3633 Il passo del Furlo - una volta veduto, non si dimentica...

[LEFT]As you proceed westbound from Fano along the Via Flaminia you will eventually reach the wild and rocky Passo or Gola del Furlo where the River Candigliano flows through.

Apart from the ancient and well-preserved tunnel that was built by Emperor Vespasiano sometime between 76 and 77 AD, here we find an area of stunning natural beauty as well as home to some rare species of wildlife.

There’s also a smaller tunnel that dates back to 217 BC, which carried the Via Flaminia connecting the Adriatic coast with Rome. It was such a strategically important road that numerous battles have been held here, not forgetting that it marks the site where the Romans came to confront the barbarians invading Italy. There are stories of ghostly warriors (soldiers who fought against the Carthaginians centuries earlier) seen fighting alongside the Romans.

In more recent times, the Passo del Furlo was one of Benito Mussolini’s favourite spots whilst en-route to Rome. In 1936, members of the local militia together with some local sculptors carved a profile of Mussolini in the rock high up Monte Pietralata overlooking the gorge, but only a small part is now barely discernible from Acqualagna because partisans blew it up after WW2. [/LEFT]

Category
Do & See

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 05/13/2006 - 15:58

Yes a lovely area and well worth a stop if you find yourself around this area. 2 good restaurants too----La Ginestra---avoid at weekends as usually full of wedding parties and also Antico Furlo.:)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 05/13/2006 - 16:59

And a visit to the Gola could easily be coupled with a visit to the caves of Grotte di Frasassi :)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/14/2006 - 03:14

[quote=Relaxed]And a visit to the Gola could easily be coupled with a visit to the caves of Grotte di Frasassi :)[/quote]

You could, but the Grotte are further south, with the most direct route being via Ancona and Jesi along the SS76.

From Furlo, timing wise, it would make more sense to visit Urbino, Urbania and the Montefeltro.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/14/2006 - 15:15

After the Furlo Gorge, coming from Fano, you'll find San Vincenzo al Furlo, a very very nice tiny romanic church. It's near the river Candigliano and near a little archeological area (a bit of the via Flaminia).
It's a really special spot and you can also have a crescia sitting in a cool spot nearby. Crescia is a flat bread that is typical of the area: Urbino, Fermignano, Acqualagna, Urbania (though with a different name, "crostolo").