profile
map
technical info
The Route
The profile is almost completely flat. The route follows nearly the entire Strada Statale Adriatica, with just a slight diversion to climb up Monte San Bartolo, coming from Pesaro, after 100 km on wide and mostly straight roads. The route continues straight along the ss. 9 Via Emilia for the following 20 km, and then takes in a few mild undulations around Misano Monte, Coriano and Cerasolo before heading from Santarcangelo di Romagna to the finish in Rimini.
Final kilometres
From -5 to -2 km, the stage finale is very demanding. The route tackles a long succession of corners on well-paved and wide roads, with a narrow passage 2,500 m from the finish. After running straight for over 1 km, the route takes two wide left-hand bends, 100 metres one from the other. The last one leads into the home straight (600 m, on 8 m wide tarmac).
start / finish
final kilometres
itinerary timetable
tourist info
Host city:
Porto Sant'Elpidio
Overview
Porto Sant’Elpidio stretches for over 7km on the Adriatic coastline and, with its renovated city centre, is one of the youngest and most dynamic cities in Fermo province.
Traditionally renowned for high-quality handmade woman footwear’ production and for being a shoes shopping district, in the last decade become a popular tourist destination.
The charming promenade overlooking the sea is flanked by green grass, recreational areas, commodities for children, families, sportspeople and outdoor lovers, and it is easily accessible to pedestrian and wheelchairs.
Food
The local cuisine is linked to the seafaring culture and the main ingredient is fish. Traditional recipes include “Sardoncini a scottadito” grilled breaded Sardina fish that can be tasted during the food festival in August, and dried cod fish cooked (Stoccafisso) in different variations and served at the food festival “Stoccofest” happening in October during the celebrations for the city’s patron San Crispino.
Drink
Locally produced red wines are Rosso Piceno e Rosso Piceno Superiore; white wines are Falerio, Pecorino, Passerina. Vino cotto, passito (raisin wine) and spumante (sparkling wine) are also prepared from the same grapes.
Points of interest
The shrine to Santa Maria Addolorata is located in Corva district and houses the sculpture of the Virgin Mary, which was reported to move miraculously. On the morning of the 25th July 1829, during a religious service, Madonna Addolorata statue’s opened Her arms and from that moment the shrine become the focus of local devotion and an important Marian pilgrimage site.
The Torre dell’Orologio (clock tower) stands along the state road SS16 and served as a division of the customs authority. The construction of the clock tower started in 1200 and was completed in 1560. Today is a city’s landmark and it hosts the permanent archaeological exhibition “Origin” displaying tomb items, ornaments and other objects of daily life dated back to the Iron Age (IX-VIII century B.C) and other evidences of the 7th and 6th century which we found at Porto Sant’Elpidio.
Villa Baruchello is an historical residential property built by Bonafede family in the late 700s and erected on the plain in proximity of the Fonte Serpe water stream. During archaeological excavations carried in 1917-1919, remains of ancient elliptical houses were discovered and dated to the Iron age. The body of the villa is surrounded by a green surface subdivided into a grove, where a hunting tower is present, and a protected botanic garden including a rich variety of plants and several fountains.
The property now belongs to the municipality of Porto Sant’Elpidio and is the location for cultural events and art exhibitions; it has also a modern and fully equipped presentation room, for which become a regional well-known site for conferences.
The Church “Madonna della Fiducia” was constructed in 1789 on commission of the Count Antonio Asclepi and features “Annunciazione della Vergine” (The Annunciation of Our Lady) a painting on canvas by Nicola Monti (XVII century).
Rimini
Overview
Rimini, the ancient Ariminum, is also a city of art with over 22 centuries of history.
Under the Arco d’Augusto (Arch of Augustus), history has passed: here two of the most important roads of ancient Italy joined, the Flaminia, which goes from Rome to Rimini, and the Via Emilia, which from Rimini crosses the whole Po Valley up to Milan.
From here, after crossing Piazza Tre Martiri (Three Martyrs Square) -the ancient Forum – you reach the bridge that, Augustus first and Tiberius later, between 14 and 21 A.D., erected using Istrian stone over the Marecchia, the river that with its ancient name (Ariminus) baptized the city. Emblematic representation of this ancient heritage is the Domus del Chirurgo (Surgeon’s House), the archaeological site in the central Piazza Ferrari, where you can admire a third-century house. Prestigious mosaics and frescoes describe a residence for private use intended for the practice of medical-surgical and pharmaceutical profession.
