17 October 2024–Looking for Sunshine—or, at least, no rain: Raining today—again! :). So…we drove to where there would be no rain. We went to the Montefiore Conca, San Leo, and Rimini, all still in Emilia-Romagna, although in the Rimini province (not Modena). We could not go to Rimini without checking out the beach, so we quickly stopped at the Spiaggia Marina Centro, Rimini. The Montefiore Conca was the summer home of the Malatesta Family, a fort built to defend power and property, especially between the Malatestas and the Montefeltros during thee 1300-1500. It is huge and perched on a mountain from which the green landscape and Apennine peaks/hills are impressive. Chestnut festivals are held there every Sunday in October because chestnuts somehow grow abundantly in the surrounding woods.. So do olive trees! I guess that typically, olive trees and chestnuts don’t grow in the same environment; therefore, scientists are studying how this could be. San Leo is also located in the region of Emilia-Romagna and. Not all that far away from Bologna (80+miles). It is also in the province of Rimini. (Conca is about 70+ miles from Bologna, and it is also in the province of Rimini). San Leo is a community surrounding a fortified castle that is literally on a rocky peak, at the tip of a steep rocky cliff in the Apennine Mountains. It borders the Marche and Emilia-Romagna regions, as does the Montefiore Conca. In the Middle Ages, around the 1300-1500s, this was contested territory between the Malatestas and the Montefeltros. The San Leo castle was an important get-away site for Federico da Montefeltros and his wife, Battista Sforza, The town has a Cathedral dedicated to Mary. The Church’s architectural style reveals its Roman origins (arches, stone, etc.). The town of San Leo is quaint, charming, historic, and old. The views from the vantage point of this castle are spectacular when the skies are clear and hauntingly lovely, even as the fog occasionally sets and repositions among the mountain peaks. While in San Leo, we had a coffee and split strozzaprete (hand made with yarn needles) in a veggie sauce/with veggie chunks. From San Leo, it was a short drive into Rimini itself just to catch a glimpse of one of the beaches along the Adriatic coast. We stopped at the Spiaggia Marina Centro, which was now officially closed, with the sands beamed between the point of high tide and thee sandy beach areas on shore. The sand is a definite tan-gold color, with specks of what appears to be dried salt. A worker at a local restaurant told me that although this beach was now closed, other beaches along the Rimini coastline, those by the hotels, restaurants, and so on, were still open. We stopped for a bathroom break, which meant buying a coffee and small snack to justify our use of the toilet in the restaurant. We shared a Emilia-Romagna classic that can be filled with anything one wishes. It is called a Prada. There are only water, flour, and shortening in a Prada—no eggs, no sugar, or anything else so that it could be savory or turned into a sweet. I liken the Prada to a wrap, or a crisp flour tortilla. Ours was filled with Nutella (of course) and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Dinner was at Isadoro’s, near to our B&B. Dad had chicken and fries, and I had a boiled potato and Brie pizza.
Our Travels 