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| This itinerary is about 130 kilometers
(80 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!
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Leg |
Distance |
Time |
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Segni - Anagni |
20 km (12 Miles) |
25 min. |
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Highlights of the day: Trisulti, Fumone. |
Anagni - Canterno Lake |
15 km (9 Miles) |
20 min. |
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Total range 130 km (80 miles). |
Canterno Lake - Trisulti |
25 km (16 Miles) |
30 min. |
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Total time: 8 hours. |
Trisulti - Alatri |
12 km (7.5 Miles) |
20 min. |
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Alatri - Fumone |
8 km (5 Miles) |
15 min. |
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Fumone - Fiuggi |
13 km (8 Miles) |
25 min. |
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Fiuggi - Segni |
32 km (20 Miles) |
35 min. |
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| We leave Segni around 9:00 am,
or
earlier, would be better, heading for
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. Leaving Anagni, we will proceed
towards the Canterno Lake riding on a secondary, but well kept, road
with practically no traffic at all. After a short stop for pictures,
we'll continue to Trisulti which we will have to reach no later than
11:30 am because it closes for lunch at 12:00 noon. The Abbey dates
back to the 1200's, but it was profoundly renovated in the 1700's. |
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The road by which we reach Trisulti
seems to have been designed by a motorcyclist. The climb is not too
steep the corners aren't too sharp and the panorama is memorable.
Eventually you see cows, horses, sheep and goats grazing in the
field between the olive groves and orchards. Time permitting, on the
way to Trisulti a short stop can be made at Collepardo, a very small
medieval town today known for its
fettuccine. Coming back down from the Abbey, we'll stop at
Alatri. This town is well known
for its
Cyclopean Walls. These walls where built before the
foundation of Rome using no mortar, simply stacking up stone block
weigh several tons. It's in fact the weight and the size of the
blocks that made the people in the middle ages fantasize about the
legendary one-eyed giants building them! |
| Finally we'll stop for lunch in
Fumone or in
its vicinity. Fumone is a splendid uncontaminated (except for a big
communication tower) medieval town which appears in front of our
eyes just like it did to the medieval pilgrim travel from to Rome to
visit the sacred places of Christianity. Fumone is dominated by its
millenary castle where the only Pope who ever resigned, Celestin V,
was imprisoned and then killed. The castle can be visited, but the
guide doesn't speak English and so I'll have to act as your
interpreter. After visiting Fumone we'll travel toward Fiuggi
retrace our steps and we'll go by Canterno lake again.
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. |
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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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By the way, just in case you shouldn't find
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. |
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