The medieval city grew within the Roman city. The spectacular Piazza Cavour (Cavour Square), with the Fontana (Fountain) – described by Leonardo da Vinci when he passed through Rimini in 1502)- and the most important public buildings.
Renaissance is not mentioned without mentioning Rimini, the cradle of this European artistic movement that has in Castel Sismondo (Sismondo Castle), to which Filippo Brunelleschi contributed, and in the Tempio Malatestiano (Malatesta Temple) by Leon Battista Alberti, two emblematic monuments.
Both were commissioned by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the lord that Piero della Francesca portrayed in prayer in front of St. Sigismund in the fresco kept in the Malatesta Temple.
Food
You cannot leave Rimini without having tasted a real local piada. Difficult to resist the dozens of kiosks present in the city. The Rimini piada is thinner than that of the rest of Romagna. You can fill it as you wish: ham and squacquerone or wild herbs, vegetables au gratin, up to – but do not tell the purists! – chocolate. These “little kiosks” are protagonists of the travel guide www.riministreetfood.com: a web app to find the best place to taste local street food. Key player of the typical cuisine is the blue fish from the Adriatic. Mackerels, mullets, mantis shrimps, sardines, tub gurnards and the legendary sardoncini.
Drink
The most famous wine? Everyone knows it: Sangiovese, the red that warms hearts. Olive oil from Rimini hills is among the best in Italy. For those who want to take a tour through the flavours, we recommend to depart from Ponte di Tiberio (Tiberius Bridge) and cross the entire Region. The bridge is the starting point of the Via Emilia, the Roman road founded by Consul Marco Emilio Lepido in 187 B.C., that leads to Milan crossing the most famous food valley in Italy. Walking along it, you will find enogastronomical heritage of absolute value, from Parma ham to culatello di Zibello, from Modena’s traditional balsamic vinegar to Parmigiano Reggiano, plus tastings, international renowned chefs, starred restaurants, visits to production and processing places and cooking classes for everyone.
Points of interest
ROMAN ITINERARY
Arco d’Augusto (Arch of Augustus). The Arch, the oldest preserved in northern Italy, marks the entrance to the city for those coming from the Flaminia, the route traced by the consul Flaminio in 220 B.C. to connect Rome to Rimini. City gate and honorary arch, it was erected in 27 B.C. by the will of the Senate in celebration of Octavianus Augustus, as manifested by the inscription placed above the arch. Perhaps not everyone knows that the current Via del Corso in Rome is the ancient Via Flaminia, which starts in the capital and ends in Rimini.
Piazza Tre Martiri, Il Foro (Three Martyrs Square, the Forum). At the crossroads between the cardo and decumanus, in the current Piazza Tre Martiri, the Foro appears, the heart of public and economic life in ancient Ariminum. In the center there is a 16th century memorial which recalls the tradition according to which Julius Caesar, climbed on a stone, harangued his soldiers on the occasion of the historic passage of the Rubicon, during which he pronounced the famous phrase “The die is cast”.
Rimini Caput Viarum (Visitor Center). A multimedia and interactive itinerary that leads tourists to discover Ariminum, offering a unique experience of reliving its history accompanied by an exceptional guide, Julius Caesar himself. Located in the deconsacrated church Santa Maria ad Nives (church of St. Mary ad Nives), the Visitor Center is a “magnifying glass” for the cultural beauty of the territory, ideal for a first introduction to the many cultural itineraries in ancient Rimini, an authentic Caput Viarum.
Ponte di Tiberio (Tiberius Bridge). The bridge, in Istrian stone, was begun by Augustus in 14 A.D. and completed by Tiberius in 21 A.D., as the inscription on the internal parapets reminds us. It spreads over more than 70 meters on 5 arches placed on massive pillars. The bridge, starting point of the Via Emilia and the Via Popilia, excels for its engineering and architectural design that combine functionality, harmony of forms and the exaltation of Emperors. A stop not to miss is the new square on the water which, facing the reservoir, allows a suggestive view of Ponte di Tiberio and a pedestrian walk along the edge of the basin. Next to it, the new archaeological park “Le pietre raccontano” leads one to discover the long history of the bridge. A new floating walkway connects the left and right docks of the ancient port facing Ponte di Tiberio, considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
Domus del chirurgo (Surgeon’s House). An archaeological museum area open to the public, over 700 square meters that reveal 2000 years of the city’s history. The most important discovery concerns the imperial age house (today called domus del “chirurgo” from the profession of the last owner) that housed a taberna medica, as revealed by the finding of an extraordinary surgical kit with over 150 instruments, exhibited in the nearby Museo della Città (City Museum).
