San Marino Titano and Castelli Loop

From the start below the old city the road descends into Borgo Maggiore, the market town at the cable-car base where the Titano funicular starts its six-minute climb. East of Borgo the route crosses the low Marano hills through olive and vineyard country to Faetano, the quietest of the castelli, then turns north on the SP-24 and STRada dei Castelli corridor towards Serravalle, the largest of the nine castelli with its medieval core above the modern Dogana strip. The finish at Dogana — the republic's main border crossing with Italy — closes the loop with the three towers of the Titano in the mirror. Roads are narrow, hilly and shared with Italian cross-border traffic; the whole loop is paved and can be ridden in an easy half-day with stops.