South of San José, the Cerro de Escazú rises steeply from Desamparados to the town of Aserrí. Twisting roads then pass through San Gabriel, San Pablo de León Cortés, San Marcos de Tarrazú, Santa María de Dota, and San Cristóbal Sur in the steep-sided coffee country known as Tarrazú. These off-the-beaten-track villages – named for saints Gabriel, Paul, Mark, Mary, and Christopher – give this fabulously scenic drive through verdant landscapes its apt name, “Route of the Saints.”