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| This itinerary is about 100 kilometers (65 miles) and takes about 8 hours. I understand perfectly that, though the scooters are very comfortable, for someone who's not used to spending a lot of time on a motorbike this could be too much. Or simply one could just want to indulge longer in one place and skip something. If I had to take two places out of this itinerary, I guess they would be... I'll let you decide, I like them all! J |
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Leg |
Distance | Time | ||
| Segni - Paliano | 18 km (11 Miles) | 25 min. | ||
| Highlights of the day: San Vito and Anagni. | Paliano - San Vito | 16 km (10 Miles) | 20 min. | |
| Total range: 100 km (65 miles). | San Vito - Olevano | 12 km (7.5 Miles) | 20 min. | |
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Total time: 8 hours. |
Olevano - Piglio | 13 km (8 Miles) | 25 min. | |
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Piglio - Acuto | 10 km (6.5 Miles) | 15 min. | |
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Acuto - Fiuggi | 8 km (5 Miles) | 15 min. | |
| Fiuggi - Anagni | 14 km (9 Miles) | 25 min. | ||
| Anagni - Segni | 20 km (12 Miles) | 25 min. | ||
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| We leave Segni around 9:00 am, or earlier, heading for Paliano. Paliano, dominated by the fortress and the palace of the Colonna family, is another nice little town where we can stop briefly to look around before we proceed to San Vito Romano. The most important building in San Vito is the Theodoli Castle, it dominates the town and the surroundings standing standing against the skyline in an almost intimidating way. The castle, I far as I know, cannot be visited at the moment, but what really is incredible in San Vito is the steps! An unbelievable number of steps! You arrive in town, one of the most evocative in the area, park the scooter near the castle take some picture and then you are attracted by the gate that introduces you into the town proper... and you see the steps! Just as you pass the gate you are attracted by |
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this dark, even when the sun shines bright, arched walkway. You walk to it, look down from one the arches and you see them: the steps! You have the impression to have popped into one the Dutch artist M. C. Escher's work: Relativity. The place is so attractive that you immediately want to start walking down, but remember, you'll have to climb back up! After we leave San Vito we head for Olevano and later Piglio. Both these towns are famous for their production of Cesanese wine, besides their good foods, and according to how the day develops we'll stop at one or the other for lunch in a local trattoria for a good,typical lunch. Eventually the visit to a local winery can be planned. From Piglio we'll head for Fiuggi. |
| Fiuggi is a lovely little town famous for its mineral waters since the 14th century, when they healed Pope Boniface VIII from his kidney stones. Later, even' Italy's most venerated artist, Michelangelo drank Fiuggi's water to get rid of "the only stone he couldn't love". Fiuggi today consists of two different towns, the old medieval town, once called Anticoli Campagna, on the hilltop, and the modern town in the valley, which developed to offer hospitality to those who want to benefit from the springs, is called Fiuggi Fonte. Fiuggi Fonte is a lovely, pleasant modern town which really stands out amongst all the other places in the area. No narrow streets or steps to climb, but rather wide, flat streets sided by modern hotels, fashionable shops and outdoor cafés. |
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Finally we'll reach Anagni, papal seat before it was moved to Avignon, France, where we stop to visit the famous Cathedral dedicated to San Magno and, willingly, the Papal Palace which is now a museum. We can also stroll around its narrow streets enjoying the medieval atmosphere unfortunately contaminated by modern cars. Anagni is in fact one of the most important cities in the area, counting about 20,000 inhabitants. Besides the church, there's also a little museum one can visit, it's housed in the building where Pope Boniface VIII lived and rather interesting. This is actually the place where Prince Sciarra Colonna imprisoned and even slapped the Pope on his face! Leaving Anagni, we'll ride on the country roads that will finally bring us to Segni. |
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By the way, just in case you shouldn't find the the accommodations in Segni comfortable enough for you, Fiuggi offers lots of good hotels and the most famous of these is the Palazzo della Fonte, an incredibly luxurious 5-star hotel with all the possible comforts, including a golf course! |
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| Here below is a map with the itinerary. | 5TOP 5 |
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