Gubbio

Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria) It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.

In a country well-served by railways Gubbio is unusual in that the closest station, on the Rome-Ancona line, is 18km away at Fossato di Vico station. There is a bus service from there. An alternative is to take the train to Perugia and take a bus from there.

The historical center of Gubbio is of decidedly medieval aspect: the town is austere in appearance because of the dark grey stone, narrow streets, and Gothic architecture. A fair number of the houses in Gubbio date to the 14th and 15th centuries, and were originally the dwellings of wealthy merchants; they often have a second door fronting on the street, usually just a few inches from the main entrance. This secondary entrance is narrower, and a foot or so above the actual street level.

This type of door is called a porta dei morti because it is commonly stated that it was used only for removing the bodies of any who might have died inside the house. This is almost certainly false, but there is no firm agreement on the true purpose of the secondary doors. One of the most likely theories is that the door was used by the owners to protect themselves when opening to unknown persons, leaving them in a dominating position.