Municipality of Gualdo Tadino

The city of Gualdo Tadino can be found on the Flaminia road set at 535 metres on the border of Umbria and the Marche, 50 kms from Perugia and 35 from Assisi. It has more than 14,000 inhabitants and is immersed in a spectacular natural environment, at the foot of the Umbrian Marchegiani Appenine mountains which includes the massive Catria mountain and the “Parco del Monte Cucco”. The area offers rare scenery and variety in spring, summer, autumn and winter. The principal characteristics of the area are its healthy air, the abundance and quality of its water and the immense variety of landscape that pass from the highest mountains to the west (in the direction of Assisi) up to summit of Mount Penna (1432 metres high) and Mount Serrasanta (1348 metres) to the east which all form part of the Valsorda pass (1006 metres high). All these are popular tourist destinations where, following the marked footpaths, you can enjoy long walks, bicycle or horse rides. In winter it is possible to do cross-country skiing.  The water which flows from the Rocchetta spring is especially appreciated for its beneficial properties.  The story of Gualdo Tadino can be retraced through its monuments: the medieval church of St Francesco, the Podestà Palace with its civic tower, the majestic Rocca Flea, home to the Civic Museum, the Ceramic Museum and the Rubboli workshop. Gualdo Tadino is famous for its precious lustre majolica. The characteristics of this ceramic is world renowned for its luminous and intense colours: red (called ‘rubino’), yellow gold and blue, which gleam wonderfully against the metallic reflection caused by a complex firing procedure in ovens called ‘muffole’, (muffles). Gualdo Tadino is the only place in the whole of Italy where it is still possible to find lustre ceramics fired by this ancient technique.