It was bound to happen. Three days of glorious sunshine was more than we had hoped for. So when we drew the curtains back and saw a windy, overcast day it wasn’t a surprise! At least it was dry.
We hit the road and dropped down from Urbino to nearby Calpino where we saw the first and only proper bike shop of the whole trip. As we both had a couple of niggles with the bikes we stopped to get them adjusted and then set off for the day ahead. However we didn’t get far. Three miles down the road we approached roadworks with traffic lights. Stopped for the red light. On green Mr BND pressed down on the pedal to set off again and there was an almighty crunch and clank. The chain had snapped. Oh dear! Not having the required spare part to fix it we thanked our lucky stars the bike shop we’d just left was so close. I ditched my luggage and sprinted back to the shop to buy a spare chain link. It felt like I was flying without the luggage and with the wind behind me! Upon my return, after getting my breath back, we made the necessary repair, reloaded and we were on our way again. That could have been a lot worse!
We soon saw a group of other cyclists, the first we’d seen in a long time. As we wound our way up a climb we slowly passed some riders in the strung out group, which included a couple of Brits who I slowed to talk to. They were on an organised Guided Tour cycling from Bologna to Rome. Their company was a welcome addition for a few miles until our paths diverged as we made our way to the Furlo Pass. Now well and truly back in the mountains the Furlo Gorge sits in a Nature reserve and is a deep, rugged ravine with the River Candigliano running along it’s base. We’d been recommended to visit this spot, due to the wonderful colour of the water, traffic free road and the fact it’s a nice place for a dip to cool off. However, with 20 mph winds and no sun the thought of a swim wasn’t very appealing. We had planned to travel down the gorge the day before but due to a landslide the road was impassable at the far end (hence the lack of traffic.) So we took a detour and cycled up it a small way to have a look. With the rock faces towering high above, the river flowing below and the wind howling through the narrow space in between the rocks it really was a powerful place! The forces of nature were literally surrounding us. It also provided the first coffee stop of the day.
The rest of the day was spent winding between huge, raggedy ridges, up long passes and down remote, windy descents. The contrast in landscape from the day before was huge. This area was much more wild and mountainous. We’d kept the day’s mileage slightly lower so we could reach our destination in plenty of time and shortly after lunch we cruised down a wonderful road in another impressive gorge and rolled into San Vittore, a tiny hamlet with a hotel, a couple of restaurants, a beautiful 11th Century Romanesque Abbey and a huge car park for tourists visiting the nearby Frassasi Caves. The latter being the reason for our visit.
We walked the mile or so out to the cave entrance and joined another couple for a guided tour. With there being so few tourists, particularly from outside Italy, we were lucky to have such a small group for the tour. Our guide lead us through huge, metal doors in the rock, up a dark, damp slope, through some more doors and in to the most wonderful cave system I’ve ever seen. The Frassasi Caves weren’t discovered until 1971, when a group of young men from the Italian Alpine Club discovered them by accident and at 5km long they are Italy’s finest cave system. Over the following hour and a bit our guide took us through the cavernous rooms pointing out features like the bacon slice, the crystalized lake, the organ, the room of candles and the many creatures that the stalactites and stalagmites resemble. These caves are a karst cave system and as such there’s pools and lakes adding to the magical atmosphere. The first room is called the Abyss of Ancona and is so big the Milan Duomo would fit inside. They really were spectacular and well worth a visit.
Near to the entrance of the caves, up in the rock on the opposite side of the gorge is the most beautiful coming together of nature and man made structure. The Temple of Valadier is an octagonal church built inside a cave that is thought to have offered refuge for centuries to locals and travellers alike. It was constructed in 1828 by Pope Leone XII and the eight sides are said to represent the eighth day when Jesus was resurrected. The juxtaposition between the smooth, straight surfaces of the church against the rough, jagged rock of the surrounding gorge was so striking.
That evening we ate at a restaurant opposite the hotel called La Scaletta, where despite our ridiculously early (by Italian standards) arrival time we were well looked after and fed some of the finest food from the region of Le Marche; including Pappardelle al cinghiale (pasta and wild boar ragu) and Tiramisu. Stunning scenery, riding our bikes and good food….what another great day!
Day 4 Strava Link – Click Here
Brand New Day 
How fantastic to have stumbled across this work of nature!
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