On the road

TUSCANY

Italian region

Capital: Florence.

Population: 3.7 million.

Celebrities: Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Curzio Malaparte, Antonio Tabucchi (writers), Cosmo the Elder, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Machiavelli and Catherine de' Medici (political leaders), Brunelleschi, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Amedeo Modigliani (artists). Roberto Benigni, Mario Monicelli, Franco Zeffirelli, Stefania Sandrelli (cinema). Gino Bartali, Mario Cippolini, Paolo Bettini (cycling). Paolo Rossi, Marcello Lippi (football) and 14 popes.

Specialities: chianti, olive oil, white truffles. Tuscan black croutons. Colonnata bacon. Panzanella. Pappa al pomodoro. Ribollita. Cacciucco. Tripe and lampredotto. Steak Florentine style. Crostini di fegato. Florentine pizza. Artichoke omelette.

Sports: Fiorentina, Empoli, Pisa SC (football), Basket Femminile Le Mura Lucca, Mens Sana Siena (basketball).

Tourism: eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the centre of Florence, the historic centre of Siena, Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, the historic centre of San Gimignano, the historic centre of Pienza, Val d'Orcia, the Medici villas and gardens in Tuscany, the Sasso Fratino forest). Palio di Siena, Lucca Summer Festival, Pistoia Blues Festival, Lucca Comics Festival.

Economy: Fashion and the textile industry are the mainstays of the Florentine economy. Tourism.

Websites/ FB / Twitter: www.visittuscany.com

BAGNO A RIPOLI (POP: 25,100)

The Bagno a Ripoli area, between Florence and the Chianti region, is surrounded by majestic Medicean villas and rock-hewn churches housing 15th-century and Renaissance masterpieces. Cypress trees and farmhouses, vineyards and olive groves, tabernacles and wine cellars follow one another. The most important place of worship in Bagno a Ripoli is undoubtedly the Pieve di San Pietro parish church in Ripoli, considered to be one of the oldest churches in Italy. Also worth a visit is the poetic Ninfeo del Giambologna, better known as the Fonte della Fata Morgana (Morgana Fairy Spring). Over the centuries, the mysterious and magical nature of the site has given rise to a number of legends surrounding the sixteenth-century Nymphaeum, including the appearance and disappearance of young girls and the magical properties of its waters. The town boasts an important amateur club, S.S. Aquila (formerly Aquila Ganzaroli), whose ranks have included professional cyclists such as Daniel Oss and the great Gino Bartali. That's why the town boasts a cycling museum dedicated to Gino Bartali. A native of Bagno a Ripoli, Bruno Giannelli was a loyal team-mate of Bartali, who had discovered him, before tiring of the professional world and returning to work as a plumber. The town hosted a start of the Giro Rosa 2023. Other local celebrities include Leonardo Fabbri, a native of the city and silver-medallist in the shot put in Bucharest in 2023, and pole vaulter Claudio Stecchi.

Foundation: 790

Style: Romanesque.

History: the first document to mention the church dates back to 790 A.D. It became particularly active from the 11th century onwards and was redeveloped and enlarged in the 14th century. Under the control of the Bishop of Florence in 1530, it underwent a major restoration in the 18th century and a final refurbishment in 1932.

Characteristics: the façade is preceded by an interesting Gothic porch, on the left side of which is the bell tower. Originally, the porch was surmounted by two statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which can now be admired inside. The entrance portal dates from the Renaissance. The interior, austere and uncluttered, is very long and divided into three naves with a polychrome wooden roof.

Special features: at the back of the right nave is a fresco depicting Christ in the Pieta dating from around 1380 and attributed to Pietro Nelli. Also in the left nave are fragments of a fresco depicting the Annunciation, also attributed to Pietro Nelli, and Orazio Fidani's The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. The painting of the Annunciation is attributed to Francesco Mati.

