We had another lazy start to the day. After breakfast we updated our blog site, checked our emails and also our internet banking. We then went with Jane to Cupramontana to check out the market. Once again the market was dominated by lots of clothing but there was also a stall selling some local cheese and salami. I

ncidentally nearly all the cheese here is sheep cheese . The locals can't believe that with all our sheep we don’t make a lot more of our own. They do not rate dairy cheese.

We also withdrew some money and got some basic groceries from the local shop. While we are ok at making ourselves understood by the locals, it was a lot easier having Jane to interpret for us. We also had a cappuccino with David and his wife – one of the expat couples we met a couple of nights ago. - JB

On our return Jane and Ian went off to the airport to pick up some friends. The Italian couple here had also gone out so we had the place to ourselves. After eating some of the goodies we bought for lunch we set off for Ancona on the coast and to visit some of the local beaches. While we had an interesting drive and the beach area was lovely, it was absolutely packed. Summer has certainly arrived and the temperature has been around the 32C mark. Getting a car park anywhere near a beach is either very tricky or quite expensive .

We went first to Ancona, the largest city in the area and the main port for ferries to Greece and Croatia. Even with the Tom Tom John found the drive in the city hard and Jane later said she usually takes the train. We wanted to see the arch of Tragan which was built in 115. That was not a mistype. It is nearly 1900 years old.

The GPS would not accept that as a destination so we put in a nearby museum. This was closed but the area around it was popular with locals for lunch and there were good views over the city and out to sea We also discovered there was a cache there and we have a good idea where but the place was too popular for us to look.

We could see the Arch from the top but when we went back down we could not find a way to drive to it as the road to the port had barrier arms up.

We then drove in a hilly area dotted with towns near the sea or with walks down to the sea . There were caches at two of them but parking as John said was almost impossible. We drove in and then out of Portonovo when we saw the crowds.

We stopped at the former fishing village of Sirolo and had a nice break overlooking the sea. The breeze and shade made it a very pleasant temperature and the outlook was lovely. There are paths from here down to the sandy beach several hundred feet below but we decided that would be too hot. The walk down would be fine but then we would have to walk back. It is touted as the most beautiful village on the Adriatic – it was very nice but almost all cafes and hotels. We finally saw the first postcards we have seen in this area.

We managed to stop by the road once we left the hills and walked over to the sea. The beach here was stony (small pebbles) and full of sun recliners and umbrellas, all in blocks of the same colour for hire from a café or similar. We had heard about this in the south of France but this is called the Italian Riveria so we should not have been surprised . Jane told us people can still put their towel down in front but we just walked and put our feet in the Adriatic. Most of the recliners were empty and the sea had only a few people swimming. The sea was relatively cool so we could see why. The school holidays have just started so that is why parking is an issue as we think it was mainly 'locals’ at the beach. When we drove a bit further there were stretches without the blocks of recliners and the towels and umbrellas we are more familiar with.

We then set a path back through the countryside using the map Jane had lent us to put in a few waypoints to keep us off the main roads. It is pretty rolling countryside with large fields of bright sunflowers and vines. On the tops there are the towns, usually in the same colour as they are made from local stone.

We had a swim at the apartment and then finished the pasta for tea.When we talked to Jane later she said they never go to the beach by day for all the reasonas we had discovered.