MichaelS

A few weeks ago, we wrote the group asking advice on our itinerary for
a trip to Italy. We received a lot of thoughtful comments, and wanted
to share our final plans with the group. Here is a link to the
original discussion thread, in which many folks contributed a lot of
good information:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.travel.europe/browse_thread/thread/314d75a8977b307c/f2a94833c942a99d#f2a94833c942a99d

And here is our itinerary. We elected to make all our arrangements
ahead of time, foregoing a certain amount of flexibility so as not to
waste time looking for places while we're on vacation.

3 nights in Venice, staying in a rented apartment we found online
Train to Padua for 1 night in Padua, staying at the Hotel Mignon
Train to Ferarra for 1 night in Ferarra, staying at the Locanda
Borgonuova
Train to Ravenna for 1 night in Ravenna, staying at the Hotel Centrale
Byron
Train to Rimini to pick up a rental car for the duration of our trip,
as follows. The sights enumerated are meant as a guide. We will feel
free to skip some or see others as we pick up information on the
ground.

--San Leo, Sasso Corvaro, Urbino, spend the night in Urbino at the
Albergo Italia.
--See more of Urbino. drive to Mondavio and Corinaldo. Stay in
Corinaldo at I Tigli, a hotel with restaurant built into Corinaldo's
medieval walls.
--Drive to Gubbio, by way of Arcevia, Loretello, Piticchio, Monastero
di Fonte Avellana--a long day to be sure. Stay two nights in Gubbio
at the Residenza Le Logge. (Two nights as we'll likely arrive too
late on the first evening to do much sightseeing .)
--The morning after the second night in Gubbio we'll drive to Serra
San Quirico for a night at Le Coppertelle, named for the covered
streets of the town, created when houses were built over the medieval
walls (I think). Sights on the list for this day and the next
include: Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi, and San Vittore d Chiuse.
--Then it's on to an apartment in a private home in a lovely country
setting outside Camerino for three nights, where we'll catch our
breath and have a base from which to see Camerino, San Severino
Marche, Matelica, Tolentino, Caldarola, the Rocca dei Da Varano, other
surrounding small towns, and possibly Macerata.
--On Easter Sunday we'll continue south, through San Ginesio and
Sarnano, to a well reviewed B&B, Cittadella dei Sibillini, outside of
Montemonaco. We'll stay there for three nights, another countryside
base from which to see Montemonaco, Montefortino, Amandola, Ascoli
Piceno, Castelluccio, Arquata del Tronto, the Gola dell'Infernaccio,
Piano Grande, and other Sibillini mountain sights.
--Finally (and sadly) we'll drive to Fara in Sabina, in Lazio, for a
final night in a nice seeming area where many Romans vacation--halfway
between Le Marche and Rome. The next day it's to Fumicino Airport in
Rome, and the conclusion of our trip.

We appreciate all the input we received so far. And welcome any
comments regarding our travel plans.

Ciao,
Michael

B Vaughan

On 13 Mar 2007 10:13:21 -0700, "MichaelS" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>A few weeks ago, we wrote the group asking advice on our itinerary for
>a trip to Italy. We received a lot of thoughtful comments, and wanted
>to share our final plans with the group. Here is a link to the
>original discussion thread, in which many folks contributed a lot of
>good information:

I'll just comment on Le Marche.

>--San Leo, Sasso Corvaro, Urbino, spend the night in Urbino at the
>Albergo Italia.
>--See more of Urbino. drive to Mondavio and Corinaldo. Stay in
>Corinaldo at I Tigli, a hotel with restaurant built into Corinaldo's
>medieval walls.

I strongly suggest you pass through the Gola of Furlo en route from
Urbino to Mondavio. Stop to see the Romanesque church of San Vincenzo
and the Roman era tunnel. Mondavio can be seen in a fairly short time.
If you leave Urbino right after lunch, you can see all of these things
and be in Corinaldo in time for a late supper. In the morning, try to
stay until the tourist office is open (around 9:30, I believe) and see
if someone can give you a tour in English. If you tell me exactly what
day you'll be in town, I'll speak to them about it before I leave.

I've never seen Sasso Corvaro, but the others are certainly worth
seeing. It's a shame I won't be around when you come to Corinaldo. Do
let me know what you think of it.

>--Drive to Gubbio, by way of Arcevia, Loretello, Piticchio, Monastero
>di Fonte Avellana--a long day to be sure.

