Lonely days in Le Marches

Im sitting at an internet cafe at some sort of supermarket/mall in Pesaro right now. It, honestly has been a strange two days. Ill try to start at the beginning (btw, Italian keyboards are confusing so bear with me)...
When I left off last time I was about to to a carnival/fair in Bologna right around the corner from my campsite. I did, and when I walked in I was greeted instantly by throngs of poeple with long hair, tattoos, and black metal t-shirts...hmm, interesting. I asked this group of people about my age and through some English/Italian/hand gestures I came to realize that a huge metal concert was about to start at this venue right there at the fairgrounds. I hadnt heard of any of the bands (and I pride myself on my metal knowledge), but there was a band there called FinnTroll, so I had to buy a ticket and join in. I would regret it the rest of my life if I didnt go to the metal concert in Bologna...and it was quite an experience. I had to control myself not to laugh a few times at the crowd there. It was like all the Italian metalheads are so unsure of themselves. They want to get into it, but they kind of just act polite and clap a little and then would get pissed if someone started moshing. The bands were nothing special apart from FinnTroll which was a bunch of anorexic looking Scandenavians with long blond hair that sang songs about vikings and mythological monsters...awesome.
So the next day (yesterday), I traveled south and east to the coast of the Adriatic to just north of the twon of Pesaro in the region of Le Marches. I am, literally, the only person camping at the campground right now. Its pretty spectacular though. Its located right on this cliff overlooking the ocean on one side with these rolling hills of vineyards and farmland on the other side. Being the only living person there aside from the manager, its incredibly lonely...in fact, this whole past couple of days has been. I guess Im feeling a little better now because Im starting to get the hang of things, though and am learning some great new concepts/ideas for the restaurant everyday so Ive kind of got my head down and am continuing on, trying to make the most of this time.
So, after I got settled at the campsite yesterday, I headed out to the Independent Republic of San Marino, somewhere Ive always wanted to visit after Greg, in 9th grade, told me there was a 26 square mile independent country within Italy that we could take over and rule if we basically had a horse and a sword to overwhelm them with.
Its hard to describe San Marino, and I hope the pictures (once I can finally get them up along with the others - this public computer wont let me) can help do it some justice. Anyway, after a crazy drive (all drives in Italy are crazy), I followed my GPS to deep inside the republic of San Marino until it told me to "navigate off-road" and I had to turn around and follow the road signs until I found the way up to the fortress city of San Marino which is basically a giant castle on top of a mountain sticking up out of nowehere in a land of green rolling hills. On top of that, itwas cloudy and foggy, so, after I parked the car and took a gondola a thousand or so feet up to the walled castle city, I was basically in the clouds, which gave the whole experience almost a spiritual edge. I would peer over the walls through the clouds down to the farms and vineyards below. It was exactly like how I imagined people in Heaven looking down on what was going on down on Earth when I was a child...eery and beautiful at the same time.
Anyway, after walking around the city and taking a ton of pictures, I had an EXCLELENT pizza for lunch, then decided it was time to drive back before it got too dark.
About driving here...its damn SCARY. I say a little prayer every time I get behind the wheel of my little Italian car. The intersates are no problem, but driving in the cities tkes some guts. Its basically Manhattan at rush hour with no traffic rules 24 hours a day. Ive adapted well and am much more confident, but it certainly has been trying and is VERY tiring.
Anyway, after a dinner of salad, cheese, and prosciutto last night at the camp, I woke up today and head outto this town called Jesi about an hour from the campsite. I drove all the way out there, got there, and immediately turned around. Every guide book I read talked about Jesi being this beautiful little town everyone "must visit". Jesi sucked. It was insane trying to drive near there, there was no place to park, and it looked basically like it had just been bombed - nothing pretty about it. I didnt mind, though, because the drives have been so beautiful. When you drive down the coast here, you have views of the Adriatico ut the driver side window and views of vineyards and fields of produce on the passenger side. Im not complaining...
Anyway, so I headed back towards Pesaro where Im staying and keptseeing signs for this cstle village called Gardara, so I went for it, and it was a great decision.Only about 15 minutes away, easy drive, easy parking, and it was BEAUTIFUL. I later found out that this town is mentioned in the Divine Comedy by Dante and is famous for its castle, which was AMAZING. Additionally, I stumbled across a great little restaurant there where I had and amazing pasta dish with fresh porcini mushrooms and tomatoes, and its somethign I want to try to recreate when I get back.
And now Im back here, in Pesaro, an unattractive, noisy, crowded city Im looking forward to leaving tomorrow. Tomorrow I head out down to the coast of Abruzzo where I will be staying in Pineto, just north of Pescara, a town Im excited to visit. If the campsite is nice, I might stay here for three or four days.
Anyway, thats about it. Im physically and emotionally exhausted, but Im learning alot and having an incredible experience. Just wish I had someone to experience it with me...