, while, on the upper floor runs a gallery, crowned with battlements, of a typical medieval style; in the middle point of the building stands a staircase, which opens down to the square - a very effective architectural solution in psychological terms because it almost seems to welcome and invite people to enter into the building that was, in the Middle Ages, the seat of popular assemblies. Inside we enter the large hall, which was the assembly hall of the people, and is very bright for the presence of large windows. In the assembly hall of the people, there is the room of Council, decorated in the 16th century.
Today the “Palazzo dei Consoli” holds the Archaeological Museum (with coins minted at Gubbio in Umbrian and the Roman Ages and the famous" Tabulae Iguvinae") and the Pinacoteca, which has many paintings by Umbrian artists from the 14th to the 16th century such as Guido Palmerucci (14th century), Sinibaldo Ibi (active in the early 16th century), Virgilio Nucci (1545-1621), Felice Damiani (1535 ca.-1608), Francesco Gessi (1588-1649), as well as works by Timoteo Viti [1469-1523] ("Noli Me Tangere"), Ottaviano Nelli ("Our Lady of Charity"), Francesco Signorelli [16th century) ("The Virgin and Child").
Staying within the "Palaces of Power", another majestic Gubbio building is the Great House of the Montefeltro.
Not far from the Montefeltro Palace, there is the Cathedral of Gubbio, which was built on the site of the pre-existing church of San Mariano, destroyed by fire. The new cathedral, completed in late twelfth century, has a façade with a portal to pointed arch, surmounted by a canopy. The interior has a Latin cross with a nave and ten large arches.
See also history of Gubbio