Gubbio and Perugia
Oct 11th, 2011, 12:51 PM
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Gubbio and Perugia
I will be staying only two nights in Perugia in November. While in Perugia I’d like to take a day trip to Gubbio taking the bus, then back to Perugia the same day. Am I cutting my time short in Perugia by taking the day trip to Gubbio? I would actually like to stay the night in Gubbio but getting from Gubbio to Florence would be too hectic and long via train and bus. If I stayed in Gubbio overnight, I would have to give up my one night in Cortona. I have been to Cortona two other times so I’m wondering if I’m being foolish to pass up staying overnight in Gubbio. Any suggestions?
Oct 11th, 2011, 01:46 PM
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Personally, I find it quite impossible to answer a question like this without knowing more about your interests, your travel style and the rest of your itinerary, but I've noticed other posters on the internet are ready to jump in scream "I LOVED .......--" (fill in the blank) or "I HATED ....... (fill in the blank) -- so up to you how you want to approach this.
If you have never been to Perugia, there are several things there that are of great value to people whose interest in visiting Italy is focused on (a) understanding the development of painting in Italy, (b) how Italian tufa cities developed, layer upon layer, since Etruscan times, and (c) fine examples of Umbrian food and wine plus, of course, chocolate. Also of value is that Perugia is much more than a place well- preserved for tourism. It has a contemporary life of its own, and is well-used today, despite its thoroughly medieval streetscape. Its non-touristy feel is a delight to many visitors.
All that said, if you dislike museums of painting (Perugia has one of central Italy's most pleasurable), and if your main motive in traveling to Italy is to immerse yourself in lost-to-time places, with no trace of modern life, Gubbio is an well preserved, picture perfect town, frozen in time. It is like stepping into those paintings of ziggeraut hilltowns you have seen.
My personal bias is that I found Gubbio chilly and dead, and Perugia a constant delight and sensual treat, an occasion for laughter and delicious eating. Others will disagree.
In November in Umbria, daylight hours are short and it can be rainy, so even given my biases, I think Gubbio on a rainy day, minus its pretty views, would be missable. So you might want to wait 'til you get there to make the call. You won't have trouble booking last-minute lodgings in that area.
If nothing is calling you back to Cortona, maybe seeing more of Italy is the right way to spend your money. Hard to know.
If you have never been to Perugia, there are several things there that are of great value to people whose interest in visiting Italy is focused on (a) understanding the development of painting in Italy, (b) how Italian tufa cities developed, layer upon layer, since Etruscan times, and (c) fine examples of Umbrian food and wine plus, of course, chocolate. Also of value is that Perugia is much more than a place well- preserved for tourism. It has a contemporary life of its own, and is well-used today, despite its thoroughly medieval streetscape. Its non-touristy feel is a delight to many visitors.
All that said, if you dislike museums of painting (Perugia has one of central Italy's most pleasurable), and if your main motive in traveling to Italy is to immerse yourself in lost-to-time places, with no trace of modern life, Gubbio is an well preserved, picture perfect town, frozen in time. It is like stepping into those paintings of ziggeraut hilltowns you have seen.
My personal bias is that I found Gubbio chilly and dead, and Perugia a constant delight and sensual treat, an occasion for laughter and delicious eating. Others will disagree.
In November in Umbria, daylight hours are short and it can be rainy, so even given my biases, I think Gubbio on a rainy day, minus its pretty views, would be missable. So you might want to wait 'til you get there to make the call. You won't have trouble booking last-minute lodgings in that area.
If nothing is calling you back to Cortona, maybe seeing more of Italy is the right way to spend your money. Hard to know.
Oct 11th, 2011, 02:12 PM
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A minimum for whom? Academics?
For people who don't like urban life, Perugia can be abrasive and disappointing, not the Italy they came to see. I think it is worse for people who travel by auto to the city, but even many who arrive by train say it lacked the romance they want from a visit to Italy.
I really am opposed to these is slap-your-knuckles-with-a-ruler approach to foreign travel. People who would rather explore Gubbio than Perugia are doing the right thing by heading to Gubbio. (And I say that as a big time fan of Perugia, a place I plot to return to, while I wish I'd skipped Gubbio.)
For people who don't like urban life, Perugia can be abrasive and disappointing, not the Italy they came to see. I think it is worse for people who travel by auto to the city, but even many who arrive by train say it lacked the romance they want from a visit to Italy.
I really am opposed to these is slap-your-knuckles-with-a-ruler approach to foreign travel. People who would rather explore Gubbio than Perugia are doing the right thing by heading to Gubbio. (And I say that as a big time fan of Perugia, a place I plot to return to, while I wish I'd skipped Gubbio.)
