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SUMMARY OF OUR SIX WEEK SELF SUPPORTED RIDE

We visited Italy for nearly three months. We rode on our Santana Sovereign tandem fitted with S & S couplings for six weeks none stop, carrying four panniers, small backpacks, and fully self supported. Our bike and panniers weighed 75 Kg. On a daily basis there were a few extra pounds with water, and food for each day. The above doesn't include our body weight (that is a secret...).

The idea to cycle in Italy was born about a year before, and seemed a monumental task. We had no idea where to gather information, or how to even begin. We have been cycling for many years, using panniers, camping for several days at a time. Mauny had crossed the entire USA on a bike, yet still - a foreign country? Shipping everything? Disassembling? There were so many 'what-ifs'.

We were concerned with road condition, driver behavior, places to stay, food, what to wear in regard to weather, how to minimize on the weight, etc. We first looked at a general map of Italy to identify places of interest. A trip to the book store, a chat at the bike shop, a talk with riders we met while training (amazingly, so many have been to Italy), a surf on the Internet. Each added more to our initial knowledge. We were encouraged by the information we received. To narrow down our preferred roads we bought a semi-detailed Michelin map. We also found a Backroads brochure which we used to confirm some of the places we were interested in. Even though the itineraries were described in a rather general way, it helped us get some idea of where tour operators cycled.

We later discovered a Lonely Planet guide to cycling in Italy. Though helpful, the information there was for itineraries of 4 to 6 days with train/bus hops to and from. Since our trip was much longer, we were challenged with connecting the dots. After a few weeks of head scratching we laid out a continuous route.

Our plan was to start in Venice, work our way south through the Po Delta along the Adriatic until Rimini. We then would cut into the hills of La Marche, and Umbria working our way south into Tuscany. Once past Lake Bolsena, we would cut northward toward Siena, and finally arrive in Florence. Florence was our final planned destination. From there we made no solid plans to continue riding in any particular direction. We decided to see what the weather would be at the end of October, and then decide where to go. We definitely planned on visiting other places by train, and on foot.

Our time in Italy started at the end of the first week of September, and ended in the third week of November. If we were to describe our trip in Italy we would summarize it as beautiful, and full of surprises - some pleasant; others not so pleasant - but what is an adventure without a mix of experiences?

The not so pleasant experiences were solely disappointments, we soon overcame. For example, we didn't know the weather could turn cold in a very short time. We didn't know Italian businesses closed in mid day. We didn't know the roads weren't always marked properly. In contrast, we didn't know how beautiful the country would be. We didn't know how friendly the Italians would be. We didn't know we would eat tasty meals, and drink good wine. We had no idea one couldn't get a bad cup of coffee. And there is so more. Despite the physical challenges of being exposed to the elements, having to climb steep grades, and descend dangerous switch backs, we were always rewarded with a worthwhile experience.

A common denominator on our trip was that everything was "up". We were interested in hill towns, so at end of each day there was this final steep climb into a town. Once we arrived, there was another steep climb to our room as in most cases our room ended up on the second or third floor to where we had to lug our 6o + lbs of equipment.

Our main disappointment was that most campgrounds closed for business after the first week of September. This truly impeded on our budget. Luckily we did find numerous campgrounds operating year round, or into November, and we were able to find reasonably priced hotels, B & B's, and hostels. Also, prior to the trip we joined Servas, an international organization promoting cross-cultural experience through a host and traveller network. We would encourage every traveller to join Servas, even if they end up staying in hotels. We are beholding to our Servas hosts for not only great friendships and good accomodations, but also for providing us with local knowledge that saved us hours of time and great frustration.

We also experienced a certain lack of important information in both our Lonely Planet Cycling Guide, and the Michelin map. When you ride a bike all day, names of places must be supported with details marked on a comprehensive map. Mentioning where to start a ride, but not showing detail on how to get there doesn't make a cyclist happy. In most cases the book did not mention that a campground wasn't operating past August. At the end of a hard ride, a cyclist expects not to incur extra miles in search of a place to stay, or eat. The book also gave information that wasn't possible to verify in the field; names that meant nothing to help us get to a recommended place. This pertained to road signs, names of towns, or locations of hotels. We always found many more, cheaper, and better hotels not mentioned in the book.

We must also slap the wrist of the planners of the Michelin map. We realize that not all towns can be marked on even a detailed map. However, why is it that the towns that Michelin chose to indicate on the map were not the ones posted on road signs, and intersections? This fact alone caused us many extra frustrating miles. We were relieved when we switched to the Italian Touring Club Guide maps. We highly recommend these maps to any one contemplating a trip. They are available in most book stores around the country.

