Thusday 21st April

We are located just outside of the medieval town of Cagli in the northern most province of Pesaro e Urbino ( La Provincia Bella) in the region of Le Marche. There are a total of 5 provinces in the Marche and there is no way we will be able to attempt to explore all 5 of them unless we stay another month or two.
So while we are here we are going to give it a red hot go at exploring this one.
Therefore today we headed out again this time into the western areas of Piobbico and Apecchio, both small towns with their individual charms and Apecchio's best cappuccino and pastries in the Marche, through some magnificent scenery, forestry areas, extremely narrow roads with big drop offs and no way two cars could pass each other without one pulling over somewhere to let the other through.
Then out of the mountains passing through valleys and  Sant. Angelo in Vado to Urbania - another one of those medieval towns with unique features. An important one for this town was it was flat - not a steep street to be found and therefore easy to explore.
We found streets with portico covered footpaths,  flower bedecked houses in narrow lanes, majolica, unlike that of  Deruta but with more of a religous theme, the incredible Ducal Palace and the home of Befana, the witch who comes out of the bell towers between the 2nd and 5th January to hand out sweets to the children and the Mummies in the Church of the Dead, and some of the most friendly people you could possibly meet. Urbania was a delight to visit.
From here it was on to Fossombrone where a Roman bridge is still in operation for today's traffic, Sant Ippolito, another medieval town where they have undertaken stone carving for centuries.
Then it was back to Cagli, stock up on provisions for Easter and light the fire before dinner.
It's important to know that to do all of this we are not travelling vast distances - perhaps 100 to 150 kms per day maximum but we never travel without seeing a town, house, a tower on a hill, a castle up there or a church or monastory. There is always a something in sight.
The autostradas don't bother with going up and around mountains or hills though, (that's left for the small country roads), they go straight through them via tunnels. We have been through numerous tunnels from less than 100 meteres long to one which was 4.5 kms long. They are normally two lanes in either direction and the two directions are joined by a series of crossovers. Unlike those in Sydney and Melbourne where you can get stuck in a tunnel if there is an accident. Here you cross over to the other tunnel and drive out.

Travelling a country road

The Barco - an imposing former hunting villa 1 km outside Urbania

A portico lined street in Urbania

The imposing Ducal Palace, now museum and library

Roman Bridge in Fossombrone