Festa dei Ceri Gubbio 2026: Three Teams Race Up the Mountain Carrying 400kg Wooden Structures, the Race Has Never Been Cancelled in 870 Years, and the Team Order Never Changes — Sant'Ubaldo Always Wins
Autore: La Redazione di www.tourleaderpro.com
Last updated: April 2026.
The Festa dei Ceri di Gubbio (the Feast of the Candles — May 15 every year) is the most physically frenzied single Italian festival and the one whose specific race (the corsa dei ceri — the specific uphill race (the 400m vertical gain over the specific 1.5km route from the Piazza della Signoria at 529m altitude to the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo at 827m altitude on the specific Monte Ingino above Gubbio) by the 3 specific teams (the squadre) carrying the specific 3 ceri (the "candles" — the misnomer for the specific octagonal wooden structure topped with the specific saint statue (the Sant'Ubaldo (patron of Gubbio), the Sant'Antonio, and the San Giorgio) that weighs approximately 400kg and stands approximately 5m tall) at running pace over the specific 500m vertical mountainside) is the most uniquely physically extreme single Italian folk festival and the one whose specific result is predetermined (Sant'Ubaldo — the team of the stonemasons (i muratori) — always arrives first at the Basilica; the Sant'Antonio (the team of the merchants (i mercanti)) arrives second; the San Giorgio (the team of the students (i studenti)) arrives third — the specific order that has been maintained without exception since the festival's specific first documentation in 1160).
Festa dei Ceri Gubbio: The Programme and the Viewing Strategy
The May 15 Programme
The specific Festa dei Ceri programme: 5:30 AM — the specific cerimonia del cambio del cero (the cero exchange ceremony): the specific replacement of the ceri statues (the specific saint statues on top of the wooden structures are exchanged for the identical statues that have been housed in the Palazzo dei Consoli (the specific 14th-century Gothic palace on the Piazza della Signoria) for the preceding year); 9:00 — the specific Messa di Sant'Ubaldo (the May 15 patron saint Mass in the specific Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo (the summit Basilica — accessible by the specific Funivia di Gubbio (the Gubbio cable car from the Porta Romana to the Monte Ingino summit (price: 8 euros round trip) or by the specific 45-minute uphill path))); 11:00 — the specific corteo dei cerraioli (the procession of the cero carriers — the specific 3 teams in their specific coloured costumes (the yellow for Sant'Ubaldo, the blue for Sant'Antonio, and the black for San Giorgio) carrying the horizontal ceri through the Gubbio historic centre); 12:00 — the specific alzata dei ceri (the raising of the ceri — the specific moment when the horizontal ceri are lifted from their horizontal position to the vertical (the most specifically dramatic single festival moment: the 400kg wooden structure lifted from horizontal to vertical by approximately 40 cerraioli (the cero carriers) in a coordinated single-second movement)); 18:00 — the corsa dei ceri (the uphill race — the 1.5km sprint from the Piazza della Signoria to the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo summit): the most specifically physically extraordinary single Italian festival event.
Best Viewing Positions
The specific Corsa dei Ceri best viewing positions: the Piazza della Signoria start (arrive by 17:00 for a good position at the starting area — the specific compressed crowd (approximately 10,000-15,000 persons in the 1,500m² piazza) creates the most intense single Italian festival atmosphere in any Italian piazza); the specific Via Baldassini mid-route position (the specific 200m mark of the uphill race where the first hairpin turn creates the most physically dramatic single race visual (the 400kg structure moving at running pace around a 90-degree corner with the specific 40-person synchronized lean (the specific inclinazione — the synchronized body lean that the cerraioli perform to maintain the cero's vertical position on the turn))); and the Monte Ingino summit viewing (take the cable car (Funivia) up before 14:00 — the summit Basilica forecourt provides the specific finish-line view of the ceri arriving at the specific Basilica door (the winning cero reaches the Basilica in approximately 5-7 minutes from the Piazza della Signoria start — the specific running pace of the cerraioli (approximately 12-14 km/h uphill carrying the 400kg structure) is the most specifically physically extraordinary single Italian athletic folk achievement)).
Q&A: Festa dei Ceri Gubbio
How do I get to Gubbio for the festival?
The specific Gubbio transport: Gubbio has no railway station (the nearest railway station is Fossato di Vico-Gubbio on the Rome-Ancona line — 18km from Gubbio, connected by the specific SULGA bus service (approximately 6.50 euros, 30 minutes)). The most practical access for the May 15 festival: the SULGA coach from Perugia (the specific regular coach service from Piazza Partigiani in Perugia to Gubbio: 1 hour 10 minutes, approximately 6 euros one-way, 6-8 departures daily): the most accessible single Gubbio public transport connection. Driving: the SS298 from Perugia to Gubbio (40 minutes, 30km) — the specific May 15 traffic (the 30,000+ visitors who arrive in Gubbio for the festival create the specific traffic backup (the specific queue on the SS298 from Gubbio from approximately 12:00 onward on May 15) that makes the early arrival (before 10:00 AM) or the late departure (after 20:00) the most practical single access strategy for the driver).