16.6
PDI
9.4 mi
DISTANCE
2,979 ft
GAINED
6 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
INTRO
This is Ascoli Piceno's own hill road. The SP76 leaves the south side of the city, winds up through the hamlet of Piagge to Colle San Marco - the long, cliff-edged plateau you can see from the old town - and then keeps going, through chestnut and pine woods, to San Giacomo on the Montagna dei Fiori. It's 15.1 km (9.4 mi) with 908 m (2979 ft) of climbing at an average of 6.0%.
The first 10 km are the friendly part. The road climbs at 5 to 6.5% above the city, eases to under 4% for a couple of kilometers around km 6, and goes almost flat as you roll across Colle San Marco at about 700 m (2297 ft). After that comes the real work: just over 5 km (3.1 mi) at around 7.5%, on a wider road with a center line, through the trees and out onto dry, open meadow near the top. The steepest kilometer is 9.0%.
That upper stretch doubles as a racing hill climb. The Coppa Paolino Teodori, a round of the European Hill Climb Championship for cars, runs from Colle San Marco to San Giacomo and held its 65th edition in June 2026. Bikes have raced here too - the 2002 Giro d'Italia finished at San Giacomo, where Mexico's Julio Alberto Pérez won the stage from Chieti. On a clear day the view from the top reaches from Monte Vettore in the Sibillini to the Adriatic.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. The climb averages 6.0% over 15.1 km (9.4 mi), but the effort isn't spread evenly - the gentle lower road and the steeper finish are separated by a near-flat kilometer across Colle San Marco.
Km 0-10 (Ascoli to Colle San Marco): about 515 m (1690 ft) of gain. Kilometers 1 to 5 run 5.2 to 6.4%, kilometers 6 and 7 ease to 3.5 to 4.1%, kilometers 8 and 9 come back to 6.3 to 7.2%, and kilometer 10, across the plateau, averages just 2.2%.
Km 10-15.1 (Colle San Marco to the top): about 383 m (1257 ft) of gain at roughly 7.5%, with every full kilometer between 7.0 and 8.1%. This is where the steepest numbers live: 9.0% for the steepest kilometer and 9.5% for the steepest 500 m.
Roadway: The SP76 is asphalt from bottom to top. The lower road through Piagge is narrower and patched in places; above Colle San Marco it widens to two marked lanes with guardrails on the drops. Street View from September 2026 shows sound pavement with some cracking on the upper bends. The road between Colle San Marco and San Giacomo is closed for the Coppa Paolino Teodori car hill climb on a weekend in late June (27-28 June in 2026), so check the date before planning a ride then.
Traffic: Colle San Marco is where Ascoli goes for fresh air, so expect steady local car traffic on the lower half, especially on summer weekends and holidays. Above the plateau it gets quieter.
Parking: The Saba Torricella car park on Via Porta Torricella, on the edge of the old town about 700 m (0.4 mi) from the start, is the simplest spot to park - Map. If you only want the steep upper half, you can drive up to Colle San Marco and start from the plateau.
Gear: A compact with a 28 or 30 at the back covers it. Nothing stays above 9% for long, and the lower half is gentle enough to save something for the last 5 km.
Provisions: Ascoli has everything before you start. The Colle San Marco plateau, around km 10, has restaurants and is the natural place to stop; above it you're on your own for the final 5 km. The top is nearly 900 m (2953 ft) above the city and often cooler and windier, so bring something warm for the way down.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Ascoli is worth a day off the bike. The old town is built almost entirely of pale travertine, and Piazza del Popolo, with the historic Caffè Meletti and its anisetta, is one of the finest squares in Italy. Order olive all'ascolana - local olives stuffed with meat, breaded and fried - wherever you see them, and look for vincisgrassi, the Marche's baked lasagna.
On the way up, two stops at Colle San Marco are worth a few minutes. The Sacrario there is the memorial to Ascoli's wartime Resistance, and nearby the Eremo di San Marco, a Romanesque hermitage built into a cave in the cliff, is reached by a stone staircase that hangs over the drop.
Check the forecast for the top as well as the town before you go - our Weather tool shows conditions at the summit, nearly 900 m (2953 ft) higher than Ascoli.
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gibbyt
The climb is great with (as of 11/23) some very new pave. However...you will NOT want to continue and descend down the other side. That road is falling off the mountain and has very large potholes and even stretches of dirt.
