Gubbio

I have titled this post Gubbio, even though there is other news in it, but due to me getting a sore knee - no idea how- we have spent an extra day here.

Saint Frances is known as the Peacemaker in Gubbio.  Here he made a pact with a wolf that had been terrorising the townsfolk, and from then on the wolf had no need to kill for food, because people fed him, and the townsfolk no longer lived in fear.

Over the last few days we have not done a lot of walking, for a number of reasons:-  time, tiredness and injury!  For some reason leaving Sansepolcro a bout of tiredness hit us and everything was an effort.  As a result, we tried, unsuccessfully, to shorten the day, in the end shortening to such an extent that we didn't walk at all, other than to the railway station and around the town!   The tourist office tried to help us by calling the only taxi in town, which didn't answer.  At 11.30 we gave up on the plan to catch a taxi halfway - to the top of the mountain, and instead decided to catch a bus the whole way!  Fortunately I decided some hour early to wander over to the bar where one buys bus tickets only to be told there was no bus - it was Sunday!  Back again to the tourist office and a different assistant ( her colleague was new, hence her !is take!) Informed me that we could catch a train, which after another couple of hours wait, we did.

This night was spent in Citta di Castello.  We arrived early evening just as the market was packing up.  Another fascinating walled village, but mostly on the flat rather than a hillside.  Fascinating old buildings, including a circular tower, and a beautiful Cathedral, and we had a delightful room, just around the corner from the main square, in the hotel Umbria.

Some of the frescoes in the cathedral in Città di Castello.

A small portion of the beautiful carving on the cathedral door in Città di Castello,

and inside the cathedral.

A street scene in Città di Castello,

and the round tower.

Fortunately the receptionist spoke very good English and advised us on how we could get to the next destination - taxi!  We had two options, one to leave at 6.00am and get near the top of the mountain, or leave whenever we wanted and catch the taxi the whole way.  We chose this latter option, being delivered (and introduced to Mr Tinca) to hotel Tinca in Pietralunga in time for a great lunch.

 The square in Pietralunga, looking across at the church where we attended a concert later that evening - organ, and a talented soprano who switched and played the recorder a couple of times (both the descant and the treble).

 A view of the other side of the square.

A little back street in Pietralunga.

In Pietralunga we had time to explore the tiny hilltop village, have a sing in the church, and greet our pilgrim friends as they arrived.  We went to a wonderful concert of Baroque music that evening in the church and along with two of our pilgrim friends we swelled the audience by a quarter!

 On the other side of the square this was the view we got.

As we left the next morning cloud covered the sun, and a haze filled the valley.

 Here we have walked down into the valley and come up the other side to get a fine view of Pietralunga.

As we descended the hill at San Benedetto to where our "taxi" angels were, we passed this cross.

Yesterday we set off with every intention of walking the whole way to Gubbio, but as I was descending the first hill my eyes started to light up with pain in my knee.  We stopped at San Benedetto, right outside a B&B.  A woman saw me limping and offered to help.  As is the way on the Camino, it was just the right person at the right time!  They were taking their friend into Gubbio to get fitted for crutches.  She had fallen on the stairs on her first night there and broken her leg, I only had a painful knee.  They gave us a ride to Gubbio, I have put myself on Voltaren and strapped my knee, and we have had extra time to explore this amazing city.  We will see what tomorrow, and another night of rest, brings with regard to walking.

 The Fransican church in Gubbio,

And inside the church.

Now it is time to bore you with more photos.

 More or less our first view of the old part of Gubbio, mixed with the busy modern market.

 The market has packed up and gone, and peace reigns again.

 Heading up to look through what is known as the Ducal Palace, basically the original "Council" building.

 The fantastic view from here.

Looking up towards the Basilica, where today we caught a cable car there and back.

A typical street in Gubbio, complete with the washing drying.

The Grand Piazza.

 Julie, showing off her new hat, against the backdrop of Gubbio.

 A higher view of Gubbio, from the cable car basket.