If Lonely Planet wanted to print a small book in order to save on weight, and volume I would say, bull! One still is compelled to carry adequate additional information. Why then not include this in a book?

We don't want to bash Lonely Planet to a pulp. Not at all. All in all, the Lonely Planet book was to us a crucial tool, and an important guide without which we still wouldn't be able to finalize, and carry out our plan. Despite the discrepancies, it supplied us with much much valuable information. We have seen a few guide books for cyclists in Italy, and in the US. In these cases the mapping, and cue sheets were superbly done. I recall a cycling book I had used for the Washington DC area that missed nothing in giving cyclists the best information on each ride with details on how to get to the starting point, and how to navigate through it, but enough said. We would still like to thank the people who took the time to publish material on the subject.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

We packed our bike in two Dahon Airporter suitcases. Our 700 wheels needed to be deflated, and fit in an angle on top of each box. With padding, securing the parts with zip ties, the bike made it both ways without damage. We never paid extra charges for size, or weight. Our weight limit was never exceeded. The Dahon suitcase looks just like a regular suitcase, and only a couple of inches longer than the limit. We also put all our other equipment into two military duffle bags. We carried a folding dolly on which we piled up the duffle bags. Still, we never exceeded the weight limit. During transport, we rolled a suitcase each, and took turns pulling the dolly. It isn't easy, but it is doable.

Flight from Venice to Santa Barbara Nov.23, 2008

Everything worked like clockwork! Our van came on time. We were able to fit our two bike suitcases, and two duffle bags with panniers helmets, shoes, etc. in the back. Our flights were on time. Everything was perfect except...

Except for this. We purchased bottles of wine at a German duty free shop, and were permitted to board the planes within Germany (two) without any problems. Alas, when we arrived in Denver, after going through immigration, and customs, we were informed that we couldn't carry our bottles onboard our plane to Santa Barbara. Security. Right in front of the counter where our bags had to go we frantically tried to figure out how to pack our bottle in our duffle bags without breaking. What a time to discover this! There were others doing the same thing. Chaos ensued, we unlock bags, tags fall off, cameras misplaced, shirts, and dirty cycling attire is used to wrap the bottles the best we can. We almost sent our bags untagged if not for Mauny wondering what was that piece of paper under the push cart. Tags back on the bags, we managed to collect the rest of the scattered items on the floor, put in our carry-on bags and proceed to our gate. Our advise is not to buy any liquids abroad unless your entry into the US is your final destination.

Other than this, everything went perfectly well.

In Santa Barbara, our friends and neighbors Oleg, and Everlina came to pick us up with two cars (due to luggage size). Our trip is over, and it was a very successful, and rewarding cycling adventure. Stay tuned for photos in the near future...

Saturday Nov. 22, 2008 Carrying Stuff to Hotel

Today we are checking into a hotel near the airport. Our flight is at 6 am, and we didn't want to burden our hosts with an early wake up on a Sunday. We were told that there is a bus that goes from the train station to this hotel - bus number 15. With our heavy loaded suitcases and two duffle bags, we decided to take two bus trips. I had gone to the local Tabbachi to buy six tickets. Instead of getting six separate tickets, I received an electronic card that needed to be electronically swiped each time we got on the buss. In Italy one swipes, or punches a ticket onboard the bus. This is not so on trains where a ticket must be validated prior to boarding. If one forgets to validate a ticket, the conductor imposes a fine that has to be paid on the spot. Mauny towed the suitcase, Elaine the duffle bag. Every few steps they traded places. About a kilometer to the bus station, and a 40 minute ride to the hotel. At the hotel we left the luggage after checking in, and took the bus back to Mestre for the rest of our stuff. On the final trip to the hotel when Mauny swiped the card, nothing happened. A lady seated across the validating machine said something in Italian. Mauny tried several times but nothing. Mauny just sat down wondering what happened. Well, using an electronic card for the first time, it was possible that one swipe was recorded as two. Luckily no one caused any more fuss about this, as basically the transportation system in Italy is based mostly on the honor system. Mauny knew he had paid for six trips, and didn't feel he was in the wrong...

At the hotel we settled in our small room. Had to leave the bike boxes in the TV room. We went for an afternoon walk in the ever colder temperature. Dinner at a local pizzeria, and an early night in bed. Tomorrow we wake up at 4am.