Anfiteatro Romano (Roman Amphitheater). The construction of the Anfiteatro Romano in the 2nd century A.D. by Emperor Adrian interprets the strategy of the ‘panem et circenses’ in the search for the broader consensus and the loosening of social tensions with the granting of moments of collective evasion. The ruins of the grandiose building that housed the gladiators, are the most significant of the whole Region. The north-eastern sector of the structure, the only part remaining today, had a clay arena slightly inferior in size to the Colosseo (Colosseum).
Porta Montanara (St. Andrew’s Door). The construction of the Porta Montanara, also called St. Andrew’s Door, dates back to the I century B.C. The rounded arch, in blocks of sandstone, was one of the two entrances of the door that allowed access to the city for those coming from Via Aretina. The double arch facilitated the traffic.
ITINERARY FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE RENAISSANCE
Tempio Malatestiano (Malatesta Temple).
Around the middle of the fifteenth century Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta radically transformed the existing building into the solemn forms designed by Leon Battista Alberti that make it a masterpiece of the Renaissance. Inside, you can admire the Crocifisso di Giotto (Giotto’s Crucifix). Matteo de’ Pasti and Agostino di Duccio worked with an almost pictorial sensitivity on the marble covering of the six side chapels. The fresco with the prince kneeling in front of St. Sigismund in the last chapel on the right is by Piero della Francesca.
Chiesa di Sant’Agostino (The Church of St. Augustine).
The Chiesa di Sant’Agostino is for dimensions and for enshrined treasures of art, one of the most important in the city. The inside preserves the best examples of the 14th century Rimini paint – ing school in the apse and in the bell tower chapel, which marked a fundamental chapter in art history. The exterior of the church reveals the original Gothic layout.
Castel Sismondo (Sismondo Castle) or Rocca Malatestiana (Malatesta Fortress) Residence-fortress (1437) of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, to which collaborated also Filippo Brunelleschi. Only the central core of the original structure has survived the passing centuries, but the original palace can still be seen today on the medals of Sigismondo and in the fresco by Piero della Francesca in the Malatesta Temple. The entrance portal is still surmounted by an inscription and the coat of arms with the elephant, the rose and the chessboard, symbols of the Malatesta. Works for restoration of the ancient moat perimeter and the walls and for redevelopment of the square facing the castle that bears its name, have just been completed.
San Fortunato (St. Fortunatus)
Established in 1418, the chiesa di San Fortunato (church of St. Fortunatus), on Covignano hill, under the name of Santa Maria in Scolca, was a rich abbey of the Olivetan Benedictines. It was built on the ruins of a castle that Carlo Malatesta had donated to St. Paul the Hermit monks. It represents one of the most important historical-artistic-ecclesial places in the history of the city. The golden age of Scolca was the sixteenth century, starting from the frescoes, still visible, by Benedetto Coda. In 1547, Giorgio Vasari went to Scolca to have the manuscript of his Celebri Vite reduced to a final copy. Here Vasari executed the splendid Adoration of the Magi panel painting.
Piazza Cavour (Cavour Square), Palazzo dell’Arengo e del Podestà (Arengo and Podestà Palaces), Fontana della Pigna (Pigna Fountain). Piazza Cavour has had a primary role ever since the Middle Ages. Three buildings overlook the square, the oldest is Palazzo dell’Arengo, built in 1204: under the wide portico, justice was administered and the municipal assembly met in the hall with multi-mullioned windows situated on the first floor. Next to it, the Podestà residence was built in the fourteenth century. An arch at the entrance, on the short side, highlighted the symbols of the new Lords, the Malatesta. Palazzo Garampi (Garampi Palace), which is now the town hall residence, was built at the end of the sixteenth century. The fountain is a unifying element: of the medieval images remain the one reproduced in the basrelief of Agostino di Duccio in the Tempio Malatestiano (Malatesta Temple). Leonardo da Vinci was enchanted by the harmony of the various waterfalls when he passed through Rimini in 1502. From the square you enter the eighteenth-century fish market, one of the most characteristic corners of the city and a meeting point for the Rimini “movida”.
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