There are ways to do things which we have forgotten, ways to enjoy life which we can learn from the past, make ours and use to really enjoy each moment. One of these ways is walking in such charming places as Gradara by measured, calm, regular steps, synchronic with one’s breath: the uniform and controlled way soldiers used to walk while making their patrol tours, along the almost eight hundred metres long powerful ramparts surrounding Gradara. It is still possible to visit a part of that path through checking turrets and between embrasures and crenelations, which step after step show breathtaking landscapes. Along this elevated perimeter, the eyes can reach to unexpected distances up to San Marino, the Malatestian Rimini and down to the crystal blue of the Adriatic Sea, or the green expanses of Mount St. Bartolo Park, adjacent to the Gradara municipality. This regenerating promenade can continue by leaving the rough stones to get, through one of the side doors of the borough, to the many trails winding round the Castle, or sit in the shadow under the leaves of the Olive Orchard whose plants, because of the rarity of their type, are the object of studies. Gradara is also a centre for environmental education, dedicated to the defence and the promotion of its natural patrimony, which inside a limited area includes a rich variety of tree species, the competent local guides are ready to describe them to visitors. Yet the show is not limited to the ground only: while walking in the green, strong calls may happen to be heard from the sky where, in the summertime, visitors can admire the enchanting twirls of eagles and hawks belonging to the Theatre of the Air, a falconry centre that offers beautiful shows of this hunting art, so very popular in the middle ages, which is based on the predatory abilities of the elegant birds of prey.
Gradara