Gubbio

In her research of the area around Perugia, Brenda came across the town of Gubbio, located about 40kms from Perugia.

We bussed there on a cool Monday morning, knowing ahead of time that rain was forecast for the afternoon. This was a very important fact, since the main reason for our trip there would be a very unpleasant experience in the rain and we therefore had to plan our time accordingly.

Although Gubbio is another medieval hillside village surrounded by an ancient stone wall, one kilometer up the hill is a basilica that houses the remains of Saint Ubaldo (the rather ghoulish mummified body is on full display in a glass case above the main altar). But what makes visiting the basilica extraordinary is the very unique means of getting there. Yeah sure, you can walk up the switchback filled path to the top, but to get the real Gubbio experience, the Funivia Colle Eletto is a must.

The cable car takes six minutes to reach the top, and it reminded me of getting on and off a ski hill's chairlift. The carriage consists of a birdcage-like wire cylinder in which two people stand for the entire ride. When one enters the station there are two red circles placed about 5 meters apart on the floor. Each passenger stands on one of the circles. As the car approaches, an attendant opens the door and instructs passenger # 1 to hop on, does the same for passenger # 2, and then closes the door. The cage moves at a steady speed and slows only for emergencies. The views from the cage were spectacular even though the skies were overcast and grey. Of course, riding up in the rain would have been no fun at all and, fortunately, we timed our trip perfectly.

Because the lift shuts down between 1:15 and 2:30, and we didn't want to be stuck at the top for that period, we made a quick visit to the basilica and made our way back down to the city in the birdcage. As we disembarked, and began searching for a place to eat, the first raindrops began to fall. Our timing couldn't have been better!

We had a great lunch at the only vegetarian restaurant in Gubbio and I became an official town fool by running three times around the fountain and sprinkling myself with water.

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