Pitticchio and Loretello are not small, they are miniscule, which is
part of their charm. They were originally watchtower outposts for the
monastery of Fonte Avellana. You can see them in half an hour, maybe
less in the case of Loretello, which other than a guard tower and a
bit of wall, has nothing. You can see Piticchio from Loretello, and
obviously vice versa, although I've never managed to find Loretello
from the walls of Piticchio. When you are at Loretello, with your back
to the only road in, go to the wall on the left hand side and you
should easily see another little walled outpost across the valley.
Sentinels passed signals from one tower to the other when they were
watching for marauding bands on the loose. There were seven or so
outposts to protect Fonte Avellana, which was a rich monastery.

Arcevia itself doesn't have a whole lot to see, and you might be able
to skip it, or at least not spend much time there. It's in a very nice
setting though. We can see Arcevia from our house in Corinaldo, but it
takes about half an hour to get there.

If I were to recommend another stop in the vicinity of Fonte Avellana,
it might be Frontone rather than Arcevia. Frontone has a very nice
castle and a great view, although the castle is not usually open to
the public. This was also an outpost of Fonte Avellana.

> Stay two nights in Gubbio
>at the Residenza Le Logge. (Two nights as we'll likely arrive too
>late on the first evening to do much sightseeing .)
>--The morning after the second night in Gubbio we'll drive to Serra
>San Quirico for a night at Le Coppertelle, named for the covered
>streets of the town, created when houses were built over the medieval
>walls (I think).

When walls were still used for defense, it was forbidden to build
anything near the walls, as it impeded access by soldiers. Later, when
defense was not a big issue, buildings could be built on the walls if
they allowed a passageway underneath wide enough for a cart to pass.
Later even this rule was no longer enforced and buildings began to be
built against and into the walls. In Corinaldo, you can see all three
phases in the life of the walls. There is a section with an access
road and guard towers against the walls. A little further on, there is
a section where the second story of the building rests on the wall,
with a passage underneath for carts. In the vicinity of I Tigli, where
you are staying, there were several convents and churches built right
against the wall, with no access road. I Tigli occupies part of one of
these former convents.

There is also a tiny entrance with steps into the walled town near I
Tigli. This is a rather late addition; it is said that a parish priest
who lived inside the wall had it made so he could take a shortcut to
the parish church, which is outside the wall.

Corinaldo has only one real break in the original wall (not counting
the little pedestrian entrance). This is near the aforementioned
parish church, and allows passage of cars, where before there was a
dead end street ending at the wall. All of the original gates are
intact.

> Sights on the list for this day and the next
>include: Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi, and San Vittore d Chiuse.

>--Then it's on to an apartment in a private home in a lovely country
>setting outside Camerino for three nights, where we'll catch our
>breath and have a base from which to see Camerino, San Severino
>Marche, Matelica, Tolentino, Caldarola, the Rocca dei Da Varano, other
>surrounding small towns, and possibly Macerata.

>--On Easter Sunday we'll continue south, through San Ginesio and
>Sarnano, to a well reviewed B&B, Cittadella dei Sibillini, outside of
>Montemonaco. We'll stay there for three nights, another countryside
>base from which to see Montemonaco, Montefortino, Amandola, Ascoli
>Piceno, Castelluccio, Arquata del Tronto, the Gola dell'Infernaccio,
>Piano Grande, and other Sibillini mountain sights.

The Gola del Infernaccio has no vehicle access, and I don't know if
the path leading in will be in great shape at this time of year. Wear
good hiking shoes if you go in. Casteluccio is beautiful when the
flowers are in bloom, but you're way too early for that. It's a large
ancient lake bed surrounded by mountains. The town of Casteluccio is a
bit crumbled, but still inhabited. There is a lot of hiking and
deltaplaning in this area. In the winter, it's a great area for cross
country skiing.

>--Finally (and sadly) we'll drive to Fara in Sabina, in Lazio, for a
>final night in a nice seeming area where many Romans vacation--halfway
>between Le Marche and Rome. The next day it's to Fumicino Airport in
>Rome, and the conclusion of our trip.

A lot of Romans holiday in southern Le Marche as well. The area near
San Severino is full of Romans in the summer. The road from Foligno to
San Severino passes through a very cute little town called Pioraco.
This was a Roman town, where two rivers meet. There's a tiny Roman
bridge and along the river there's a structure where woman used to do
their laundry. (There's a similar structure in Corinaldo near a
natural spring.)


