Montone, Italy
42° 45' N 13° 55' E
May 25, 2008 17:18
Distance 170km

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Text written in: English

Montone

We have relocated to Trento in northern Italy after a wonderful week in the Umbrian village of Montone and I am back on the air (Montone did not have an internet cafe and mobile coverage was a bit hit and miss too). A brief update on our time at Montone and some photos are provided.

All the folk from Melbourne (Dave & Helen, Laurie & Kay, Graeme and Frank) arrived into Perugia OK and we moved into our two apartments (upstairs and further upstairs) in the small hilltop village of Montone. It was a great location and the apartments were fine. Having proper kitchen allowed us to eat in a few nights (Laurie acted as principal chef and did a great job).

Although we got wet a few times we got some great rides in and also managed to see some nearby sights such as Cortona, Assissi and Gubbio (to name a few).

We ate out a few evenings in Montone which, given its relatively small size, had a number of restaurants. These were of differing standards - most were good and the local wine is also great (as it has been everywhere). We spent a bit of time at the Aries Café (actually Montone’s café and bar) too and got to know the three people who jointly own and run the cafe plus a few of the locals.

We took a day off riding and visiting historic towns to see the Giro in the town on Urbino. For the cycling enthusiasts this was the individual time trial on Tuesday 20 May. We got there pretty early and stayed all day. We wandered around a little and there was plenty to see. Urbino is also a hilltop town, although now a very sizable one with a university. I had ridden there twice whilst staying at the Belvedere Hotel in Riccione. The finish was in the historic centre of town. The road was very narrow in parts which, coupled with the large crowd, made it very tight for the spectators in some places.  great carnival atmosphere and a memorable day.

As mentioned, we have now relocated to Trento and we have had a couple of challenging rides (read 'hills') but more on that later. A few photos relating to our stay in Montone are attached. These are all from my camera (and/or phone) - didn’t get around to sourcing any from the others but they also have some good ones. I hope you enjoy.

Photos / videos of "Montone":

Outside Montone looking up at the main entrance (through the arch) View from outside Montone looking down into valley one misty morning In Montone, looking down the street toward our apartments (Aries Cafe is on the left) The piaza in Montone - photo taken from just inside the main entrance to the village At the Giro in Urbino - Helen with some of the official cars (we nearly got her to drape herself on them but thought better of it) Giro in Urbino - the crowd are packed in tightly; two riders at the 200m mark Giro, Urbino - rider climbs the hill to the finish Montone - looking outside the village from the end of our street Giro in Urbino - a dance troupe which was one of the pre race entertainments for the crowd Giro, Urbino - one of the team giving out hats to the crowd. Two groups were giving out hats (for 'Esta' and Skoda) and they would give you another to go over the top of 'the oppositions'. We got lots of hats. Giro, Urbino - Lampre rider climbing the hill with team car following Giro, Urbino - Graeme (L) and Frank (R) displaying some of the paraphenalia collected
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