History course bag

Meeting point and starting/ending point of the route: "Ecoup - sustainable mobility" bicycle rental point Contrada Abbadia di Fiastra, 7 - 62010 Urbisaglia (MC) - GPS coordinates 43.220590 - 13.406376.

Church, Monastery, Palazzo Giustiniani Bandini: We begin the tour along an asphalted road first and then a stretch of white road to arrive in a short time in front of the Church of Santa Maria Chiaravalle di Fiastra, part of the most important monastic building in the Marches, this Church of imposing dimensions is enriched in the facade by a characteristic rose window, and was built by Cistercian monks starting from the year 1142 with a transitional style from Romanesque to Gothic. At this point we leave the bikes and accompanied by the tour guide we visit the vast abbey complex made up of: the monastery (built following the Cistercian schemes), the structures of the cloister, the refectory, the chapter house, the cellarium and the dormitory. A unique atmosphere created by the sacred and vital character of the abbey also delights us when the visit continues to Palazzo Giustiniani Bandini and its historic garden.

The fortress: After the visit to the abbey complex, the tour continues in the direction of Urbisaglia and after a few kilometers in the center of the small town we stop at the foot of its imposing Rocca, a sixteenth-century military fortification so characteristic that in the 1990s it appeared on the 750 Lire stamps of the Castles of Italy series.

Urbs Salvia Archaeological Park: A short distance from the Rocca along a dedicated path, we continue arriving after a downhill section at the "Urbs Salvia" state archaeological area (Roman colony in the 2nd century BC), at this point we have the second appointment with the tourist guide and we begin the exploration of the site by observing the structure of the Roman city in its entirety, being able to admire the tank, the theatre, the "Edifice with niches", the temple-cryptoporticus complex, and the amphitheater.

Lunch break: Near the amphitheater we get back on the saddle to quickly reach the destination for lunch and to find an unexpected refreshment point immersed in the woods where we stop in the fresh air to eat and take a break before continuing the tour.

Villa Magna: Rested and full of energy we face an uphill stretch to reach the highest point of the tour where a team from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the University of Macerata carries out the excavations of this archaeological site to bring to light the significant mosaics and frescoes of a rare case of Roman villa with pavilions with baths and reception halls.

Conclusion: Having passed the excavations, a stretch of dirt road now leads us to the edge of the forest which we were able to observe from the top of the hill. We descend gently along a cycle path that runs alongside the Fiastra river, we return to see the buildings of the abbey complex and we are back at the starting point.

Curiosity: In the historic garden of Palazzo Giustiniani Bandini there is a plaque dedicated to Doctor Paul Pollak in memory of the period in which an internment camp for Jews and political prisoners was set up in the building during the Second World War.

The Roman city Urbs Salvia is mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy (Paradise, Canto XVI) as a symbol of the transience of our life.