Sybilla Oritur

July 8-9, 2009

After having spent more than three consecutive days on a bus, I REALLY wasn’t expecting to get car sick for the bus ride to Gubbio – but there I was trying simultaneously to control my queasy stomach AND enjoy the Umbrian countryside. Although Gubbio is only 43km from Perugia, it takes over an hour to get there – mostly because of a series of hairpin turns and winding roads through the mountains that sort of validates the years of fighting it took the Romans to conquer the Umbrians and Etruscans.

Gubbio is a small little city. Once the Etruscan capital, its patron saint is Saint Ubaldo who fought against Barbarossa when he was wreaking havoc in the neighbourhood. In the 14th century its commune status was changed when it was brought under the rule of the Duke of Montefeltro.

Immediately upon my arrival in Gubbio – or rather after checking in with the tourist bureau because Fodor’s rather foolishly didn’t have a map – I climbed up the steep streets to the funicular (a cable railroad that would be even more impressive had I not been on many ski lifts over the course of my life) just outside the city walls that connects Mount Irbino and the Franciscan monastery that houses Saint Urbaldo’s body with the rest of the city. Did I mention that this means that I was lifted above the mountainside in a BIRDCAGE? How cool is that? Way cool.

From the top, there was a fantastic view of the ruins of the Roman theatre, a strong wind and warm sun. I sat on a wild plum and left a big blue stain on my jeans. Go me. The stained glass windows inside the chapel depicted over 12 scenes from the life of the Saint and I was struck again by not only the spiritual power of the place but also how this all just makes so much sense within the context of the Umbrian slopes – there is a higher concentration of saints here than anywhere else in the world.
I came down the mountain as I went up and did a little ceramic shopping for souvenirs. The Prior’s Palace(and the museum inside) was still closed, so I found myself sitting on the doorsteps finishing up Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy, contemplating how silent the city really is around siesta time and then buying myself some gelato (baci and banana flavours – yummy). I wrote quite a few postcards in the square that was later filled with young volleyball players.

The museum sort of tricked me at first. Although usually I find miniature things fascinating, I don’t really get that excited about coins – even Etruscan ones. However, after viewing a pottery exhibit, I ducked through a secret passage (!) walked through some medieval toilets (!!) and found myself in the upper rooms with incredible 13th and 14th century frescoes and paintings. A beautiful compliment to the Umbrian National Galleries which I visited on Saturday with Ivanov – and this time I didn’t have to put on a one-woman show to demonstrate WHY this stuff is interesting. Hehe.

I also got to see what some call the greatest find of all classical culture – the five bronze slabs that are essentially a Rosetta Stone to the Etruscan language (which does not use the Latin alphabet). The first three tablets are in Etruscan discussing rites etc., while the last two adopt the Latin language post-Roman conquest. They are pretty neat – but not as neat as the Dead Sea Scrolls. ☺ I apparently have high standards.

After the museum I considered walking over to the Roman theatre and writing some more postcards in the afternoon sun, but I was in such a good mood, that when I got back down to the Piazza of the 40 martyrs (killed by the Nazis) and the bus back to Perugia was sitting there idling, with the next one in over 2 hours, I thought perhaps I should hop on. This might seem wrong – except when I am in a good mood I am easily separated from my money. The ceramic shops and restaurants were just too lovely and tempting AND as the bus drove around the ruins, I discovered that you can’t actually get near them as they were setting up Gubbiostock (yes, you read that right) which starts tomorrow. I did, however, get to enjoy a view of the groups of elderly gentlemen playing cards and lawn bowling on the grass outside the theatre AND the bus drove ALL the way around, so I got to stare at it from up close from inside an air-conditioned vehicle for like… five minutes. Then a garden filled with giant phlox made me think of my Grammy whom I almost wrote a postcard to only hours before. I think she would have liked Gubbio.

Today I spent the day cleaning the apartment. This meant I had to go to Aqua et Sapone – the pharmacy about a twenty minute walk from my little abode. I LOVE pharmacies. I’d never been in a full-sized Italian one before – but I just became high-maintenance! LOL. There are too many products that I have never seen before that I want to try very very much. I think I have also finally figured out what SOME people will be getting as souvenirs. Hehe. I have a grapeseed oil face mask for later this evening and am excited.

But first – my tea from my favourite cafeteria. I didn’t make it here yesterday – was too tired after Gubbio and a “quick” grocery run that actually set me back quite a bit of money. GRRR! But I now have cheese and mortadella and more Orvieto wine! Omnomnom.