Gubbio

The hill town of Gubbio is located in Umbria, not far from Perugia. It’s history pre-dates the Romans, being occupied as far back as the bronze age. There is a wonderful Funiva which will take you on a beautiful ride to the top of the mountain where the Basilica of Sant’Ubaldo is located. It is also host to the largest Christmas tree in the world. Another claim to fame for Gubbio is that the Italian television program Don Matteo – A mystery solving priest, was filmed here for eight seasons.

Festa dei Ceri

The Festa dei Ceri is a yearly festival held on May 15 to honor three patron saints of Gubbio. A statue of each of the saints is places at the top of a 5 meter tall “candlestick”. Then three teams wearing yellow, blue and black outfits carry, or more accurately run, the candlesticks from the town square up a gravel path to top of the mountain to the Basilica of St. Ubaldo.

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Funivia

If you don’t want to walk or run up the the gravel path to the top of the mountain, there is a type of lift called a FUNIVIA which will take up there while providing you with spectacular views of the city and valley below.

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Albero di Natale

The Albero di Natale, or Christmas tree, was created in 1981 on the side of the mount Ingino, which towers above the city. It is the largest Christmas tree in the world at over 2000 feet.