RUFINA (POP: 7,700)

The rows of vines catch the eye when you contemplate the hillsides of Rufina. For centuries, Rufina has been the land of wine par excellence: as long ago as 1716, Cosimo III de' Medici officially designated it as one of the four Tuscan regions producing great wines. From time to time, as you follow the tall cypress trees, you can see villas, farmhouses and castles, once the homes of noble Florentine families. Rufina's wine-growing history is told by the Vine and Wine Museum at Villa Poggio Reale. The elegant sixteenth-century building, surrounded by a pleasant park, also houses the collection of Florentine artist Marco Romoli. The Villa is surrounded by a large park open to the public, including a wood called Ragnaia. Also worth a visit in the hamlet of Castiglioni is the Pieve di Santo Stefano parish church, which has retained its Romanesque appearance despite several alterations. The building is an example of architecture typical of the Florentine countryside, with stylistic elements of Lombard culture and the early Christian tradition.  

Rufina is the smallest of the Chianti sub-zones, covering an area of 12,483 hectares, including (in whole or in part) the municipalities of Dicomano, Londa, Rufina, Pelago and Pontassieve, all located in the hills to the east of the Tuscan capital. Despite its small size, it is the third-largest sub-area in terms of production (after Classico and Colli Senesi), with over 7 pc of its territory cultivated with vines and listed in the Chianti register. It includes the Pomino DOC, produced in the hamlet of the same name in the municipality of Rufina. Along with Montespertoli, the Rufina sub-area is considered to be one of Chianti's best-designed sub-areas in terms of the uniform quality of the wines produced.

SAN GODENZO (Pop: 1,250)

San Godenzo lies between the mountains and thick woods of the Alto Mugello region. It is one of the gateways to the National Park of the Forests of Casentino, Monte Falterona and Campigna, part of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village's name derives from San Gaudenzio, a hermit who lived in prayer on these mountains in the 6th century. A Benedictine abbey was built in his name towards the end of the 11th century, and the first houses sprang up around the religious building. San Godenzo lies along the road to the pass later known as the Muraglione. San Godenzo and the Mugello region are famous for their chestnuts, which have a PGI.  

Foundation: 1028.

Style: Romanesque.

History: The first document to mention the abbey dates back to 26 February 1028, when the Bishop of Fiesole signed the foundation charter for the Benedictine monastery of San Gaudenzio. It was built on the site of a previous building dedicated to Saint Gaudenzio, a hermit who lived in the 5th and 6th centuries. The abbey became Cistercian and was nicknamed "Dantesque" in the 14th century because Dante Alighieri stayed there for a long time. He attended a meeting held in the monks' choir on 8 June 1302 with other exiles from the Republic of Florence. Servite monks moved in during the 15th century and occupied the abbey until it was destroyed by Napoleon's armies. In 1921, to mark the six hundredth anniversary of Dante's death, restoration work was carried out on the church, which regained its abbatial title and function as a parish church.

Characteristics: the heart of the village is the Abbey of San Gaudenzio, one of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany. The interior is vast and solemn: three naves with quadrangular pillars and a raised presbytery with three apses. Many valuable works of art are preserved inside, including the wooden sculpture of Saint Sebastian by Baccio da Montelupo, a polyptych by Bernardo Daddi dating from 1333 and the painting of the Announced Virgin by the school of Andrea del Sarto (16th century).

Followers of the Tour will no doubt be able to describe this stage as Dantesque, as several of the towns it passes through, such as Pontassieve, San Godenzo and San Leo, are part of the legend of Dante Aligheri, considered to be the "father of the Italian language". Dante was born between 1265 and 1267 in Florence and died on 14 September 1321 in Ravenna. Along with Petrarch and Boccaccio, he was one of the "three crowns" who established Tuscan as a literary language. A major poet of the Middle Ages, he wrote the Divine Comedy, often considered to be the greatest work written in this idiom and one of the masterpieces of world literature. Prior of the city of Florence and a very active member of the "White Guelphs" faction, he was sentenced to the stake in 1302 after his side's defeat of Charles of Valois' "Black Guelphs" and ended his life in exile. He wandered from town to town before settling in Ravenna, where he died of malaria in 1321. Dante's banishment from Florence was only lifted in 2008, and Ravenna has always refused to return the remains of the exiled man to his native city. 

FORLI-CESENA

Province of Italy in Emilia-Romagna.