 One of the "Porte's" (gateways) into Gubbio.

In Italy funeral notices are pasted on A4 paper on fthe notice board in town.

Going up in the cable car this is the view we got.

 This Basilica is dedicated to Saint Ubaldo.

 Each year, in May, the "candlesticks" are taken down the mountain to the town of Gubbio, where teams of men run through the streets with them, then up the mountain where they stay till next year.  They are topped with statues of the the three patron saints and always go in order, Saint Ubaldo first, and each one weighs around 300 kilos! 

I loved the frescoes surrounding the organ.

More photos!

We have had an odd couple of days, a mixture of really interesting (and strenuous) walking, tedious walking along some asphalt roads, and a day when our bodies felt so lethargic that we ended up catching the train (today)

The country has changed since I last wrote.  We are heading to Tuscany, and so the candle pines are becoming more prolific.  We are also floating (I wish - you know what I mean!), between about 4 - 500 metres and 9 - 1200 metres.  The hills are just as steep, but far less wild.  I am missing the forests, and the wild ravines, instead seeing little villages every few miles.  Our greatest blessing though is that most days we have had a cool breeze. 

I am going to let the photos tell the tale.  Enjoy.

When we left Chiusi della Verna we had to go down to, then up, the hill that Julie is looking at.  It was steep at times, but as we got higher it became easier climbing.

The track was pretty rough and so we had to watch where we put our feet!

The path headed further into the gorge, before going up.

Up until now we have been following green arrows, along with the red and white grande randonee signs, but from now on we also see the Tau.  This is the symbol of the Franciscans, and though our path follows this way at times, we have to keep our wits about us in case it differs from our path.

Here are the three signs all together!

Looking across the valley to the village of Chiusi Della Verna.  The mountain is Mount Verna, and if you look carefully you will see the sanctuary of la Verna just below the top of the mountain, on the left.  On the right you can see the very distinctive shape the mountain takes on.

On this day we were headed to this hermitage of St Francis. La Verna had a special place in his heart and it is recorded that at this hermitage, after he had left la Verna, and on his way back to Assisi, he spoke a passionate farewell to his beloved mountain.

This cross is at the hermitage.  You can see the distinctive shape of La Verna through the gap in the trees on the left.

Our destination on this day was the village of Caprese Michelangelo, so named because it was the birthplace of  the great man.  He lived in this house, where he was born, in the grounds of the castle that towers over the village.

The church where Michelangelo was baptised.

Another cross as we left Caprese.

We all had a dinner at the Buka Michelangelo.  Our accommodation - dinner, bed and breakfast that night cost €25 each.  The two women at the front of the picture are two new pilgrims who joined us for the first time this evening.

Leaving Caprese we saw this unusual flock of sheep.  We think this was the colour of their wool, not dirt!

Somehow we missed a turn leaving Caprese.  We just followed the road down and around, where we met the two Italian girls from last night.  They informed us that they had been told that there was a wild boar on the mountain we were headed to.  They had been warned that it was dangerous to go that way and to instead follow the road, which we also decided to do!

We were meant to come down the hill on the left, on the other side of the lake.  Soon after this we at last picked up the green arrows again.

This is a church we would not have seen had we gone the correct way!

While we were having lunch a couple of tractors passed us towing trailers of freshly harvested tobacco leaves.

The interior of the cathedral in Sansepolcro, our destination for the night.  It is quite a simple, even austere building, but there are quite beautiful frescoes inside.

This was one of the frescoes in the cathedral cloisters.  St Benedict is teaching the monks how to build a cathedral.

 A simple but very beautiful altar piece in the cathedral.

This was a very unusual cross in a small chapel in the cathedral.

Ones of the frescoes in the cathedral.

The alabaster rose window in the cathedral.  It is very lovely and quite a change from the usual stained glass rose windows.  All the windows in the cathedral were alabaster.

Julie in the square, surrounded by flower pots.

Sansepolcro was full of interesting old buildings.