The Ascent of San Vicino Mountain to Elcito, Le Marche

In 2002 I cycled in the beautiful Le Marche region which lies on the eastern side of central Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and the high Apennine mountains . So it was with pleasure that I received this note from Giovanni Filippo Raimondi, http://www.marchecycling.com/, from San Severino Marche describing his favorite ride:

"The ascent of the San Vicino Mountain to the town on the rocks: Elcito

The route is of medium difficulty, a gear of 39×25 is suggested. The distance is 60 km (approximately 37mi). We will depart from San Severino Marche, a small and typical medieval town situated near Macerata in the Marche region. The region is located at the heart of Italy. We will reach the mountain of San Vicino, which is the highest mountain of the Marche Appennini Range (1479 meters or approximately 1mi). We take the road to Apiro and after 15 km (9mi) of the journey we will have to ride our bicycles over a 16% uphill grade to the historical town of Castelsanpietro. We will have to pass a number of sharp turns and the bottleneck formed by the rocks of the mountain. At this point, we will be able to see Elcito, an amazing example of architecture built on a top of a cliff. Elcito seems to have stood still throughout the centuries. After stopping at Elcito, we will proceed to the Latin Cross location. From the Latin Cross we will enjoy the panoramic view of the mountain and Adriatic sea. Afterwards we will descend through the Matelica territory, the hometown of the famous white wine Verdicchio di Matelica. We will end our strenuous activity on a high note with a tasty plate of hand made tagliatelle with truffles, a glass of red wine and tiramisù at Marisa Osteria. I hope to see you soon in San Severino Marche."

In a further exchange with Giovanni he explained that the Villa Collio, where his guests stay, has been in his family since the 1800s. A visit to http://www.villacollio.com/ is recommended to view the villa and grounds. Wow.

Here, a nicely done video of images of Le Marche with music by Zucchero, one of the most popular singers in Italy:




Photos: location of Le Marche region, Piazza del Popolo in San Severino Marche is one of the most beautiful squares of Le Marche, San Severino Marche, narrow road leading to the stone homes of Elcito

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