Buongiorno amici,
If you’ve been following me on Instagram recently, you might have seen my posts from the most incredible yearly event we attended in Umbria last week. It involves giant medieval candle holders, community spirit, marching bands, three Saints, and more!
Umbria is one of my absolute favorite regions in Italy for a few reasons (not least because we got engaged there!) including:
There’s a wild beauty about it - the land was never cleared in the same way as Tuscany meaning it’s less manicured. Think hilltop towns, sprawling forests, green fields, olive groves and vineyards.
Few crowds - outside of Assisi it’s blissfully quiet even despite its proximity to Tuscany.
Food - the rustic cuisine is delicious and I love their cured meats and woodfired bread in particular, plus of course porchetta!
Wine - Some of my favorite wines come from this region like the tannic Sagrantino and mineral Grechetto. In particular, I love organic Raina wines.
Traditions - Umbria has some of the most beautiful 1000 year olds traditions that are still carried on today like the Infiorata in Spello and the Festa dei Ceri in Gubbio.
Sunset in Gubbio - I promise I didn’t edit or put a filter on this photo!!
The Festa dei Ceri in Gubbio
Surely one of the most stunning medieval towns in Italy, Gubbio is the site of the Festa dei Ceri or candle festival! This tradition has been going on since at least the 12th century and is run annually on the 15th May every year. The origins are believed to be pagan and related to fertility.
What happens? There are three giant candles placed on wooden candle holders that are transported by three different teams representing three Saints - Saint Ubaldo, Saint Anthony and Saint Giorgio. In the morning, there are processions by each team and their bands through the main streets (each team wears a different color). Everyone winds up in Piazza Grande around 11am when the candles are officially raced around the flagpole three times and then walked off to each team’s neighborhood.
In the afternoon, the candles race and the final destination is on top of Mount Ingino! The candles are quite literally raced up the mountain in a record 9 minutes and the first one into the Basilica of Saint Ubaldo wins. If the Saint Ubaldo team doesn’t make it inside first, it’s thought to bring bad luck for the year - luckily for us, he won this year!
Quite honestly, this was one of the most amazing spectacles I have ever witnessed and Andrea and I were pretty much open-mouthed for the entire day! Every one in town (including pets and babies) gets into the spirit and there is the most incredible atmosphere.
If you don’t like crowds, I don’t recommend participating, but if you ever get the opportunity to attend, it is surely one to consider. There is an option to stay outside the craziness and crushing crowds in the main carpark where you can still watch the morning processions and then see the race on a big screen.
Visit Umbria with me in 2023/2024
Inspired to visit this wonderful, more off-the-beaten-track region? We still have some places on our 2023 Fall Umbria Tour with Untold Italy! We’ll visit some of my favorite wineries, hilltop towns, best restaurants, local farms, and even participate in the olive oil harvest at my friend’s agriturismo.
If you prefer to visit in the warmer months, we are also running a tour next year during the final days of May and start of June. This one will include a visit during the Infiorata flower festival in Spello.
Alternatively, we are now offering private tours if you have a group of 6 or more people and want to choose your preferred dates.
That’s it for now! This weekend, we head off on our wonderful tour to Puglia, so be sure to check out our adventures on Instagram if that’s of any interest. 2023 Puglia tours are sold out, but we still have availability for 2024!
Ciao for now,
Liv x