Oct 11th, 2011, 03:28 PM
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Michael, probably not.
IMO, Gubbio in bad or mediocre weather wouldn't be that much fun. I am sure that there are others with different experiences (how's that?) but we spent our time there mostly outdoors.
We were lucky enough to be in Gubbio during a large spring food fair, and that was actually one of our favorite parts of the day. We also were very glad that we visited the tomb of the forty local WWII martyrs, but this was not in the center, and we used our car to get there.
I'd stick with Perugia, especially if you are tempted by the National Gallery of Umbria, described above.
IMO, Gubbio in bad or mediocre weather wouldn't be that much fun. I am sure that there are others with different experiences (how's that?) but we spent our time there mostly outdoors.
We were lucky enough to be in Gubbio during a large spring food fair, and that was actually one of our favorite parts of the day. We also were very glad that we visited the tomb of the forty local WWII martyrs, but this was not in the center, and we used our car to get there.
I'd stick with Perugia, especially if you are tempted by the National Gallery of Umbria, described above.
Oct 11th, 2011, 04:43 PM
#7
If you decide to go to Gubbio, be sure to ride The Bucket Of Bolts! I think we gave short shrift to Perugia, although it was a wonderful 47 minutes. Details and photos included below.
http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...th_Spello.html
http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...th_Spello.html
Oct 12th, 2011, 12:04 AM
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I went to both Perugia and Gubbio last year. To me they are not interchangeable. Perugia is urban and hardly quaint. However its lack of obviously foreign tourist made me feel like I were in a small Bologna on a plateau but with a view of the Umbrian valley below. Perugia has several restaurants mentioned in Fred Plotkin's "Italy for the gourmet traveler." Unlike Perugia where the urban life exists on plateau or below, Gubbio's life exists pretty much on a hill. The buildings are more people sizes, but they are not as decorated like the ones found in Assisi. What you find here are simpler life devoid of people hurrying to their offices or a large number of big bus tourists.
The bus connecting Perugia to Gubbio seemed to be used mostly as a school bus and gets very crowded and lively.
The bus connecting Perugia to Gubbio seemed to be used mostly as a school bus and gets very crowded and lively.
Oct 12th, 2011, 06:27 AM
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In 2009, hub and I took the 7:50 APM bus from Perugia to Gubbio-it took just a little over an hour. Do double-check but it looks like the latest bus back left at 7:15. We got tired earlier but had plenty of time to get to the top (but didn't as we could find maitai's bucket of bolts!). The old square is wonderful. It's a small enough town to do some good strolling and, unless the bus schedules have changed, you have plenty of time to see it.
You will only have time for the main historic area in Perugia though. And that may be enough for you-depends on your interests. If you happen upon Dempsey's bar, please tell them the Rhodys say hello.
Good trip!
You will only have time for the main historic area in Perugia though. And that may be enough for you-depends on your interests. If you happen upon Dempsey's bar, please tell them the Rhodys say hello.
Good trip!
Oct 12th, 2011, 09:18 AM
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Michael,
Giving some indication that even you understand that what you posted was just an expression of your purely private reactions to Perugia would be an improvement over what you wrote.
The fact the a day in Perugia is a "minimum" to you is not a statement about Perugis. It is a statement about you. If you believe there is something about Perugia that it cannot be seen in less than a day, it would be more helpful if you told others what you think that is. If it includes the chocolate tour, obviously it isn't necessary for many travelers to spend a whole day in Perugia. And the same is true of the National Gallery of Umbrian Art, glorious as it is.
The "minimum" amount of time any person needs to spend in Perugia is the amount of time it takes for them to see what interests them, not what interests you. And yet there is really no way to read what you posted about "one full day" as anything but a pretense that your way is the right way for everybody. You wrote as if you were unaware that your travel requirements only apply to you. Some indication that others might be much happier doing something else would have made crediting you as a good travel advisor easier.
Giving some indication that even you understand that what you posted was just an expression of your purely private reactions to Perugia would be an improvement over what you wrote.
The fact the a day in Perugia is a "minimum" to you is not a statement about Perugis. It is a statement about you. If you believe there is something about Perugia that it cannot be seen in less than a day, it would be more helpful if you told others what you think that is. If it includes the chocolate tour, obviously it isn't necessary for many travelers to spend a whole day in Perugia. And the same is true of the National Gallery of Umbrian Art, glorious as it is.
The "minimum" amount of time any person needs to spend in Perugia is the amount of time it takes for them to see what interests them, not what interests you. And yet there is really no way to read what you posted about "one full day" as anything but a pretense that your way is the right way for everybody. You wrote as if you were unaware that your travel requirements only apply to you. Some indication that others might be much happier doing something else would have made crediting you as a good travel advisor easier.
