Villa Grande - San Leo

This ride is purely exhilarating. For 40kms we pedalled westward and inland, approaching that infamous peak of Carpegna, known to many simply as Cippo". We reach 700meters above sealevel before heading north and upp the slopes to Villa Grande.
When you say that name "Villa Grande" it sounds as though you will find a manor or castle pearched at the top. I found neither, the village itself is located at around 830meters above sealevel, we were going to climb up to 970. At 970 is a bench and an open space where the view extends for miles and miles.

We don't stay there long, instead we descend, very fast to 580 meters and the stunning mountainside village of San Leo. It must have been easy to protect from invading hoards, back in the day where hoards invaded places. Today there is one solitary bridge leading you over the precipice to the village.
We stop here for coffee and food.
The buildings and the views are amongst the best I've ever witnessed. I would like to spend a complete day up here just watching the landscape change as the sun moves across the sky.