Capital: Forli

Population: 392,000 

Surface area: 2,378 km2

Main towns: Forli (118,000), Cesena (97,000), Cesenatico (26,000)

Specialities: olive oil, wines (chianti, carmignano). Piadina.

Famous personalities: Benito Mussolini (born in Predappio), Ercole Baldini, Marco Pantani (cycling). Tourism: seaside tourism in towns along the Adriatic coast, from Cesenatico to Rimini. Spa tourism in Castrocaro Terme, Bagno di Romagna and Fratta Terme. Forli (cathedral, San Mercuriale abbey church, Ravaldino castle), Cesena (Malatesta fortress). Farmhouse inns on the Apennine hills.

Economy: The province of Forli produces olive oil and is notable for its agriculture (fruit, vines, olives). 

Website: www.provincia.fc.it

GALEATA (POP: 2,470)

In ancient times, Galeata was a refuge for the Umbrians, as evidenced by the remains of the village of Menaviola, 3 km from the present-day town centre. The town prospered around its powerful abbey, dedicated to Saint Hilarius (now Italianised as Sant'Ellero), which for centuries dominated and administered the surrounding area, with a defensive system that included troops and three strongholds (Santa Sofia, Civitella and Pianetto). At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the town came under the control of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until 1860. This rich past is still evident in the important architecture of the Palazzo del Podestà, the Abbey of Sant'Ellero, the parish church of Santa Maria in Pantano and, in the village, the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, with its recently faithfully restored monastery, as well as the archaeological area of Mevaniola.  

Foundation: 497

Style: Romanesque.

History: construction began in 497, although what has survived, after several restorations and alterations, is essentially the church from the 9th and 10th centuries. The abbey was exempt from episcopal jurisdiction until 1785, when it was annexed to the Roman Catholic diocese of Sansepolcro.

Characteristics: only the abbey church remains, with its Romanesque portal decorated with capitals featuring mermaids, symbols of sin, and monks at prayer. The crypt is the part that holds the most surprises. Here you will find the 8th-century sarcophagus of Saint Hilarius, made of Greek marble, sculpted crosses, leaves and flowers in the Byzantine style. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds a column from Sant'Ellero, probably belonging to the cloister, which has now disappeared.

Special features: in May, a pilgrimage is held in the church, as Saint Ellero is reputed to cure migraines.  

Construction: 15th century.

History: the building dates back to the early 1400s, when the Florentine Republic ordered the palace to be used as the seat of the Podesteria de Galeata. It seems that in 1426 the mayor of Florence, Zanobi del Pino, a person hated by Machiavelli, resided here. After the earthquake of 1584, the palace was completely rebuilt and further important changes were made in 1890, when it became the seat of the Town Hall.

BAGNO DI ROMAGNA (POP: 5,600)

Bagno di Romagna (the Romagna Bath), in the province of Forli-Cesena, has always been famous for its natural sulphurous waters and its forest heritage. The presence of thermal waters attracted the Romans and poet Martial in particular, who celebrated its curative virtues in his verse. From the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD, the Romans used the area as a stopping-off point on the road from Ravenna to Rome, equipping it with a vast spa complex. The springs are still very popular today, attracting thousands of visitors who flock to the three spas at San Agnese, Euroterme and Roseo. The "Gnome Trail", located close to the historic centre, is a walk designed to entertain young and old alike. Bagno di Romagna is twinned with Moutiers in France.

SOGLIANO AL RUBICONE (POP: 3,120)

Situated at the source of the Rubicon, the small coastal river made famous by Julius Caesar, Sogliano al Rubicone has suffered a major rural exodus since the 1950s, but since the 1980s the town has been enjoying renewed economic development thanks to the revival of the production of formaggio di fossa (pit cheese), a typical product of the town already known and produced under the Malatesta family, the lords who ruled the region in the Middle Ages. This cheese is aged in tufa pits for a hundred days and eaten with honey. The country's most famous child is poet Giovanni Pascoli, to whom an itinerary is dedicated in the city, taking visitors to all the places of interest, such as the Palazzo della Cultura and its three permanent exhibitions. Sogliano is the birthplace of Luciano Sambi, a rider from the 1960s who took part in the Giro twice. Since 2013, it has also been a stage town for the International Coppi-Bartali Week: in 2021, Jonas Vingegaard won here.  

