About 15 km from our campsite is Gradara Castle, a medieval fortress perched on a hill about 142 metres above sea level and surrounded by protective walls. The castle and its village within the walls, dates back to the period between the 11th and 15th centuries. Legend has it that the castle was the scene of the famous and tragic love story of Franseca and Paole, caught in each other's arms and then killed by Gianciotto, Francesco's husband and Paole's younger brother. This love story was immortalized by Dante, the famous local poet in his "Divine Comedy".  

It was quite a steep climb on the side of the hill that we were on. As a result, we ended pushing our bikes up. Thank goodness we did not have the bikes loaded! We walked around the quaint well preserved village, and after a few photos of the amazing vistas, we rode back down the hill and back to our campsite to cool off in the pool and retire for the night.

The clock tower and main gate