Ken and Cheryl Explore the World: 2025 Italy, Day 21: Urbino

If you would like to see details about our journey, check out our itinerary and our bike route.

Ken is still learning to run his new Wahoo. Starting out today, he couldn't get it to show the route. After about a mile, we figured out that he was in ride mode instead of route mode.

After another mile or so, I told Ken I had to stop and work on my front brake again. It was rubbing even more, and it was becoming hard to pedal the bike--not to mention the squeal was getting more obnoxious. We had more than exhausted our limited mechanical abilities, though, and I was just going to suggest that we find a bike repair shop, when a biker stopped and asked, "E tutto ok?" ("Is everything okay?)

I shook my head and spun my front wheel.

He nodded and said something and turned his hand in the universal sign for "wrenching." I handed him my bike multitool.

Within minutes, he had loosened the screws connecting my brake to the fork, motioned to Ken to hold the brake lever down, and retightened the screws. "Voila!" he exclaimed, handed the tool back to me, accepted my "Grazie mille!" and handshake, and disappeared on down the street.

Ken and I just looked at each and said, "Did that really just happen?" I think they call that trail magic.

Whatever it was, we were so thankful.

With no more Wahoo confusion or brake issues, we headed out of town and enjoyed a few miles of flat bike trails and small highways. We had left without eating breakfast, having been told by Carolina that we would find her favorite caffe, Zucchero a Velo, just 6 miles down the road. We spotted it, and stopped for the best pastries and cappuccinos we have had so far in Italy.

(It turns out we have been spoiled by the pastries we have found in France and Spain the past few years. We used to think of Italy as the perfect food place, but we are not so sure anymore. Maybe Italy has changed since our last trip, or maybe we have discovered new favorites.)

We climbed gradually and easily until the last 5 miles or so. About the time the road became noticeably steeper, we passed three huge sculptures in the farm fields, and stopped for a photo break.

As I continued my slow pedal up the hill, I watched a tractor digging up a field on a steep incline. It's amazing how much agriculture is accomplished in these hills.

The heat was getting to us again as we struggled up the last miles into Urbino. We stopped at a picnic table in the shade on the side of the road and ate a pear and crackers we had brought along.

Water bottles empty and drenched in sweat, we stopped at a cafe at the edge of modern Urbino and bought a pizza and cold drinks. We were a little early for our check-in at our accommodation; this was a perfect way to pass the time waiting.

We found the apartment building easily, arriving just as the cleaning crew was finishing up, and leapfrogged our bikes and bags up the three floors to the apartment. (We never leave our bikes or bags alone; one of us always stays with the gear, while the other makes a few trips hauling gear up to the next a staging point within eyesight.)

Inside, a plaque on the wall told us the apartment was the birthplace of Frederico Commandino, a mathematician, humanist, and printer born in 1509. The apartment was dark and cool, with deeply worn original terracotta floors, tall ceilings and shuttered windows, and original beamed ceilings. We were sharing the kitchen and living area with a student from Bordeaux, who was renting the second of the two private camere da letto (bedrooms).

We showered, used the washing machine in the hallway, hung our clean clothes on the lines in the interior courtyard, and went out to explore the town. We walked through the ducal palace, bought groceries, and ate dinner at Osteria Ucci (the food was pretty good; we ordered way too much of it).

Photo stop as we approached Montefabbri, a small fortified village.

One of three sculptures out in the middle of the hills on our road to Urbino.

We are practicing our selfie skills and smiles.

Urbino is a walled city known for its 15th-century ducal palace and university. Inside the palace, the National Gallery of Marche displays paintings by Titian and Raphael, who were born in the city.

Looking out across the piazza from the entry of the palace.

The architectural features of the palace were as interesting and beautiful as the artwork on display.

The sleeping alcove of Federico da Montefeltro, who ruled Urbino during the 15th century (the Renaissance period).

Today, the gallery rooms in the palace are serene and elegant. Some original features, like this fireplace, have been retained, but many have been lost through the ages. I wonder what the rooms were like 700 years ago.