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technical info
A hilly stage with a flat finale. After a short stretch in the hinterland, the route follows the Adriatic coast up to Chieti (KOM). A brace of bends and undulations then leads back onto the coast, all the way to Termoli.
Final kilometres
The last 3 km are raced on urban roads. After leaving the coastal road, the route takes in a 200 m kick with 10-12% gradients, and then continues on a slight incline all the way to the finish. The route takes in a few sharp bends, and narrows briefly at the ‑800 m mark, eventually merging onto the home straight on tarmac road.
start / finish
final kilometres
itinerary timetable
tourist info
Host city:
Notaresco
Overview
Notaresco is a town and comune in the Teramo province in the Abruzzo region of eastern central Italy. It has population of just under 3000. The patron saint of Notaresco is San Gennaro.
Conclusive evidence documents the existence of the town in the early centuries of the Christian era, though there is evidence of settlements in previous eras too. The layout of the town is typical of a medieval settlement which includes thick city walls accompanied by high and narrow windows. From the 14th to the 18th century Notaresco fell under the rule of the Acquaviva family.
Main sights
Church of San Rocco – contains a 16th-century terracotta of the Virgin Mary.
San Clemente al Vomano – built in the 9th century and was largely replaced by a 12th-century structure. The church altar is decorated with precious stones. Above the altar rests a work by the sculptor Roberto di Ruggero.
Archaeological museum G. Romualdi – containing fragments of neolithic and paleolithic cooking utensils, burial urns, and weapons. Nearby, in the area known as Grasciano, lie the ruins of a Roman villa.
Termoli
Overview
Termoli is the main coastal town in Molise. It stretches over ten kilometres of coastline and is undeniably one of the key urban areas in the region thanks to its economy, which focuses on three core areas: tourism, industry and fishing. The town is home to about 33 000 people, and its main feature is the old quarter which looks out over the wide “Sant’Antonio” beach from the top of a fortified promontory. There are two seafront areas separated by the old town and the port. The beach known as “Sant’Antonio” stretches north from the town, while to the south there is another spectacular beach called “Rio Vivo”, both boast fine sand and crystal-clear water while offering their own distinct features: Sant’Antonio beach benefits from plenty of space and exclusive facilities to spend a leisurely day relaxing by the sea, Rio Vivo, on the other hand, provides wide open spaces for beach and water sports. The climate is typically Mediterranean, breezy and humid.
The patron saint is “San Basso”, the saint who came from the sea, who is remembered on 5th December. The celebrations in his honour have also moved into summer, from 3rd to 5th August, so as to allow for the traditional procession of boats from Termoli’s fishing fleet, which has always venerated its patron saint. As well as the celebrations for San Basso, the other major events in the town also take place during summer. In July there is an International Folklore Festival, then on 15th August the flamboyant re-enactment of the burning of the Swabian Castle (the town’s skyline and symbol) takes place, this draws thousands of people to Sant’Antonio beach, where at midnight the tower and fortifications are symbolically set ablaze, evoking the seizure of the town by the Ottoman Navy led by Grand Admiral Pialì Pasha, who pillaged the old town and set it on fire 1566. At the end of August, there is the traditional Fish Festival which is held in the fishing port.
You can get to Termoli by train thanks to the national rail network or by car, Termoli has its own A14 motorway exit. The town provides the closest port of embarkation for the nearby Tremiti Islands and there is also a ferry to Croatia which takes passengers from Termoli to Hvar and Ploce.
Speciality food
One of the real reasons for visiting Termoli is undoubtedly its cuisine. Typically based around seafood, the town’s culinary traditions can be traced far back into the past and include dishes that have become specialities over the years, what were once the recipes used by poor families are now served in the countless restaurants around the town. These are some typical dishes: “Pappone”, a frugal dish made with the fish that remained unsold after the fishing boats returned to the port, the fishermen would share out what was left and take their portion home (this helping was called “scaffetta”). Pappone is made with boneless fish and bread which isn’t too fresh, the fish used can include skate, mantis shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, monkfish, sea snails, octopus, poor cod and whatever fish heads are available, all cooked up with tomato, garlic, onion and green peppers. Another typical dish is a classic fish soup, again with a wide variety of fish products cooked with the same ingredients, minus the bread. Then there is “U scescill”, another recipe that harks back to days gone by: oval balls made of eggs, cheese and stale bread, cooked in a tomato sauce. “Secce e pesille” (cuttlefish and peas) is a speciality, as is “Polpi in purgatorio” which is octopus prepared with onions, hot chilli pepper, parsley and extra virgin olive oil (literally “octopus in hell”!), and finally, “Triglie alla Ngorda” (gluttonous mullet!), red mullet cooked with breadcrumbs, oil, garlic and salt.
Main sights
The dominant landmark and symbol of this Adriatic town is the Swabian Castle, which stands proudly at the entrance to the old town and towers over the entire northern coastline. It was built around the 12th century to complete the Norman era walls. It was restored in 1247 by Frederick II of Swabia, but an earthquake in 1456 caused so much damage that Ferdinand I of Aragon rebuilt it with some changes to the original structure. During the Bourbon period the building was used as a prison, and since 1885 it has been listed as a national monument and designated a regional historical museum.
These ancient town walls still encircle the entire old quarter, with round towers at intervals along the perimeter. Only one of these original towers still stands, perfectly preserved, and is known as the “torricella”, it precedes the arched entrance to the old quarter on the side which overlooks the port.
The Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria della Purificazione stands in the middle of the old town, it still preserves the mosaic floor dating back to a previous place of worship, which was weakened first in 1456 by an earthquake, the damage is visible in the highest part of the façade, and then in 1566 by the Ottoman invasions. Cruciform pillars divide the inside of the cathedral into three naves, the central nave is covered by wooden roof trusses while the side aisles are topped by cross vaults, with the three apses still intact. Following restoration work, a large burial area was also discovered under the sacristy, the oldest layers of which date back to the 9th century. On 31st December 1761 the bones of San Basso, the patron saint of Termoli, were found in the crypt of the cathedral; then in May 1945 the bones of the co-patron saint, San Timoteo (St. Timothy), a disciple of St. Paul the Apostle, were found in the cathedral where they are still kept to this day.
Among the characteristic narrow streets of the old quarter of the Termoli you can find what’s known in local dialect as “’A Rejecelle”, the narrowest alleyway in Italy, measuring just 41 centimetres in width and just over 7 metres in length.
Directly below the castle tower, to the north of the old town, just where the wide expanse of Sant’Antonio beach starts, there is a structure called a “Trabucco”, which is a surviving example of an ancient fishing platform with apparatus to lower a net, they are typical of this stretch of coast. Built entirely out of wood, the platform juts out into the sea, anchored to the rocks, with two or more beams extending over the water called “antennae”, these support a huge, narrow-meshed net, called a “trabocchetto”, which literally means a trick or a trap.
On the southern side of the town, before Termoli’s other beach “Rio Vivo” starts, there is a large port, the only one in Molise, from which fishing vessels, passenger ferries, industrial and commercial vessels as well as private pleasure boats set sail. It is the only port which connects the Tremiti Islands to the mainland all year round. In recent years the port has expanded further, with an ample private marina now present in the area adjacent to the southern pier of the port.
The southern seafront hosts a very special monument known as “Il Sogno” (the dream), which marks the exact point where the 42nd parallel north and the 15th meridian east intersect. This is the central meridian of the Berlin, Paris and Rome time zone (Central European Time), and it is, in actual fact, the point at which Italian mean time is calculated, making Termoli the Italian equivalent of Greenwich.
