Whether you are travelling solo or as a group, the Apennines around Imola are a motorcycling heaven: exciting corners, scenic routes and history-packed medieval villages will be the highlights of your two-wheeled adventure.
From Imola to Castel San Pietro Terme, the route crosses the Santerno and the Sillaro Valleys, for riders to enjoy breathtaking landscapes and tasty foodie stops along the way.
Get ready to live an unforgettable experience, hairpin after hairpin.
A dream experience for motorcycle touring enthusiasts, offering just the right balance of adrenaline-fuelled fun and relaxation.
Our journey starts in Imola, a charming Emilia Romagna town famous for its Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Racetrack and also for its rich historical and food-related tradition.
After travelling for about 15 km on the Via Montanara road (SP 610) in the direction of Florence, we will reach Borgo Tossignano. Here, we will turn left and follow an uphill stretch of road for about 3 km. On the road from Borgo Tossignano to Tossignano we will enjoy great views over the green hilly landscape all around us.
As we get closer to Tossignano the road will start to get steeper with hairpin bends offering breathtaking sights with excellent photo opportunities along the way. The village of Tossignano was built around an ancient feudal castle and through it is the western gateway to Parco Regionale della Vena del Gesso Romagnola (Romagna Gypsum Vein Regional Park).
After entering the Vena del Gesso Romagnola park, we will be able to choose from many trekking routes to explore this beautiful area - with paths across the typical local rock formations that earned the Park its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
The small village of Tossignano with its quaint little streets and ancient buildings is definitely worth a stop.
To taste
A typical dish to be enjoyed in this area is the Tossignano Polenta. The Polentari of Tossignano are renowned for their polenta-making abilities throughout the Santerno valley and beyond.
Leaving Tossignano, we will rejoin the Via Montanara and continue south. After about 20 km we'll reach Castel del Rio, a village nestled in the mountains and famous for its centuries-old chestnut groves.
In this mountain village, one of the main chestnut growing areas in Italy, the chestnut (locally known as "marrone") has been a main staple for local communities since the Middle Ages and every autumn, this delicious produce is celebrated with a very popular festival: Sagra del Marrone IGP.
Also worth a visit are:
To taste
Many dishes can be prepared with this typical autumn fruit, such as castagnaccio (chestnut cake) and zuppa di marroni (chestnut soup), which used to be considered "poor" peasant dishes but are actually rich in nutritional properties.
From the Alidosi bridge, we'll retrace our way back north for a few km on the Via Montanara to reach a junction to road SP 21, known as 'Strada della Bordona'.
After riding across the village of Sassoleone we will reach San Clemente.
From here, we'll turn left onto Via Calvanella and then right onto Via Tanari, which will lead us to Monte Calderaro. Here stands the Church of San Martino, dating back to 1315, but built on the site of even older Roman remains. An interesting fact: the church was repaired and rebuilt several times between 1699 and 1705 by the local population.
During World War II, the building was destroyed by German bombings in an attempt to stop the Anglo-American advance. Today, the church ruins and the commemorative cross on the remains of the main altar are testimony to an important chapter of the local history.
To taste
For lunch, we highly recommend one of the many holiday farms in the area, where you can taste a local delicacy, deep-fried dough squares called crescentine.
Before resuming our trip towards Castel San Pietro Terme, a short detour is worth making to reach Santuario della Madonna del Lato, a shrine built in 1631 as a tribute to the divine protection received at that time during a plague epidemic.
A place of worship and pilgrimage until World War II, the shrine was heavily damaged by bombings: what can be visited today has been restored to its ancient glory thanks to a rather faithful rebuilding effort in 1994.
After rejoining Via Tanari we will resume our descent towards Castel San Pietro Terme, renowned for its thermal springs, known ever since the fourteenth century and around which the town's historical spa - active since 1870 - was built.
After a day in the saddle, there's nothing better than some relaxing time in the spa's thermal water pools.
Before leaving, a short visit to Giardino degli Angeli (Angels' Garden) is a must: a colourful haven of peace thanks to the many plant varieties in bloom practically all year round, the garden was created in memory of a young girl who passed away prematurely and is today an inspiring place of beauty and serenity.
To taste
Castel San Pietro Terme is renowned for its Savoiardi, sweet, soft pastry biscuits with a characteristically elongated shape that began to appear on banquet tables as early as at the beginning of the 17th century.
Castel San Pietro is also well known for its same-named cheese, slightly aged but soft on the inside.
