Pesaro overlooks the Adriatic Sea and is a very pretty little town, home of the musician Rossini and with a waterfront full of works of art such as Arnaldo Pomodoro’s sphere; a town to which I am very attached. As soon as I got out of the hotel, I rode the first few miles of the Pesaro bike path that took me out of town avoiding all the vehicular traffic; from there the first climbs began. Oh yes, wanting to cross the Apennines, the journey was a constant up and down, but then again, that’s the beauty of routes in Italy. I passed by Tavullia, Valentino Rossi’s hometown, and rode through small villages like Monte Fabbri and Colbordolo to reach the town of Urbino, where I took a small coffee break. I love Urbino and recommend you visit the very small but very pretty old town and it was also the birthplace of Federico da Montefeltro, a famous medieval leader.

Once I left Urbino, in doubt I did not take the road I generally take, which is that of the Furlo Gorges because I did not know if this was open to traffic; in fact, the last time I attempted the crossing of Italy I found this spectacular road closed to traffic, so I decided to choose another equally beautiful route that led me through back roads to the small medieval village of Cagli. From here, after eating a tasty sandwich, another series of ups and downs led me into some wonderful back roads with low vehicular traffic, which took me through little-known areas of Le Marche. In fact, I entered the Catria Gorge areas, a spectacularly scenic area characterized by steep cliffs and medieval abbeys, where time seems to stand still. I passed through the small hamlet of Scheggia and from there, pedaled to the top of Madonna della Cima, a kind of continental watershed a destination traversed by all local cyclists. On the way up to Gubbio, I met two cyclo-travelers with whom I rode together for a while and shared some travel tips. When we reached Gubbio we stopped together to have a coffee and then, still having to pedal before sunset, we reluctantly had to part and I faced more climbs that led me to Valfabbrica, another small Umbrian village, where I spent the night in a cheap and very nice hostel. I was welcomed by Emanuela, an Umbrian mom who greeted me with a smile and refreshed me with a tasty dinner.

The next day I woke up early in the morning and following the main road, still with little traffic due to the morning hours, led me to Bastia Umbra where, after a coffee break, a long stretch on the flat through secondary roads and bike paths brought me to the small medieval village of Bevagna. From here I tackled the climb to Montefalco. The weather was kind, I had sun all three days and the colors of autumn made the route even more magical. In fact, the hills were tinged with the autumn colors of the vines and trees, which made the journey that much more exciting. Once we reached the top of Montefalco and admired its beautiful square, drank another coffee, the ups and downs continued until we arrived at one of the villages with the most curious name in Italy: Bastardo, an ancient place that was a stopping point along the Via Flaminia and today has become famous for its cute name, originally called Osteria del bastardo and was one of the stopping points for travelers traveling along the Via Flaminia.

It is known that Italy is all ups and downs, so I had to face other climbs before I reached the top of the hill of Todi. I don’t know if you know this very beautiful town still surrounded by medieval walls; here I was able to admire one of the churches built by Bramante, a true spectacle of Renaissance architecture. After having lunch in Todi in a rotisserie run by a nice old lady, I went down to the Tiber Valley, crossed the river on an ancient bridge and again went up through back roads, where I encountered very few cars to reach the very small village of Prodo. In the distance I could already see the town of Orvieto, which would be my next destination, and a beautiful, well-paved descent led me to the foothills of Orvieto.

Orvieto is one of my favorite Umbrian towns, but I did not go up to the top this time, as it was going to get dark soon and I had other climbs ahead of me that would take me near the village of Lubriano, where there is a beautiful view of Civita di Bagnoregio, the dying city. I was about to enter the third region of the trip: Lazio. Arriving at Lake Bolsena, I spent the night; the ancient volcanic lake gave me a fiery sunset that boded well for the next day’s weather and repaid me for all the hard work I had done. I slept in Bolsena in a small local guesthouse, fortunately in low season it is easy to find good prices, and had dinner in a typical little restaurant. Once back in my room, I washed my clothes and put them to dry, and by 9:30 I was in bed. This is really the perfect day for a cycle traveler like me: good food, beautiful views and going to bed early to recharge for the next day.

On the morning of the third day I woke up bright and early and with the cool moist air of Bolsena, after a hearty breakfast at the café where I met some locals, I was back in the saddle. I skirted the northern part of the lake for a while until I reached Gradoli. From there, after a few kilometers, I entered Tuscany to reach one of my favorite towns in that area-Pitigliano, also known as Little Jerusalem because of its small Synagogue. A photo from the viewpoint is always mandatory when you reach Pitigliano, the tufa town, and I recommend you visit it, possibly by bicycle. From here, after drinking another coffee, a series of ups and downs led me towards the Maremma, passing through the town of Manciano. Once I arrived in Manciano, a beautiful, well-paved descent led me to the town of Vallerana and from there, through little traveled back roads, I arrived in Capalbio, which was my last climb before descending back to the sea at Ansedonia. To get to Argentario, I entered the tongue of land called Feniglia, which by dirt road within its pine forest made me reach Orbetello, the famous town at the gates of Argentario. The colors of the lagoon with the blue of the sky, the green of the mountains and the blue of the waters were a sight for sore eyes. Although I have lost count of how many times I have done these routes, these areas always continue to enchant me and leave me speechless