The Roman tunnel in the gorge
In the hinterland of Pesaro and Urbino, the Gola del Furlo is a spectacular, narrow gorge carved by the Candigliano river between the vertical limestone walls of Monte Pietralata and Monte Paganuccio, which rise up to 500 metres above the water, a protected area since 2001 as the Riserva Naturale Statale Gola del Furlo. Through the gorge, between the cliffs and the river, passes the ancient Via Flaminia, the Roman road that linked Rome to the Adriatic, which here had to overcome one of the most difficult obstacles of its route.
To get through the narrowest point, the Romans dug a tunnel into the rock: first a small one, perhaps in the third century BC, and then, in 76 AD, under Emperor Vespasian, a larger tunnel, about 38 metres long, five metres wide and six metres high, as recorded by an inscription still visible at the entrance. The Galleria del Furlo, one of the oldest road tunnels in the world still in use, can be walked through today, along the old road, now closed to heavy traffic, which offers a pleasant walk or bike ride along the gorge, with views of the river, the walls and the artificial lake created by a dam of the 1920s. The reserve is home to a rich wildlife, including the golden eagle, which nests on the cliffs, peregrine falcons and wolves. On the side of Monte Pietralata, a huge profile of Mussolini was carved into the rock in 1936, later partly destroyed by partisans, and still faintly visible.
Tip: walk the old Flaminia through the gorge from the visitor centre; look up at the cliffs to spot the golden eagles.
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