Plovdiv has been lived in for about six thousand years, which makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and it wears the age lightly. The city sits on the plain of the Maritsa river in the middle of southern Bulgaria, built around a cluster of rocky hills that rise out of the flat ground like islands. Locals talk about the seven hills, though one was quarried away long ago. Philip of Macedon took it in the fourth century BC and gave it the name Philippopolis, and the Romans later made it an important city on the road from Belgrade to Constantinople.
The Roman theatre, built under Trajan in the second century AD, is still used for concerts, and it faces out over the plain through a gap between hills. Above it the Old Town climbs in a jumble of cobbled lanes, Ottoman-era houses with overhanging upper floors, painted in strong colours, and tiny galleries. Down in the flat centre, a long pedestrian street leads past the remains of the Roman stadium, which lies partly beneath the shopping street. The Kapana district, a tangle of narrow streets that was rebuilt from a run-down craft quarter, is full of cafes, bars and small workshops. Plovdiv was European Capital of Culture in 2019.
For a motorcyclist, Plovdiv is a useful, easy city. About three hundred and forty thousand people live here, so there is fuel on every approach road, plenty of garages, and wide boulevards. The ride begins when you leave. To the south, the Rhodope Mountains rise quickly above Asenovgrad, with the ruined fortress of Asen in a gorge and lovely, twisting roads through beech forest. To the north, the Rose Valley and the Stara Planina ranges open up towards the Central Balkan, a longer ride with more mountain.
For dinner, order a shopska salad of tomato, cucumber and white cheese, grilled kebapche, a plate of banitsa, and a small glass of rakia to start. Prices are modest by western standards. Summer is hot, with temperatures often in the mid thirties, so start early and be off the plain by midday. Late spring, when the roses bloom, and early autumn offer the best mix of light and cool air. Drivers can be impatient and overtake in interesting places, so keep your eyes on the mirrors.