It’s always interesting to see the biggest, the best…and certainly the largest…but is this really the home of the ‘largest Christmas tree in the world’?
A medieval village, built into and around a huge mountain – to ward off invaders in ancient times…exactly how did they create the largest Christmas tree in the world? First I would state that my interest is piqued on this huge worldly title…so an upright tree bigger than Rockefeller Center? Bigger than??? Nope, not an upright tree. It is laid out on the ground – so how hard is it to lay lights in the shape of a Christmas tree on the side of the mountain above the city in the form of a Christmas tree? And I would be thinking wrong again! They created the amazing tree on top of the existing trees! Yes. On the ground, easy, just a lot of lights and people to anchor it down…but to build it on the existing forest? Which they did. And it is quite a feat. But let’s start at the beginning…it takes hundreds of volunteers to plan 3 months in advance.
I planned to visit Gubbio (pronounced “Gooo – bee – oh – with the accent on the first syllable) when the rain broke…which was last Saturday. It still looked damp here in Orte, but I placed faith in the Italian weather forecasters and packed my umbrella in my purse and headed out! Local bus to the train station, train directly to ‘Fossato di Vico – Gubbio’ station. How far could it be from the train station? Fifteen miles, and it was raining at the train station there…but a bus pulled up very quickly and I could only hope. Now to be honest, my winter coat is rain repellant and my umbrella a a wind resistant and an ‘easy open with one button’, so being the staunch mid westerner (and Buckeye) on I went to Gubbio.
One thing that is not widely known is that buses in Umbria province (Perugia is region where Gubbio resides) may or may not stop for STOP signs…there seemed to be these 3 way turnoffs (probably to decrease speeding) and the buses did not stop. I digress…a quick stop by the bus to the local hospital and then on our way to Christmas heaven in Gubbio! With a tree that size, you know there is a great market there!!! But Gubbio is so much more….built on the side of the mountain, it endured some heavy battles. Three of the battles are noteworthy as they were the largest battles, and Gubbio residents lost them. But the village remained and prospered. It is a large village and so many shops and restaurants are there. And who would think a Saturday would have half of Italy there???? But the town is so large, plenty of space and did not feel crowded at all…til later, when the buses of tours were everywhere. Ugh.
There is a train that is lovely and takes you through the city and the surrounding areas where amazing stories and events happened. Well worth visiting for sure. I had a late lunch at a touristy restaurant…Il Bargello (ristoranteilbargellogubbio.it). It was on the upward side of the street and seemed filled, always a good sign, so I went in and was promptly seated.
I ordered a porcini pasta (mushrooms), a bottle of water, a glass of red house wine (so far, always a good one). My other reason was to sit somewhere out of the wind and charge my phone….shhhhhh. I took my time and kept checking to see how much was left on my phone…oh stop, you’ve done it too, I was discreet!!! Then a tiramisu dessert and decaf cappuccino…geez, the phone is charging very slowly…after an hour and a half, I had to wrap it up! But here’s the thing…I was seated across from a kitchen door that remained open (it was far enough that I didn’t have to look, but I did). I could see a lot of the operation of the kitchen there. And it was so interesting. The entire staff worked like well oiled machinery. Kind and polite to each other and ensuring each patron was well taken care of. The food was excellent…and they took great care of me. I’d go back there anytime. It’s not always like that for a woman alone, and generally I won’t take a bad table…this was not a bad table).
The lighting in this restaurant intrigued me. Thin streams of light lit the place up. I’m sure my photo is not that good but once again, Italian creativity and execution of a product is astounding. Anyhow, not all tourist restaurants are mediocre. Oh yes, you will hear that if the menu is in Italian and English, find another one, it’s a tourist trap. This menu was all in Italian. Boom.
The sun sets in Italy around 4:30pm – which is very strange and early but to see this huge tree lit up, I had to wait around. I walked and saw decorations, the market, the ‘rides’ for kids and the amazing ceramic shops. A lot of them. Always you see so many beautiful and cool things to buy…but I have to carry it home. I’ve learned a huge lesson to admire and not buy. Okay, most of the time.
Everyone was waiting for the tree to light up but you had to be south of the mountain, outside the village to get the full effect. Initially I waited til it went on around 5pm, then walked further south to see it. Looking at the tree before it is lit, you see some type of markers or just ‘balls’ which are either the decorative balls on the trees or lights. The mountain, Mount Ingino, is the place of the tree and the mountain Gubbio is on…has a convent or monastery at the top of it. First the huge white cross lit up…then the tree came on and you could hear everyone “ahhhhh” with wonder.
How did they build this tree in hundreds of other trees???? The tree is 2140 ft high and 350 m wide. 3000 multi-colored lights and 8.5 kilometers (about 5 miles) of electrical cable, placed all the way up the slopes of Mt Ingino. The illumination can be seen 30 miles away. And I’m guessing numerous planes fly over when it is lit!! It is in the Guinness Book of World records. The first lighting had been switched on by the existing Pope – and the one before Pope Francesco. They do it via a computer in their Papal residency!
Heading back home, later than I usually am, I met a lovely young lady, Luciana from Naples, who came to see the tree also. We had a lovely chat and parted ways as friends. She makes me want to see Naples for a day or two! Later. There are many solo travelers and usually I find a woman who is also traveling alone. We chat, compare notes and I always learn something.
I would highly recommend visiting Gubbio if you are here….it is a large Citta (city) with many stores and so much history…oh yes, St Francis of Assisi has two statues there. Assisi is not too far from Gubbio and there is more history with him coming to Gubbio. Beautiful stories.
Oh yes, and hearing Irish music, what??? I had to go see…wine, roasted chestnuts and elf ears!! What a hoot!!
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Wow! What a fabulous outing. Thanks so much for sharing.