>
>We appreciate all the input we received so far. And welcome any
>comments regarding our travel plans.
>
>Ciao,
>Michael

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

MichaelS

On Mar 13, 4:08 pm, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> On 13 Mar 2007 10:13:21 -0700, "MichaelS" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >A few weeks ago, we wrote the group asking advice on our itinerary for
> >a trip to Italy. We received a lot of thoughtful comments, and wanted
> >to share our final plans with the group. Here is a link to the
> >original discussion thread, in which many folks contributed a lot of
> >good information:
>
> I'll just comment on Le Marche.
>
> >--San Leo, Sasso Corvaro, Urbino, spend the night in Urbino at the
> >Albergo Italia.
> >--See more of Urbino. drive to Mondavio and Corinaldo. Stay in
> >Corinaldo at I Tigli, a hotel with restaurant built into Corinaldo's
> >medieval walls.
>
> I strongly suggest you pass through the Gola of Furlo en route from
> Urbino to Mondavio. Stop to see the Romanesque church of San Vincenzo
> and the Roman era tunnel. Mondavio can be seen in a fairly short time.
> If you leave Urbino right after lunch, you can see all of these things
> and be in Corinaldo in time for a late supper. In the morning, try to
> stay until the tourist office is open (around 9:30, I believe) and see
> if someone can give you a tour in English. If you tell me exactly what
> day you'll be in town, I'll speak to them about it before I leave.
>
> I've never seen Sasso Corvaro, but the others are certainly worth
> seeing. It's a shame I won't be around when you come to Corinaldo. Do
> let me know what you think of it.
>
> >--Drive to Gubbio, by way of Arcevia, Loretello, Piticchio, Monastero
> >di Fonte Avellana--a long day to be sure.
>
> Pitticchio and Loretello are not small, they are miniscule, which is
> part of their charm. They were originally watchtower outposts for the
> monastery of Fonte Avellana. You can see them in half an hour, maybe
> less in the case of Loretello, which other than a guard tower and a
> bit of wall, has nothing. You can see Piticchio from Loretello, and
> obviously vice versa, although I've never managed to find Loretello
> from the walls of Piticchio. When you are at Loretello, with your back
> to the only road in, go to the wall on the left hand side and you
> should easily see another little walled outpost across the valley.
> Sentinels passed signals from one tower to the other when they were
> watching for marauding bands on the loose. There were seven or so
> outposts to protect Fonte Avellana, which was a rich monastery.
>
> Arcevia itself doesn't have a whole lot to see, and you might be able
> to skip it, or at least not spend much time there. It's in a very nice
> setting though. We can see Arcevia from our house in Corinaldo, but it
> takes about half an hour to get there.
>
> If I were to recommend another stop in the vicinity of Fonte Avellana,
> it might be Frontone rather than Arcevia. Frontone has a very nice
> castle and a great view, although the castle is not usually open to
> the public. This was also an outpost of Fonte Avellana.
>
> > Stay two nights in Gubbio
> >at the Residenza Le Logge. (Two nights as we'll likely arrive too
> >late on the first evening to do much sightseeing .)
> >--The morning after the second night in Gubbio we'll drive to Serra
> >San Quirico for a night at Le Coppertelle, named for the covered
> >streets of the town, created when houses were built over the medieval
> >walls (I think).
>
> When walls were still used for defense, it was forbidden to build
> anything near the walls, as it impeded access by soldiers. Later, when
> defense was not a big issue, buildings could be built on the walls if
> they allowed a passageway underneath wide enough for a cart to pass.
> Later even this rule was no longer enforced and buildings began to be
> built against and into the walls. In Corinaldo, you can see all three
> phases in the life of the walls. There is a section with an access
> road and guard towers against the walls. A little further on, there is
> a section where the second story of the building rests on the wall,
> with a passage underneath for carts. In the vicinity of I Tigli, where
> you are staying, there were several convents and churches built right
> against the wall, with no access road. I Tigli occupies part of one of
> these former convents.
>
> There is also a tiny entrance with steps into the walled town near I
> Tigli. This is a rather late addition; it is said that a parish priest
> who lived inside the wall had it made so he could take a shortcut to
> the parish church, which is outside the wall.
>
> Corinaldo has only one real break in the original wall (not counting
> the little pedestrian entrance). This is near the aforementioned
> parish church, and allows passage of cars, where before there was a
> dead end street ending at the wall. All of the original gates are
> intact.
>
> > Sights on the list for this day and the next
> >include: Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi, and San Vittore d Chiuse.
> >--Then it's on to an apartment in a private home in a lovely country
> >setting outside Camerino for three nights, where we'll catch our
> >breath and have a base from which to see Camerino, San Severino
> >Marche, Matelica, Tolentino, Caldarola, the Rocca dei Da Varano, other
> >surrounding small towns, and possibly Macerata.
> >--On Easter Sunday we'll continue south, through San Ginesio and
> >Sarnano, to a well reviewed B&B, Cittadella dei Sibillini, outside of
> >Montemonaco. We'll stay there for three nights, another countryside
> >base from which to see Montemonaco, Montefortino, Amandola, Ascoli
> >Piceno, Castelluccio, Arquata del Tronto, the Gola dell'Infernaccio,
> >Piano Grande, and other Sibillini mountain sights.
>
> The Gola del Infernaccio has no vehicle access, and I don't know if
> the path leading in will be in great shape at this time of year. Wear
> good hiking shoes if you go in. Casteluccio is beautiful when the
> flowers are in bloom, but you're way too early for that. It's a large
> ancient lake bed surrounded by mountains. The town of Casteluccio is a
> bit crumbled, but still inhabited. There is a lot of hiking and
> deltaplaning in this area. In the winter, it's a great area for cross
> country skiing.
>
> >--Finally (and sadly) we'll drive to Fara in Sabina, in Lazio, for a
> >final night in a nice seeming area where many Romans vacation--halfway
> >between Le Marche and Rome. The next day it's to Fumicino Airport in
> >Rome, and the conclusion of our trip.
>
> A lot of Romans holiday in southern Le Marche as well. The area near
> San Severino is full of Romans in the summer. The road from Foligno to
> San Severino passes through a very cute little town called Pioraco.
> This was a Roman town, where two rivers meet. There's a tiny Roman
> bridge and along the river there's a structure where woman used to do
> their laundry. (There's a similar structure in Corinaldo near a
> natural spring.)
>
>
>
> >We appreciate all the input we received so far. And welcome any
> >comments regarding our travel plans.
>
> >Ciao,
> >Michael
>
> --
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Thank You Barbara.

