Venice somehow managed to stay unchanged, probably because of its inaccessibility. But if you really want to see Italy, Marche, Umbria, and much of Tuscany is the place. We left Ascoli Piceno on highway 4, and turned right topwards the mountains after the Arquata exit. Going through Arquata would have added a lot of climbing and we were about to cross the Apennine mountains. You need lights here, especially a bright taillight.
Traffic is very light but some of the tunnels are unlit.
It's a long ascent but the views are breathtaking. The teaser picture at the top of the page was taken on the next day, on the descent from Norcia. A few other cyclists had already stopped too, and we had to wait until we could take our pictures of the red poppy field and the village in the valley from the Perfect Spot. The summit itself is rather boring. No especially good views, and signs promise accomodations that are either impossible to locate, or are hopelessly overpriced.