Not everyone can handle the Gubbio cage lift. You have to be somewhat nimble to board and get off because it doesn't stop (which the youtube video doesn't show well). You just scramble on/off with a little assistance from the attendant.

But it's fun, and the views from the top are terrific.

I noticed that cage lift. Other than walking is there another option?

If you mean to the top of the mountain, it's more of a hike than a walk, and there is no other way up that I know of.

BTW, the annual Festa dei Ceri teams run to the church at the top of the mountain carrying huge wooden "candles." At about 5:00 of this video, you'll see a glimpse of the path near the top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVAgI3S-nhE

I don't know the layout of Gubbio. I'm less interested in climbing to the top of a mountain and more interested in wandering around the town.

Is Gubbio at the top of a mountain or is it on the side?

Does the cage funicular take you up to the town or somewhere else?

Thanks.

Jean,
I just watched the video. The town shown in the first 5 minutes appears to be reasonably level. Where does the bus from Perugia let you off in relation to the town?

I don't know for a fact where the bus stop is, but on a virtualtourist.com forum I found a post that the bus from Perugia stops at Piazza Quaranta Martiri which is at the bottom of the town. Sounds logical. We parked in a large public lot at the Roman Amphitheatre ruins nearby.

I didn't find many of Gubbio's streets to be nearly as steep as some towns (Todi, I'm talkin' about you!), but I suppose steep is in the eye of the beholder. Here is a link with some photos of Gubbio streets (scroll down about halfway) with a comment that there are some pedestrian lifts. I think this person picked the steepest streets in town, and I don't think those lifts were there when we visited. This is the first I've seen any mention of them.

You can also go to maps.google.com and search Gubbio. Zoom in and click on and then drag the little yellow man (Streetview) to several points in the town for views of several streets.

We've had both lunch and dinner at Ristorante Picchio Verde on different visits. We haven't been to Gubbio now in a few years, but I see that recent Tripadvisor reviews (esp. by Italians) are very good-to-excellent.

http://www.ristorantepicchioverde.com/

Te town of Gubbio begins at the base of a mountain and spreads up the hillside but not to the top. The funicular goes from the top edge of the town to the top of the mountain. the bus stop is at the very bottom of town on the flat, just where the town begins.

Where does that put the main part of the town? Closer to the bottom or top?

you decide. depends on what you'd like to do and see

http://www.comune.gubbio.pg.it/Touri...Monuments.aspx

The old town is at the bottom and starts up the hill a bit. the lift up the mountain doesn't stop. You have to hop on while moving, similar to a ski lift.

I would think most buses drop at the same location which is several blocks from the old town. We parked near it. The Sulga bus from Rome lists the stop as piazza 40 Martiri, Gubbio. You can look it up on Google.

I seem to recall elevators between the lower town and upper town.

This B&B's has pictures on this page looking from and towards the old town.
http://www.sottoilcampanone.it/

Here's a photo of Piazza Quaranta Martiri. See the bus.

http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/86946/25.09-_gubbio.jpg

The bell tower in the left side of the photo is Palazzo dei Consoli which on one side of the main piazza of the town with Chiesa di San Francesco on the other side (the square-ish building near the center of the photo). Not much elevation change between the bus stop and the main piazza.

Gubbio looks very doable. Thanks.

Now another decision.

Assuming we decide to go to Orvieto from Perugia (on the way to Rome) and sleep over, we have two choices:
a) Go late in the day and sleep over two nights arriving in Rome around noon. That would give us two evenings in Orvieto and all of one day and the evening we arrive.

or

b) Leave Perugia late in the morning and arrive in Orvieto early afternoon. We would have the afternoon and evening in Orvieto. Sleep over one night in Orvieto and spend as much of the next in in Orvieto as we want before moving on to Rome.

Advantage of two nights is that we don't move after only one night. The disadvantage is that it might be too much time there.

Suggestions?

We stayed two nights in Orvieto, and one would have sufficed -so that's my vote.

I like B) - though we did a day trip to Orvieto, i don't think that there's enough there for more than one night.

The first time we stayed in Orvieto, we arrived late afternoon the first day, spent two nights, and picked up a rental car first thing in the morning on the 3rd day. I liked having one full, uninterrupted day which we had no trouble filling with sightseeing. But I admit I want to explore every church, bell tower and "museo." Add the underground tour, St. Patrick's Well, views from the Belvedere, good shopping, good food, good wine and strolling this attractive town.

Ok. Thanks. It looks the b) is the way we'll go.

We'll leave Perugia late in the morning and be in Oriveto most of the afternoon, evening and the next day until we decide to leave.

We've been to Rome a couple of times but not in the past 10-12 years or so.

I guess we'll calculate our days in Rome based on what's left. It'll be the remainder of the day we arrive from Orvieto and either one complete day or two.

= = = = = =
Any hotel recommendations for Orvieto and Rome?

You may be surprised (and a little disappointed?) at how much more busy and crowded Rome is now than 10-12 years ago.

We have stayed at the Palazzo Piccolomini in Orvieto.

http://www.palazzopiccolomini.it/en/info.php

And multiple times at the Hotel Fontanella Borghese in Rome.

http://www.fontanellaborghese.com/en...otti-rome.html

Topping for more hotel suggestions.

Thanks.

if you want to get away from the crowds a bit and don't mind using the buses, you could do worse than stay at the hotel we spent a week in when we were in Rome for a language course in February:

http://www.hotelgravinasanpietro.it/en/

it's about 10 mins walk from St. Peter's and on a direct bus route to Largo Argentina and the Colosseum. true, it's not in the centro storico, but you should be able to escape the crowds a bit, but still be in a reasonably central position - it took us about 30 mins to walk back from the piazza navona when we decided not to get the bus. a few nice restaurants in the area, very nice cafes, a market, and the hotel does a good breakfast, is very new and clean, AND has wifi and a/c.