Nove Colli 60

The shortest route of the Nove Colli has only one climb but many high-level views. Leaving Cesenatico, in the hamlet of Sala, you follow part of the time trial route of the ninth stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia in reverse, won by Remco Evenepoel. The first twenty flat kilometers turn upwards once you have crossed the Rubicone near Savignano, one of the capitals of internal Romagna.

Continuing towards Sogliano you will come across the Ribano castle, now home to a wine company: don't taste too much Romagna wine because the climb has just begun! As you pass the hamlets and villages of Montalbano, Tribola and Borghi, you rise in altitude and the panorama becomes wider and more fascinating. The climb is rather irregular and often exceeds 8% gradient.

Soon you can see the church of San Lorenzo, whose position stands out in the town of Sogliano. Here you can stop and taste the typical Fossa cheese, cow's milk or pecorino, matured in large underground grain pits. The descent from Sogliano, all hairpin bends, is very technical and fun. All you have to do is go back down the Rubicone to Savignano, where you could opt for a cultural detour to San Mauro Pascoli, the municipality where the poet Giovanni Pascoli was born and where there are still some places dedicated to him.

Once back in Cesenatico, a nice piadina with a glass of Sangiovese is the ideal recovery.