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Total distance: 1000 km.<br>
Total altitude gain: 10 km.<br>
Tour date: May 2000.
Bicycle Tour: Marche, Umbria, Toscana
Thomas Driemeyer2005-10-16 14:16:11
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ANCONA
We took the train from Berlin to Ancona, a busy ferry port town in the Marche at the Adriatic Sea. We had to switch trains in Munich, and only got rather unfavorable slow (D-Zug) trains in Germany and an old night train to Ancona because the fast trains don't have enough space for bicycles. We arrived early in the morning, and immediately left the coast and its heavy traffic on highway 16 for Osimo.
The terrain is hilly. We gained 2200 meters of altitude the first day, going up and down through the Apennine foothills. However, the road is never really steep, rarely more than about 8%. From Osimo we followed highway 361 through Montefano, Montecassiano, and other small villages to Macerata. From there we followed highway 78 through Sarnano and Amandola to Ascoli Piceno.
This day is probably one of the two hardest of this tour. Italian villages are typically on top of small mountains, which means frequent steep ascents on narrow switchbacks. But it's certainly worth it, the scenery is beautiful. Do not under any circumstances try to avoid the hills by following the coastal road!
We had fewer problems than expected with supplies of fruit, pasta, and other staples of bicycle riding, even though we rode in May, which is well before the high season. We had to wait out a thunderstorm on the first day, but it was the only time we had to stop for rain.
ASCOLI PICENO
Ascoli Piceno is an almost perfectly conserved medieval town. The buildings are ancient, and many roads are narrow, winding, cobblestoned paths. We stayed at the youth hostel, which is an 11th-century tower. We were the only guests. The picture (1) shows the hostel tower. (Trust me, it's not easy to make good pictures of tall structures from narrow winding streets.)
This sets the theme for most of the towns and villages we visit for
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See photographs from:
Italy Gallery
