PALAZZO DEI CONSOLI

Elegant, imposing and theatrical, it is one of the best examples of an Italian public building, with its medieval battlements and turret. Originally called Palazzo del Popolo, it was built between 1332 and 1337 by the architects Angelo da Orvieto and Matteo Gattapone to serve as the seat of the city's municipal power. The building had a chapel and an internal aqueduct capable of feeding the fountains on the upper floors. Unmistakable and massive, this Gothic-style building, over 60 metres high, with a majestic facade, dominates the whole town and still bears witness today to the greatness of the political and institutional project of the Municipality of Gubbio at the beginning of the 14th century. At the top of the bell tower of the Palace of the Consuls stands a bumblebee that has been ringing for seven centuries. Two other bells, the "small" and the "medium", accompany it and give the whole ensemble that inimitable sound.

Inside the rather austere interior, the municipal picture gallery displays works of the Eugubian school (15th century), while the Civic Museum (housed in Palazzo dei Consoli since 1909) contains Roman and medieval marbles. Don't miss the seven bronze Eugubine Tables, the main vestige of the ancient Umbrian language dating back to the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C., which describe the religious rites of the people of the area. A fascinating piece of archaeology and science, discovered in 1444. Wherever you are in the city, you will see in the distance the tower of this palace dominating the city.