Cuenca is a city of domes, rivers and hats, and it gets under your skin. Its full name, Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca, refers to the four rivers that run through the broad valley at 2,550 metres, and the historic centre, founded in 1557 by the Spanish on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba, is listed by UNESCO. The cathedral's blue and white domes rise over the main square, and streets of red-tiled houses with wrought-iron balconies run down to the Tomebamba river and its grassy banks.
The famous hats are a good story. What the world calls Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador, woven from toquilla straw, and Cuenca is one of the main centres of the trade, with workshops and a small museum where you can see how the fibres are prepared and woven by hand. They were shipped to Panama and worn by workers building the canal, which is how the wrong name stuck. Markets sell flowers and fruit, and the pace of life is deliberately slow.
For riders it is a base with good options in each direction. West of the city the road climbs toward Cajas National Park, with cold páramo and lakes. South runs the road to Loja, and east and north lead to quiet farming villages such as Llacao and Nulti, where narrow roads wind through hills of crops. The best riding is early in the day, when the traffic in the city is lighter and the mountain air is crisp. Take care on cobbled streets, which become slippery in the rain.
A city of nearly three hundred thousand people has everything, from fuel stations to motorcycle workshops and plenty of places to eat. Try mote pillo, a dish of hominy and scrambled egg, or a bowl of locro soup, and finish with a cup of local coffee in one of the courtyard cafés. The altitude is moderate, the climate mild, and the evenings are cool, so a light jacket does well. Spend a full day walking the old centre, because the best of it is invisible from the saddle.