Fri. Nov. 21, 2008 - A Visit to Treviso

This morning is a religious holiday and most government offices are closed. We met a friend of Stefano and Germana today. Being that Mauny is a magician, it happened that this friend was a skillful magician himself. The two took turns demonstrating tricks with ropes, cards, money, and rubber bands to everyone's amazement. Later the two - despite a severe language barrier - shared private time together showing, and teaching each other, a few secrets. In early afternoon Elaine, and Mauny took the train to visit Treviso, a near by town known to be like a small Venice. We found it to be a small walled city with a river, and a few canals going through it. Although it didn't have any boat traffic, the small bridges, canals, and houses did indeed look like Venice. A visit to the local church revealed for the first time frescos painted on the support columns, rather then on the walls and ceilings. The temperature were near freezing, and we knew that we pushed the limits staying here this late, it was time to go home. Stefano was cooking traditional risotto tonight, so we bought a bottle of Tuscan wine. We had a delicious dinner which included risotto with pumpkin broth, sauted veggies with pork stakes. There was the usual Martini for a starter, then wine, and finally grappa. Grappa is made from the grape skins left after the wine making process. This was our final dinner. Tomorrow we say our final good bye...

Thur. November 20, 2008: Packing the Tandem - Venice

We wake up at Stefano's, and Germana's house and have breakfast. Both have to work today, so we are left to our own. It is an important day: We pack the bike to fit into two Dahon suitcases. Actually, it is not "we", it is I, Mauny who has the mechanical know-how. Elaine helps with small things as they come. We both feel lucky. Since the place is small, the disassembly must take place in the driveway exposed to the elements. This would be a disaster if it rained or snowed. The temperatures have been dropping drastically just in the last couple of days. It took Mauny 5 hours to take the bike apart, secure to cardboard plates with zip ties, wrap with foam, and place carefully in such a way that the parts would not damage during flight.

Once packed, there were a few hours of daylight left, so we went into Venice by train to walk to San Marcos Square once more, and see the inside of the cathedral. There were a lot less tourists then back in August. It was rather cold, but pleasant. We returned slightly after dark. Later at night we treated our hosts to a fantastic dinner. They recommended we went to a restaurant called La Tortuga - an ancient pirate ship - and had the best seafood pasta in our lives! This was only the second time we were in a car in Italy...

Wed. November 19,2008: Train to Venice with Bike

We feel so lucky. The weather turned sunny for the next several days. We will need it! Taking the bike on the train was our final phase. There were three trains to change. The first train went from Lucca to Prato, Prato to Bologna, and finally, Bologna to Venezia. Luckily, train schedule allowed for extra time at each station eliminating panic attacks at each station. Here is how it goes:

We ride the tandem with panniers attached into the train station. In Lucca, at least, a ramp leads down under the platforms. However, we must climb three sets of stairs up to our designated one. At the bottom of the stairs Elaine removes the two front panniers and carries them up one level so that we can keep an eye on them. Meanwhile people rush up and down as different trains arrive and depart. Mauny balances the bike until Elaine is back to help push the bike up. Tandems don't like panniers on the rear only. It is all or none! What a tandem bike does is flip corkscrew fashion when no one looks. It is absolutely necessary to be vigilant, and prevent this from happening by keeping steady hands on the handlebars. Elaine gets behind the bike, Mauny at the front. Both push the bike up one set of stairs until front wheel clears the top step. This is when the front wheel must be lifted rather high until it touches the next set of stairs. If the front is not lifted the chain and chain rings hang up on the top step. After the second third sets of stairs are tackled, bike safely on the platform, Elaine brings the front panniers and mounts them back on the bike. Now the bike must be positioned in a strategic place. Since no one can tell us where the bicycle car might be, we position the bike perpendicular to the arriving train, in the middle of the platform. When the train arrives, we both try to catch the bicycle icon. Is it stamped in the front of the train, or the back? Sometimes there is no icon, and we have to take a wild guess. Once identified, we push the bike and run along the usually empty opposite side of the platform. All the passengers are pushing to get on the train while we approach in a military maneuver from the rear. When we are parallel to the bicycle car, we turn the bike around, and reverse it toward the bike car. Here, again we must remove the front panniers, throw them through the door into the train. We both lift the heavy rear heaving the bike onto the train. Elaine immediately jumps inside to grab the rear of the bike as Mauny lifts the front wheel and pushes the bike all the way inside. This is not where it ends. The bike cannot be left blocking the sliding doors used by other passengers to embark, and disembark. No, it must be put inside a special compartment. Problem is the door is usually narrow (designed to accommodate a single bike), and swings open rather then slide. It is necessary to tilt the bike, push it back and forth, and lift the front wheel up until it touches the ceiling. The ever present middle post is right in front of this door, which makes things even worse. Somehow, finally the bike makes it inside. All this time the conductors say things Italian to us, but we can't understand. It seems from their hand gestures that they want us to disassemble the bike and hang it up on provided hooks, but we pay no attention until it is inside. Now they smile, and forgive us. The train leaves on time. Mauny uses a bungee cord to secure the bike in place. We take a seat, and give each other a five. Two more such drills and we are in Venice. From the Venice Mestre station it is about about one kilometer to our hosts' residence. We mount the bike and ride into traffic blending in, but no more than 300 yards ahead we get caught in a traffic jam. There are cars, bicycles, scooters, push carts, baby strollers, and people all in a tangle. It is impossible to ride, so we dismount and walk the bike. Not easy either. There is just not enough room with everyone going in every direction. What in the world? Three months earlier the place was easy to navigate. We soon find out. There is a major street resurfacing project in a major intersection ahead. We walk the bike on hot wet asphalt with buses cars, and everything else trying to smash us. Police officers blow whistles, and yell. Are they yelling at us? Elaine shouts a warning. A bus is about to cut Mauny's head off. We rush, turn, and duck for cover on a tattered sidewalk. We make it. We mount the bike again to ride the final few blocks toward a grocery store. We want to get a bottle of wine and cheese for our hosts. With bike in hand, and a plastic shopping bag, we ring the bell. Stefano and Germana greet us with hugs, and we get inside. We have dinner, wine, talk, and go to bed. Everyone is tired from a long work day...

