Crossing the Apennines. Four cities and a beach

Crossing the Apennines. Four cities and a beach
For Saturday, September 12, 2026
Michael MacKuen

We take a quick trip across Italy to see several old cities now portrayed in photogrammetry. Beginning at the classic beach town Rimini, we fly along and over the Northern Apennines to see Florence, Bologna, Pisa and finally Genoa.


The Old Harbor of Genoa

We start at Rimini Federico Fellini International [LIPR]. After departure, we can get low and fly along the now classic European public beach to turn at the five-star Grand Hotel Rimini (where Federico Fellini in his youth worked as a caricaturist and in his later successful years would routinely stay in suite 315). Turning inland at the historic Rimini Lighthouse we see the Tiberius Bridge and then the Arch of Agustus, both built by the Romans as part of their essential Via Flaminia, the white gravel and stone road that connected Rome with the Po Valley and the north. At the edge of the old town is the Castel Sismondo, build by the Sigismondo Malatesta, the most prominent member of the family who ruled Rimini and much of the region during the 14^th-16^th centuries. After taking a close look at the town, we continue 7 miles onward to San Marino Torraccia [LIKD] with its aeroclub and beautiful sloped grass runway. After departure, we take a gander at the Three Towers of San Marino which once were important defensive bastions and are now a tourist attraction.

Then over the rugged southeastern edge of the Northern Apennines to Florence Peretola [LIRQ]. To see the famous sights, we fly east along the Arno River and turn at the Palazzo Pitti which served the Medici family, the banking and political dynasty that ruled Florence, influenced the papacy, and shaped the Renaissance for three centuries. Then, too quickly to see everything, there is the Ponte Vecchio (city’s the oldest bridge with shops hanging over the river), the Piazza della Signoria (the political focus of the Florentine Republic), Arnolfo Tower (the iconic 312ft medieval watchtower that dominates the skyline), the Basilica of Santa Croce (the burial site of notables including Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini), the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Fiore (the city’s cathedral and one of the world’s largest churches whose dome is the largest masonry dome ever constructed), the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella (famous artwork) and David (marks the museum in which is located Michelangelo’s David, his masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture in marble). We turn at the Stadio Artemio Franchi (football) and climbing we pass over the Badia Fiesolana, the former monastery that now houses the European University Institute (the EU’s excellent research center for the social sciences).

And then to Bologna. The east-west run of the Apennine Mountains posed a serious  barrier to north-south travel until well into the nineteenth century when railroads crept up the valleys and through small tunnels. Nowadays, the rail lines do the trick well enough and Italy’s A1 Autostrada now has enough tunnels to make for fairly easy transit. We fly to Bologna Gugielmo Marconi [LIPE], only 4 miles from the city center. After a moment, we take a quick aerial tour starting with the Bologna Fair District (a modern fair and business district) and then into the old city with the University of Bologna (from 1088 the oldest degree granting university, one that remains one of the largest in Europe), the Two Towers (Garisenda & Asinelli, both leaning, are symbols of the city), the Piazza Maggiore (city’s central square), and the Basilica of San Petronio (named after the city’s patron saint), the PalaDozza (classic basketball arena), and the Arena Garibaldi (football).

Proceeding southwest into the foothills, we fly 23nm to land at the mid-sized Pavullo Airport [LIDP]. The field hosts general aviation, gliders, a flying club, a flight school, and helicopter operations. Each year through 2024 the club hosted a “Flight & Fun” international event for general aviation. We depart and climb to look at Monte Cimone, the highest peak in the Northern Apennines. Then following the descent to the Tuscan plains below we approach Pisa. We get a close look at the Plazza of Miracles including the Cathedral of Pisa and the leaning Tower of Pisa. These are beautiful works of architecture. And for many tourists, they are selfie-bucket-list material. We fly over the rest of the old city and land at Pisa Galileo Galilei [LIRP], the busiest airport in Tuscany.

Then west along the Ligurian coast to Luni [LIQW]. Nowadays, this is joint military/civilian airport. It is primarily a Navy and Coast Guard helicopter base, and it also hosts a local flying club for general aviation. After a minute, we fly past La Spezia and along the steep and rugged coastline to the historic seaport Genoa (or in Italian Genova). For much of the early modern period (1300-1800) Genoa was a major trading power in the Mediterranean (rivaled only by Venice). Given that dominance, and the need to protect its trading routes, it simultaneously wielded considerable military and political power.

Before landing, we will take a few minutes to look at the excellent photogrammetric representation of the current city. We approach over colorful Boccadasse, until recently a working fishing village and now a highly desirable residential neighborhood. Then up the hills to the recently refurbished Stadio Luigi Ferraris (football). Then down the hills to the great city center (with too many sights to process at once). Included are markers for the Plazza Corvetto, the Plazza de Ferrari, the Palace of the Doges (the ducal rulers of the wealthy republic lived here), and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. A glance up the hill marks the Museums of the Strada Nuova (a set of former elegant palaces owned by fabulously wealthy merchants and used to entertain visiting dignitaries). Then into the Old Port with the Bigo (a Renzo Piano architecture gem whose lift raises tourists in a cable car and whose arms support the roof of the dockside plaza) and the Biosfera (a glass sphere housing the ecosystems of the tropical rainforests). A mile along is the Lighthouse of Genoa (La Lanterna is a symbol of the city. Built in 1543, this is the world’s fourth oldest lighthouse – after the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña. And when measured from its rock base, it is the second-tallest in the world.) We pass over several large docks of Genoa’s important modernized port before landing at Genoa Cristoforo Columbus Airport [LIMJ], locally known as “Sestri.” This is a modestly busy international airport (2 million per year). For a post-flight gathering, we should taxi to the back of the General Aviation parking (spots 310-313 in the freeware) near the Aeroclub of Genova and just opposite the Piaggio company hangars.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
Our flight is 278nm in length and thus needs a moderately quick GA aircraft. Because one of the features of this event is the photogrammetry for the main cities, I would recommend an aircraft with good vision. A couple of naturals would be the Piaggio P.149 and the Vans RV-14 – but lots of planes will do the job nicely. I’ll pick the RV-14A. As ever, please fly what you like.

Scenery
All of the airports are in the simulator. We have a few enhancements that will help a bit. Thanks to these talented authors.

San Marino Torraccia Airfield [LIKD].  FG91X (Required for best experience)
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi [LIPE].  manuele
Genoa Cristoforo Columbo [LIMJ].  simog (Choose 2024 version. Do not install Simog-GenovaHarbor)

Temporarily, you can get the freeware package here. The package may also include freeware creations that are difficult to find. (Please check for duplicates of previously installed packages.)

There are payware renditions of Rimini, Florence, Bologna, Pisa and Genoa. These are not necessary. If you have them, use them.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 2:00pm local for September 12, 2026. We typically prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, September 12, 2026. 1800 UTC (2000CEST, 1400EDT, 1100PDT)
Where: RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South-East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!