Here is the fastest way to reach Gubbio from Rome by public transportation:

1. Take a Eurostar Italia (ES) train from either Rome Termini or Rome Tiburtina to the Fossato di Vico Station (last station in northeastern Umbria before crossing into the Marche Region). The train follows the Rome to Ancona line and stops briefly at Orte, Terni, Spoleto and Foligno. Travel time is approx. 2 hrs. 10 mins. and the one-way fare in reserved second class is 16.63 Euros. First class is not necessary on this short route. The ES train is fully air conditioned and non-smoking, all seats are sold on a reserved basis, and there is snack/beverage service on a rolling cart. Currently, ES trains depart Rome Termini at 7:36, 9:36, 11:36, 15:40 and 17:38.

NOTE: there are also a couple of local trains (regionale or interregionale) on this same route, which take 30 minutes longer than the ES but cost only 10.12 Euros in second class (64% less). These local trains DO NOT have air conditioning or snack/beverage service, and make several additional en-route stops. Also, it is not possible to reserve a seat (although Rome is the city of origination of the train).

2. Take the APM Perugia bus from the Fossato di Vico train station direct to Gubbio in 35 minutes. Fare is 2.40 Euros, and schedules are irregular. Note that there is a different schedule on Sunday, and the website currently shows the winter schedule through June 9, 2005.

BEWARE: connection time at Fossato di Vico is precariously short: between 6 and 13 minutes for four of the ES trains, and a very long 48 minutes for the ES train leaving at 11:36. If you make the connection, you can travel from Rome to Gubbio in just under three hours.

NOTE: If you're connecting directly from Fiumicino airport, you can board the train either at Termini or at Tiburtina stations. The connection at Tiburtina is faster and costs less.

HINT: Print out both the train and the bus schedules and carry them with you, in case you are delayed or miss a connection. Remember that bus schedules are different on Sundays.

www.trenitalia.com
www.apmperugia.it

*I linked this to the Helpful Information for Italy thread

According to an e-message which I received from the information office of the APM Perugia bus lines, several of the bus services between Fossato di Vico and Gubbio are timed to coincide with the arrival times of the trains running on the Rome to Ancona rail line. This is why the bus departure times appear to be so tight with respect to the train arrival times. The e-message and stated that the bus will wait for the train's arrival if it is not too late.

Consequently, if the train you're on is 5 or 10 minutes late arriving from Rome (or from Ancona, in the other direction), you may still make your bus connection at the Fossato di Vico train station, and arrive in good time in Gubbio!

On the other hand, if you miss your bus connection, you may have a long wait, so it's best to print out the full list of train and bus schedules for the entire day.

To find the bus schedules between Fossato di Vico and Gubbio, go to the website

www.apmperugia.it
Click on "Orari Linee", then
"Linee Extraurbane", then
"Linea E052"

Note that there is a separate schedule for Sunday.

When searching for trains, always enter your actual travel date, as schedules are often different on the weekends.