Umbria (Central Italy) always fascinates me. Unlike Milan or Rome or the Amalfi Coast, this landlocked region is a little less trodden by tourists, which makes it one of the best preserved corners of the country.
Less than an hour's drive from the region's capital, Perugia, Gubbio is really ancient. I mean pre-Roman old. When the Romans arrived, they built one of the largest theaters they've ever built (it's interesting to see what their priorities are). According to current statistics, it holds second prize in the size category of all existing Roman theaters.
No honest Italian town is complete without its Duomo, Palazzo, and Piazzas. But a colourful history lesson aside, what makes Gubbio such a charming town is its well preserved streets and houses, seemingly untouched for millenia. After a long lunch at the quiet Piazza Bosone sampling local delicacies in a platter called Piattone, walk along the old windy road Gola del Bottaccione that takes you through the town and up the hill to the Basilica di Ubaldo, a beautiful little church where the body of the patron saint, Sant Ubaldo (1084 - 1160), is preserved.
The surrounding landscape is well known in the region, popularly known to the locals as the "green heart of Italy". I cannot agree more.
Information about Gubbio in English: http://www.argoweb.it/gubbio/gubbio.uk.html
意大利中部的Umbria 一向是一個很能把我迷倒的地方。不同於米蘭或羅馬，甚至Amalfi 海岸，Umbria 是一個完全被陸地包圍的地方，由於仍未有太多的遊客足跡，因此她能成為一個保有意大利原有風味的小角落。
Gubbio 距離 Umbria 地區首府Perugia 大約一小時車程，是一個真正的古老小鎮。她之所以「古老」是因為她見證了非常長久的歷史。早於羅馬時期，這個小鎮已經存在，後來羅馬人更在這裏興建了當時最大的劇院，這座劇院至今依然是現存羅馬時期劇院的第二大！
幾乎所有的意大利小鎮都有教堂、宮殿及廣場，Gubbio 没有一點例外，但是究竟是甚麼令到Gubbio 擁有這非凡的吸引力呢？除了色彩豐富的歷史外，她擁有完美地保存著的街道及房屋，彷彿將一千年前的樣子保存至今，這對於所有旅遊及歷史愛好者來說都是十分難能可貴的。
我在寧靜的Bosone 廣場的一間餐廳裏享受了一個悠閒的午餐，我點了叫做Piattone 的當地菜色。午餐後一路經過Gola del Bottaccione這條古老而又受風的街道，穿過小鎮漫步到小山丘之上，最後到達一個名叫Basilica di Ubaldo 的漂亮小教堂。這個教堂把 Sant Ubaldo (1084 - 1160) 的遺體保存了八百五十年至今！
這一帶的景色是區內聞名的，當地人給她冠以「green heart of Italy」之名。
更多關於Gubbio 資料的英文網頁：http://www.argoweb.it/gubbio/gubbio.uk.html
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