Why this ride
A 304 km one-way ride from near Palombara Sabina, about 6 h 03 of riding. The stops in between: Ronciglione, Marina di Cerveteri, Torvaianica and Selcetta. The climb of the day is near Lariano. Long stretches are under trees.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend · short arc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 304 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 03
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Palombara Sabina
Planning note
Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend is where the day begins. Next is Rome / Central Italy return.
2. Near Ronciglione, on the way back
Lago di Vico fills the crater of an old volcano in the Cimini hills, north of Rome, and it is one of the best-preserved volcanic lakes in Italy. The slopes around it are covered with beech and chestnut forest, and the lake is a nature reserve, with herons and grebes in the reeds. It sits a short hop from the lake, between Caprarola, Canepina and Carbognano, in a landscape of hazelnut orchards and woods.
Read the complete Near Ronciglione, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rome / Central Italy return comes up about 73 km into the recorded legs. Next is Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend food stop.
3. Marina di Cerveteri
The Etruscans buried their dead in cities of their own, and at Cerveteri, a few kilometres inland from this stop, the necropolis of the Banditaccia is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. Hundreds of tombs, some shaped like round mounds, others like houses with streets between them, stretch across a plateau among cypress and grass. Inside, the tombs are carved to imitate rooms, with beds, chairs and household objects in stone.
Read the complete Marina di Cerveteri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend photo pull-off.
4. Torvaianica
Torvaianica is a seaside town on the long, straight coast south of Rome, where the Tyrrhenian Sea meets a strip of dunes, umbrella pines and beach clubs, and it is the closest real beach to much of the southern half of the city. Around seventeen thousand people live here, many more in summer, in a sprawl of holiday flats, villas and pizzerias along the coast road.
Read the complete Torvaianica write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend photo pull-off, about halfway. Next is Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend checkpoint 8.
5. Near Selcetta
You are in the southern suburbs of Rome, beyond the modernist boulevards of EUR and inside the sprawl around Via Laurentina, close to the little settlement of Selcetta and not far from Trigoria, where AS Roma has its training ground. It is not a destination in itself, but it is a sensible base for rides into the Castelli Romani and further east to the Sabine hills and Abruzzo, because it puts you on the right side of the city and close to the Grande Raccordo Anulare, Rome's orbital motorway.
Read the complete Near Selcetta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Finish at Abruzzo Gran Sasso Weekend checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is High point near Lariano.
6. High point near Lariano
Planning note
High point near Lariano is the summit of this stretch. Next is Scenic stretch near Palestrina.
7. Scenic stretch near Palestrina
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Palestrina closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop near Palombara Sabina to Near Ronciglione, on the way back
Fuel stop near Palombara Sabina → Near Ronciglione, on the way back is 73 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
High point near Lariano to Scenic stretch near Palestrina
High point near Lariano → Scenic stretch near Palestrina is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.