I omitted the Gola di Furlo and San Vincnenzo al Furlo by mistake.
They are both on our itinerary. The rest of your comments are most
helpful.

We will be in Corinaldo the evening of April 1st into the morning of
the 2nd. If there's someone in town who can give us a tour in
English, that would be very nice. Though I wonder if this would get
us off to a late start for our long drive through Loretello,
Piticchio, Frontone, Fonte Avellano and into Gubbio. How long do you
suppose the tour would take?

Best,
Michael

B Vaughan

On 13 Mar 2007 17:28:02 -0700, "MichaelS" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>We will be in Corinaldo the evening of April 1st into the morning of
>the 2nd. If there's someone in town who can give us a tour in
>English, that would be very nice. Though I wonder if this would get
>us off to a late start for our long drive through Loretello,
>Piticchio, Frontone, Fonte Avellano and into Gubbio. How long do you
>suppose the tour would take?

I think you could see the most important things in about an hour.
Would you be willing to pay somebody? In that case, I might be able to
find you someone who would do it privately, before the tourist office
opens. It probably wouldn't cost much.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Sergio

On Mar 13, 6:13 pm, "MichaelS" <[email protected]> wrote:
> A few weeks ago, ...

I just stumbled on this recent post of yours and took note of your
itinerary.
It so happens that this very morning I have been fancying (see
it.sport.ciclismo ) about going down to Acquasanta/Castelluccio/Visso
for a good two day bike ride, soon after Easter day.
If you care to meet, drop me a note and we'll see what can be
arranged.

Sergio
Pisa

MichaelS

> I think you could see the most important things in about an hour.
> Would you be willing to pay somebody? In that case, I might be able to
> find you someone who would do it privately, before the tourist office
> opens. It probably wouldn't cost much.
> --
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Hello Barbara,

I thought I had replied to this a number of days ago, but it seems I
wasn't successful. We would be interested in the tour. How much
could we expect to pay? We are leaving for Venice today, and will be
able to check e-mail and the web through the 27th.

Thanks,
Michael