Sasso Fratino and Historic Centre of Urbino starting at Pratovecchio
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
300 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 50
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Pratovecchio it runs 300 km to Pratovecchio; allow about 5 h 50 of riding. It goes by way of Teatro Angelo Mariani, San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan, Historic Centre of Urbino and back through San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 800 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Italy into San Marino - carry ID and check the toll rules.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sasso Fratino
Sasso Fratino is a forest you are not allowed to enter, and that is precisely the point. High on the Romagna side of the Apennine ridge, in the national park of the Casentino forests, it was declared Italy's first integral nature reserve in 1959, and since then nature has been left almost entirely to itself. Ancient beech woods cling to steep slopes, with silver fir, maple and ash mixed in, and dead trees are left to rot where they fall, feeding fungi, beetles and birds. In 2017 it became part of the transnational World Heritage listing of ancient beech forests of Europe.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sasso Fratino is where the day begins. Next is Teatro Angelo Mariani.
2. Teatro Angelo Mariani
Sant'Agata Feltria is a small hill town in the upper Marecchia valley, with a castle on a rock, steep streets and one of the oldest wooden theatres in Italy. The Teatro Angelo Mariani dates from the early seventeenth century and has been rebuilt and restored over the centuries, with tiers of wooden boxes painted in soft colours around a small stage. It is named after Angelo Mariani, a nineteenth-century conductor who was a close collaborator of Verdi. The theatre is intimate, seating a few hundred at most, and it still hosts concerts and plays.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Teatro Angelo Mariani comes up about 69 km into the recorded legs. Next is San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan.
3. San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan
San Marino is a whole country balanced on the ridge of a single mountain, and you feel it the moment the road starts to climb out of the coastal plain. Monte Titano rises steeply from the hills behind Rimini, a long limestone crest with sheer cliffs on its eastern side, and the old town of San Marino clings to the top with three towers strung along the ridge like stitches. The first, Guaita, is the oldest and the most photographed; the second, Cesta, sits on the highest point; the third, Montale, is a slender lookout you can only see from outside.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 106 km into the recorded legs you reach San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan. Next is Historic Centre of Urbino.
4. Historic Centre of Urbino
Urbino is a whole hill turned into an idea. In the fifteenth century Federico da Montefeltro, a professional soldier who earned a fortune leading other people's armies, used it to build one of the most refined courts in Renaissance Italy, and the town that grew around his palace is still almost entirely brick and stone of that age. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1998, and it remains a lively university town rather than a museum.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sasso Fratino closes the day.
Leg by leg
Sasso Fratino to Teatro Angelo Mariani
Sasso Fratino → Teatro Angelo Mariani is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Teatro Angelo Mariani to San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan
Teatro Angelo Mariani → San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan to Historic Centre of Urbino
San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan → Historic Centre of Urbino is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic Centre of Urbino to back through San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan
Historic Centre of Urbino → back through San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan to back through Teatro Angelo Mariani
back through San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titan → back through Teatro Angelo Mariani is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Teatro Angelo Mariani to Sasso Fratino
back through Teatro Angelo Mariani → Sasso Fratino is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.