Tue. Nov 18, 2008 LUCCA - Final 40km Bike Ride

Today we took off on our last bike ride on this trip in Italy. For a last ride, this by far was one of our best. Everything was perfect (except for the weather). On a cool day with increasing clouds we went to the town of Torre just northwest of here. The owner of our apartment, Carlo also owns a large farm house up on the mountain. The house is surrounded by olive groves, and it is the harvest season. We thought we would surprise him with our visit. This was a hilly course ascending to around 500m of hairpin steep sections. The landscape was the best Tuscany could offer. Criss crossing vineyards, and terraced olive groves. The rest is pock dotted with gorgeous farm houses witht red tile roofs. Other large trees fill any non-agricultural space that is there. We failed to find Carlo, but met and had a long conversation with two elderly people (look who is talking...) who were harvesting their olives. The showed us their hill top house which they rent to visitors. The views are stunning with the valley below, and the town of Lucca in the distance. They pointed out to us a large villa that was used by Kathrine Deneuve, and Marcel Mastrianni in their heydays. Evidently Torre's seclusion and beautiful terrain attracts local celebrities.

We bombed downhill from here to climb back up to the town of San Stefano. Again, a beautiful road, with fantastic vistas of farmlands, old hamlets, etc. Tuscany showed us its beauty for the final time, and we didn't get disappointed. We looped downhill and on to our aprtment in the old city's east end: Primavera Apartments. We celebrated with a cup of coffee and a traditional chestnut pancake topped with sweet riccotta cheese. When we came back outside it started to drizzle. Good timing indeed.

Tomorrow we leave with the bike on the train to Venice. This will be our final train adventure. We have had interesting experiences with trains as one never knows where the bike car might be. It is not easy to fit a tandem in the designated bike compartments some of which have doors that swing the wrong way, or there is not enough clearance to get bike through with panniers attached. Stay tuned...

Back at our apartment for dinner, we discovered that we had a new guest next door. Up to now we had the place all to ourselves, and it was exciting to have someone new, a traveller. He was from New Zealand who came here to partake in the olive harvest, and do some serious hiking. Terry is a landscape designer, who also owns 200 olive trees in New Zealand. We sat at the dinner table drinking wine, sharing experiences and comparing notes. Too bad this was our last night, or we would sure be doing a hike with him.

Monday Nov 17, 2008 LUCCA - 77km Bike Ride

For the third day the weather has been cooperating. We decided with 18 degrees Celsius it was a good idea to go touch the Med. Viarreggio is a popular beach town in Tuscany. In summer it is abuzz with vacationers, but at this time the beaches are practically empty. The road was mostly flat, with only a few undulating hills. When we arrived at the beach, we walked the bike a few hundred feet on the boardwalk leading to the water edge. To the north we had a stunning view of the Apuane Alps. The water was too cold to swim, so we just sat on the send, all to ourselves and had our lunch. On the way back we enjoyed a different angles on forts, small hill towns, and beautiful forests. Riding over rivers, canals, and on narrow streets, we passed through lovely small hamlets with the usual churches, villas, and clock towers.

