Day 8 - Loreto to Gubbio
- Pilgrim Nick
- May 16
- 2 min read
The shortest day on this camino and rightly so. One wants time in Gubbio, one of the jewels of this route. Setting off from Loreto, one quickly comes to Pieve S. Giovanno B.in Loreto. From the outside - nothing particularly special. Inside is a Romanesque gem.
The weather started off brightly and I really thought that this would be a dry day's walking.
One of the better signs along the way.
The Ceri enthusiasm was very much in evidence as one approached Gubbio. There are three saints for Gubbio - the yellow cero belongs to Sant’Ubaldo, protector of masons and builders — and patron saint of Gubbio himself. The blue cero belongs to San Giorgio, saint of merchants. The black cero belongs to Sant’Antonio, saint of farmers.
Enjoyable as the walk was, the rain soon caught up.
So one arrived in Gubbio wet and dripping. Being in the heart of Truffle territory, lunch had to be had at the Locanda del Tartufo. The hotel was very nice but the staff couldn't help with my laundry - so yet again it was time to head off to find a laundry in the suburbs. Quite a quick process and then a walk back into town through the splendid Roman gate. A pretty rainbow helped lift spirits.
Gubbio had many attractions, the museum containing the Ceri being a highlight. Ceri means candles in Italian and these giant candesticks had been returned to the museum after the race of the previous evening. I discovered today that one of the rules of the Ceri race is that umbrellas are not allowed so as to avoid obstructing anyone's view - that explained the soaked Italian family of the previous day.
Rain-soaked it may have been, but Gubbio was still a very pretty town.
One of my favourite features was the Fontana del Bargello - apparently walking around it three times with your hand in the water qualifies you to be certified as mad. Certificates handily available from two shops next to the fountain.
Dinner was at a really nice restaurant, Osteria dei Re, where I discovered a delicious flatbread called brustengo. Served with bacon and pecorino cheese it was the perfect starter.
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