sabato 9 maggio 2009

We had a short vacation in the Montefeltro, that is between Marche and Emilia-Romagna regions. We start from the small village of Verucchio near Rimini. This is a picture from the castle. We only had a short visit...it would have deserved more time, here there is one of the most important museum for Etruschi period in north Italy.
Then we moved to Marche, first to Pietrarubbia, no more than some old houses and the remains of a castle on the top of a hill. From here we arrived at Sassocorvaro where I found a B&B on internet. The first impression wasn't good...a little too messy for my taste. The rooms were on the first floor of a very old rural home. Rooms were nice and clean, and the owner (from Switzerland!) kind. The most beauiful thing was the landscape from the windows. One of the thingh I find more Impressive of Montefeltro is the landscape. If You remember the paintings of Italian Masters of Rinascimento, the sweet endless series of green hills, the slow rivers running trought the valleys, the clean air...The village, nothing special, with its ancient Rocca, lies on a hill, over a lake where we find a funny restaurant with a great pizza and ery kind waiters and waitress. The second day we had a trip to Urbania. When You arrive there you think that life in Rinascimento could be really nice...if you where the Conte! It is a nice and little village, made with red bricks. This time is not on the top of a hill, but on a little rock surrounded by the river. I felt the relax of living here. People were sitting in the bars, chatting throught the streets, everybody kind and smiling...so different from the cities. The town has a nice Palazzo Ducale with a perfect courty yard and a castle facade over the river. The picture I post is the "back" of the village, from the minor bridge. Near this town there is the former hunting villa of the Duca, what we call a Casino, here the Baglio Ducale. They are still restoring, as during the centuries it became first a coventry, then a millitar "hangar" and then it was left with no cure at all since some years ago when, after a quite big earthquake, they start restoring. We finish the day visiting Urbino (llllove) where we thought to visit the exibition conceirning Raffaello. We had to give it up: too crowded! We just walk in this little beautiful town (I post a picture of the gorgeous Palazzo Ducale I took some years ago this time it was impossible even to think to visit it), had a refresh stop in a Bar, and then return to the B&B. The last day when I open the window I saw 3 rainbows in the valley, so the morning started in the right way. We left quite early and drove to the last stop of our trip: San Leo. The village and the castle, and 2 wonderful churches: the Duomo rise directly from the stone...something amazing. The last picture I post here I took from the path to the castle. The castle does desserve a visit only for the landscape you can admire from the terraces, inside is almost empty. Here died Cagliostro in the 18th century, people still bring flowers in his prison.

4 commenti:

Sierra ha detto...

Wow, those pictures are amazing. I would love to travel there some day! Glad I came across your blog!

massi ha detto...

Thanks for your visit.
I wish I'll visit again those places.

vicki archer ha detto...

Massi - this looks gorgeous and not unlike the Provencal villages in the Luberon area of Provence near me. xv

massi ha detto...

Yes, vicki!
When I visited the Luberon area I thought it was so familiar to me...
The big difference is that people there really love their region. Often in Italy people seem to do not realize the tresure they live on.