The Rubicon rises near the municipality of Sogliano al Rubicone and flows into the Adriatic Sea south of Cesenatico. It is to this river that the expression "crossing the Rubicon" refers. From 59 BC onwards, this river served as the border between Roman Italy and the province of Cisalpine Gaul. It had a special significance in Roman law because no general was allowed to cross it with armed soldiers. The law thus protected Rome from internal military threats. It became famous when Julius Caesar crossed it with his armed legions on 11 January 49 BC, following in Pompey's footsteps and breaking the law of the Roman Senate. According to Suetonius, as he crossed the river he uttered the famous phrase: Alea jacta est or "the die is cast". This episode gave rise to the expression "crossing the Rubicon", which has survived to the present day. It evokes a person embarking on a risky venture with no way of turning back.

NOVAFELTRIA (POP: 7,000)

The town was first mentioned in 950, around the church of San Pietro and the oratory of Santa Marina. It was chosen as a residence by the Counts Segni of Bologna in the 17th century. It was part of the Marche region from 1860, before becoming part of Emilia-Romagna in 2009, a decision disputed by its home region. The hamlet of Perticara, a former mining centre, is home to a museum dedicated to the history of the sulphur mines (the largest in Europe), as well as archaeological evidence dating back to the Bronze Age and the civilisation of the Umbrians, Etruscans and Romans. Novafeltria is the birthplace of Angiolino Piscaglia, who took part in the Giro five times between 1957 and 1961.  

Perticara is a hamlet in the municipality of Novafeltria whose inhabitants, at the beginning of the 20th century, lived at the pace of a large industrial community rather than as a rural population. The large sulphur mine, where extraction was launched by the Montecatini company in 1917, employed over 1,600 men at the time. The mine was closed in 1964, and today the Sulphur Museum, housed in the restored buildings of the old site, bears witness to the hard work of these workers, along with the completely renovated Vittoria extraction shaft. It was here that the world's largest sulphur crystal was extracted, and it is now kept in Milan's Natural History Museum. It is the largest mine in Europe and one of the largest in the world, with a labyrinth of galleries stretching for over 100 km.

REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO

Population: 33,607

Capital: San Marino

Surface area: 61 km2

Specialities: pasta, caciatello (fresh cream cake), golden raisin fritters, bustrengo (polenta and apple cake).

Sports clubs: Victor San Marino (football, Italian Serie D), San Marino Academy (football, Italian Women's Serie B). National football team since 1986 (67 defeats and one win against Liechtenstein in 2004)

Major competitions: San Marino Automobile Grand Prix (held in Imola). San Marino Motorcycle Grand Prix (held in Imola and Mugello). Thirteen visits by the Giro between 1951 and 2019.

Festivals: national holiday (3 September)

Attractions: Unesco World Heritage-listed historic centre, San Marino public palace, national museum. San Marino Towers, San Marino Basilica. 

Economy: agriculture, wine, livestock, crafts, tourism (60% of resources). Stamp issue (10% of GDP)

SERRAVALLE (POP: 11,000)

Serravalle is San Marino's most populous town, with almost 11,000 inhabitants. First mentioned in 962, the town was called Castrum Olnani (Elm City). It became part of the Republic of San Marino in 1463. Serravalle is home to San Marino's 5,000-seat Olympic Stadium, where the national team plays all its international matches.  

Rimini

Dive into the seaside resort of Rimini and enjoy both relaxation and excitement. By day the sparkling beaches are the perfect place to unwind and soak up the sun, while at night the lively promenade is home to an eclectic selection of bars and cool clubs. Rimini seamlessly blends coastal charm with after-hours allure, creating a symphony for the senses.

However, Rimini's allure lies not just in its beachfront, but also in its rich history. Monuments like the Tiberius Bridge date back to the Roman era, while renowned artists worked in the city during the Renaissance. From beachfront bliss to ancient wonders to thrilling nightlife, Rimini promises an unforgettable escape where every moment is a celebration.

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