I first heard about Gubbio in E.M. Forster's novel, 'Where angels fear to tread'. His fictional town of Monteriano, is thought to be a combination of Monteriggioni and San Gimignano. However there is also a hill in Umbria called 'Montereano' which faces the town of Gubbio... It was described in the book as one of those 'off-the-beaten-track, hill-top towns that one must visit' and it has also been described as the most beautiful medieval towns in the world! So for our 'Festa della Liberazione' long weekend, Gubbio is the destination!
By some miracle we manage to book two nights at an agriturismo in Umbertide, a small town a few kilometres west of Gubbio. We head off on a sunny Saturday morning and drive on the A-1 motorway towards Arezzo. We make an unscheduled stop at Monterchi in the Val D'Arno to see Piero della Francesca's 'Madonna del Parto', which is in a small church and very pretty. it's a quiet little town and well worth the stop.
We press on to our farmhouse, it's in a beautiful location just outside Umbertide, the perfect spot for three days of total relaxation...Which is the plan anyway! Especially considering our last visit to Umbria, when we rushed around trying to see too many places.
We eventually arrive and unpack our things, munch the sandwiches we packed, overlooking some very beautiful, unspoilt Umbrian countryside. After a brief 'pisolino' we make our way to Gubbio and park up near the Roman theatre. Unfortunately the sun has disappeared and doesn't reappear until Monday evening!
However we soldier on and Gubbio turns out to be as good as all the hype. Wonderful cobbled, medieval streets, the whole town carved out of a gorge on the side of a hill. We just wander aimlessly, gazing in the windows of some interesting looking shops. The very elegant 'Palazzo dei Consoli' is the main attraction, but it's the tranquil atmosphere that lingers in the memory... We buy a couple of umbrellas as the rain has set in and in true English fashion we enjoy a cup of tea and slice of cake in an outside cafè!
On the way home I fill up the Nissan Sunny with diesel instead of unleaded petrol and as we drive out of the garage it splutters to an abrupt halt! Luckily a very friendly mechanic, who although it is a bank holiday and is not officially working, interrupts his tea and comes to the rescue. We just manage to get back in time for dinner at 9 o'clock!
The farmhouse is famous for its cuisine and it doesn't disappoint! I have a very tasty pasta nocera, with a sausage and truffle sauce and Annette has a lovely asparagus risotto. We both have the goose for main course and it's sublime.
Sunday
And we're up at 8.30 sharp to partake of the farm's organic breakfast and then we relax and read all morning. In the afternoon we check out Citta di Castello (famous tower under scaffolding) and then go in search for this restaurant in the abbey at Montecorona. It turns out to be a beautiful place, along side the river Tiber (as in Rome-Tiber) We go for stroll and then book a table for the evening. The meal turns out to be wonderful. We share the restaurant with a seven-year old boy, who is celebrating his first communion and his fifty guests!
Monday
And after another huge breakfast we head back home, with another impromptu stop in Tuscany at Sansepolcro. We walk round the small centre and eventually find somewhere for lunch and there is just time to check out some more Pireo della Francesca in the form of the beautiful 'Resurrection'
The End
of book 7!
See you in book 8!)
(Original journal entry 25/4/2005)
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