10 April 2024 – Autostrada into Le Marche

Miles driven today = 154

Total Miles to date = 3,807

A lot of yesterday’s journey on the SS16 was on dual carriageway and when it wasn’t it was through relatively underpopulated countryside so the difference in the amount of time we would have taken if we had opted for the toll road was marginal.  That wasn’t the case with today’s leg and, according to Google Maps, the non-toll option would have taken us at least twice as long.  So the only sensible option really was to jump straight on the Autostrada for 250km, thereby by-passing Pescara, San Benedetto, Ancona and numerous smaller coastal towns which would have otherwise slowed our progress to a crawl.

To be fair the scenery was never dull, with nicely undulating countryside and hilltop towns to admire, but we rarely got much more than a fleeting glimpse of coastline and I’m afraid that we have to resign ourselves to the fact that our beach time is now at an end for this trip.  Roadworks meant that there were long stretches of lane closures but with relatively light traffic and the Italians’ total inability to stick to speed limits, we weren’t delayed unduly.

Our first choice campsite was on the coast but on checking their website last night it seems they are currently closed.  So with relatively few alternatives we’ve put a few more miles in than we originally intended today and come inland a little to a €25 ACSI site which is terraced into a hillside and surrounded by several quaint looking villages.  This is the view from the top of the hill looking over to Mondolfo.

It has been quite overcast and noticeably cooler today which has been a bit of a shock having been in shorts and sandals for the last few days.  Long trousers, socks and fleeces reappeared from our clothes lockers before we went for a walk down the steep track which leads down the side of the campsite and into the valley.

We are officially in the hamlet of Stacciola, the centre of which is about a kilometre from the campsite.  We can clearly here the church bells which ring every 15 minutes.  As I write the bells for 4:45 have just sounded.  4 x the hour bell and 3 x the quarter hour bell, which I thought was quite clever but I really hope they stop before it gets to 11:45 tonight!  Beyond Stacciola you can see the larger town of San Costanzo sitting on an elongated ridge.

It does feel an awful lot more like home around here.  Cacti and Acacia have been replaced by Hawthorn and Elder and instead of lizards scuttling about we had a Frog Chorus which Paul McCartney would have been proud of in the woods as we walked past.  It’s all in bloom a fair bit earlier here than it would be back home so I’m guessing we will get to enjoy all this twice this Spring.  

11 April 2024 - San Marino