By Paola Butera
Gubbio has always been known as the City of Stone or for the famous race of the Ceri, for its historic buildings and for the charm of the Middle Ages. But not everyone knows that in 2000 an event changed the vision of the city for many film and television enthusiasts. This is because a major television production such as RAI has chosen Gubbio to tell the story of a provincial priest who improvised himself as a detective and a Carabinieri marshal who often struggled to solve everyday cases.
Each episode kept millions of Italians glued in front of the TV. So Don Matteo, for eight seasons, brought enormous international fame to Gubbio that is still felt today, thirteen years after the end of filming.
There are many views, scattered through the alleys and squares of the historic centre, the scene of epic scenes and let’s not forget the famous church of San Giovanni from where Don Matteo left for his exploits. But the real protagonist was always Piazza Grande: there was the Carabinieri barracks set up in the Praetorian Palace and the inevitable Caffè Ducale, the bar where Marshal Cecchini and Don Matteo challenged each other every day at chess and where Don Matteo’s brilliant intuitions often arrived to solve a murder.
Today many objects used in the series are on display at the bar and if you want you can also sit at the table preferred by the two protagonists to have a coffee. At the entrance, right on their table, there is Marshal Cecchini’s hat together with the last clapperboard that immediately become perfect for a souvenir photo! Inside then you still find Don Matteo’s legendary bicycle. The walls are full of photos of the main actors that take you back to the years when all of Gubbio seemed like a star acclaimed all over the world, with the crews always in the square.
It is possible to take a tour of the locations where the series was filmed, but when you arrive at the Caffè Ducale you close your eyes and still breathe that special atmosphere; and if you are lucky while sipping a cocktail or a coffee you might meet him, Terence Hill, the actor who left a part of his heart in this stone city that loved him so much.
Info: Caffè Ducale – Piazza Grande, Gubbio (Pg) – Open every day from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm
For reservations: Tel. +39 075 922 0157 / www.relaisducale.com
