Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and Ville d'Assise

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

   The people of Jesi take their opera seriously, and they have a reason. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was born here in 1710, and by the time he died in 1736, at the age of twenty-six, he had written the Stabat Mater and the comic opera La serva padrona, two works that changed music. The theatre that carries his name was opened in 1798, a neoclassical jewel with tiers of boxes and a good-sized stage, in the heart of the old town on the main square. It still has a season, and a ticket for an evening performance is a treat if you are staying nearby.

   Read the complete Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi is where the day begins. Next is Historic Centre of Urbino.

2. 2. 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.

   Read the complete Historic Centre of Urbino write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Historic Centre of Urbino comes up about 101 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ville d'Assise.

3. 3. Ville d'Assise

   Assisi sits on the western flank of Monte Subasio, and the first thing you notice is the colour. The stone, quarried from the mountain itself, is a pale pink-white that glows at sunset, and the whole town seems to hang off the slope above the Umbrian plain. It was the home of Saint Francis, born here around 1181, who gave up his father's cloth business to live in poverty, and the town built one of the great pilgrimage churches of Christendom around his tomb. The Basilica of San Francesco has two layers of frescoes by Giotto and his circle, and was badly shaken by the earthquake of 1997, when part of the vault fell. It reopened after careful restoration, and UNESCO listed Assisi in 2000.

   Read the complete Ville d'Assise write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 207 km into the recorded legs you reach Ville d'Assise. Next is back through Historic Centre of Urbino.

4. 4. back through Historic Centre of Urbino

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Historic Centre of Urbino write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Historic Centre of Urbino, late in the day. Next is Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.

5. 5. Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Teatro Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. That is the ride.