Heat is the first thing you notice here. Santa Fe de Antioquia sits low, around 500 metres above the sea in the dry canyon of the Cauca river, and after riding up out of cool Medellín and through the long tunnel under the mountains, the air thickens and the temperature leaps by ten degrees or more. The town is a grid of whitewashed colonial houses with terracotta roofs and wooden doors, a handful of stone churches, and a plaza with cafés where people sit in the shade and do very little.
It was founded in 1541, one of the earliest Spanish cities in the region, and it served as the capital of the Antioquia province until the seat of government moved to Medellín in the nineteenth century. That is why the centre is so well preserved: it simply stopped growing. Walk the quiet streets and you find carved balconies, patios full of plants, and shops selling the town's famous sweets, such as coconut and fruit pastes. During Holy Week the town fills with processions and visitors.
The real engineering marvel lies a few kilometres off. The Puente de Occidente, a suspension bridge over the Cauca, was built in the late nineteenth century by the engineer José María Villa and was for a long time among the longest bridges of its kind in Latin America. It is a lovely thing, wooden decking slung between stone towers, and you can walk across it. Vehicles are limited, so check what is allowed before trying to ride over.
The riding here is a mixture. The road down from Medellín passes through the Túnel de Occidente, one of the longest in South America, then drops to the canyon with long views of dry hills, followed by gentle curves on good tarmac. Weekend traffic can be heavy, since people from Medellín flock here, so go on a weekday if you can, and start early, because the afternoons are hot enough to test any rider in full gear.
Santa Fe de Antioquia is a town of around twelve thousand, so fuel, ice cream and cold drinks are all easy to find, and a swim in a hotel pool is the best way to end the day. Drink plenty of water, wear light layers under your protective gear, and do not leave the bike in the sun without a cover.