Rick Bailey's Blog: Stuff happens, then you write about it, page 4

From SP258, Santarcangelo di Romagna

Set your navigator for Parcheggio Piazza Ludovico Marini, Santarcangelo di Romagna. From SP258, aka the Marecchiese, you drive mostly north on SP49, crossing the Marecchia River on your way to Santarcangelo di Romagna. The riverbed is wide, while the river, especially in the dry season, seems little more than a trickle. Ahead and to the…More

Pastry Me

Tizi and I are sitting in Cesari in Rimini on a Sunday afternoon. In front of us, on a little white plate, are six pastries, three for her, three for me.  These are bigne, cream puffs you can eat in two bites, one of them filled with coffee-flavored crema, one with chocolate-flavored crema, one with…More

You Are Now Entering the Marche

As an advocate of slow travel, I don’t wish the Italian autostrada on anyone. If you drive it, and if you are American, beware the left lane. Cars typically fly past you at 80-100 mph in the left lane. If you’re lollygagging along on that side of the road, the way we do in the…More

On SP258 in Valmarecchia

SP44 takes you through the hills of San Bartolo, along the sea in the Marche, northwest of Pesaro. The natural beauty above the Adriatic is breath-taking, and up there you will find da Gennaro, a seafood restaurant you’ll be talking about for a while.  In contrast, SP258 is a valley road, running northeast to southwest,…More

And for Lunch . . .

At home we cook. When we’re in San Marino and Italy we eat in restaurants. The food is good. On the menu, local dishes we like. We have favorites places where, when we go back, everyone is almost always still there. It’s old home week. That adds to the pleasure. We feel almost local. But…More

Bolsena Revisited

There’s no escaping the castle. If you’re touring an old city in Italy, it’s likely you’ll find the looming fortified structure, harking back to earlier times, way earlier. So it is when we arrive in Bolsena, under the cover of darkness. Constructed between the 11th and 14th century, the fortress was part of the centuries-long…More

Take Me Back, Verucchio

Years ago, when I sat at the dinner table with my in-laws, and the meal was done, and the talk was loud and fun, every now and then my father-in-law would point at my wife, often waving at her with a table knife in hand, and say, “Ma te sei come la Zia Violenta.” You’re…More

The Three Towers of San Marino

You will remember this walk. And you just might break your camera/phone taking pictures.  San Marino is that spectacular. A few miles inland from Rimini, San Marino is the world’s oldest republic, dating back to AD 300. Population 33,000, 24 square miles of territory, named for a stonemason who came from Croatia to escape religious…More

You Are Now Entering Rimini

Watch out. It’s a city. Let’s call Rimini a big town. Population approximately 150,000.  And it’s a tourist destination, mainly in the summer, because of the Adriatic and the long deep beach. In a departure from the backroads, we’re going into town to see the sights, maybe do a little shopping, and to have lunch.…More

On SP 44 (and going slow)

Today we drove SP 44, from Gabicce to Pesaro. That’s SP for Strada Provinciale, a seaside back road in the Marche. Driving from point A to point B, it’s 16 kilometers through Parco Naturale San Bartolo. No stoplights, no stop signs. Go slow. You take your time because this stretch of road, the locals call…More