We did see an interesting roadside site and confirmed our thoughts with Carmine tonight. On one stretch of road were many scattered young African girls sitting with small fires, or buckets, cups, etc. We did not see that they were selling merchandise, but later learned that they were the merchandise, prostitution of which is legal in Italy. They were positioned on this side street, which paralleled a major highway. It is sad that this is their seemingly only option to make ends meet.

We had dinner at Carmine's apartment ( Carmine is a SERVAS host we had stayed with for four days here). Carmine had his daugher and two of her friends all giggling happily and involved in an art project of making soap. We tried our broken Italian with the girls, who were eager to teach us a few new words. Mauny did a couple of magic tricks, but none was as good as the magic of pasta cooked by Carmine. After a few glasses of wine, and limoncello, we walked back to our apartment for the night. We will cherish the great hospitality and friendship of Carmine forever!

Nov 15 through Nov 16 2008 Lucca Digital Photo Fest

Saturday and Sunday Pierluigi, and Sonia (SERVAS hosts we had stayed with in Perugia) drove up to Lucca with their camper van to join us at the festival. They must have brought the sun with them, as the weather was perfect! We visited all the exhibits, some photos of known professional like Alex Webb. The photos were taken by digital cameras, and some enhanced, and edited on computer software. There were surrealistic collages, animated pieces, street life, animals, and other unique subjects...some with very strong political and environmental messages. Lucca is a perfect place for such events since it is easy to navigate through. Small in size, it offers large spaces in old buildings, some hundreds of years old. Spending time with Sonia and Pierluigi was a real treat since last time we had seen them was at the biginning of our bike tour weeks ago.

Fri 11/14/08 Lucca - Photo Day with Carmine's Group

Today we were invited by Carmine to participate in a special activity with his therapy group. Today the group was engaged in a photo assignment around the town of Lucca. Carmine works at the local psychiatric clinic. He has introduced innovative methods to treat his group. These clients have different disabilities, but are able to function on certain social levels. The sessions are always open to the public. In this case "normal" people interact with the patients as equals. It is amazing to observe these people engaging in tasks that require concentration, and discipline. The program starts with photo taking, and later progresses through art assignments in a creative way. At the end of the session we sat with everyone reviewing the photos with comments by Carmine on angles, lighting, expressions, etc. We even shared lunch in the art room. I mean really shared. One of the members of the group pulled out sandwiches and offered them to us. They were traditional Italian paninis. We obliged by giving our (cherished) peanut butter sandwiches, which most had never tasted before (even though we found the peanut butter at the local supermarket). We must say that everyone truly enjoyed the peanut butter paninis we offered, and may have since become converts themselves. We felt lucky to be able to interract with a group of people that many societies shun.

Tue 11/11 through Thur 11/13 Rain Rain Rain

If there is anything we will not do again is come to this part of the world in November expecting to rely on good weather. Our bike ride to the beach was scrapped due to rain. The forcast showed rain for the end of time. Oh, well. At least we can enjoy the local beauty of this charming city, walk around, run, excercise during rain breaks, and read lots of books.

Mon. 11/10/08 A Rest Day in Lucca

Today was a fantastic day with sun, and warm temperatures. We decided however that after four straight days of hiking, and cycling our bodies really needed a break. Besides, the weather report called for another excellent day tomorrow...
We walked around town, enjoying semi empty streets (the tourists are mostly gone), drinking good coffee, and climbing up one of the towers - the one with the trees growing at the top - to enjoy the beautiful views of the town, and the surrounding mountains. We could identify many of the features from where we stood. The communication towers at the top of the mountain to the west where we had cycled only a couple of days before, the vinyard covered slopes we had cycled a couple of weeks earlier, and towns we had visited or planned to visit. Tomorrow we were going to ride to a beach town 25 km west of here - Viareggio.

Sun 11/09/08 Hiking the Garfgnana with Friends of the Forest

Our intention for today was to take the special train to a small mountan town in the Alpi Apuane region north of Lucca. The area has a large park with high peaks which is a Mecca for hikers, mountain bikers, and roadies. There was to be a chestnut festival in a small tradional town up at a deadend road, and we thought it would be interesting. However, our SERVAS friend Carmine suggested we joined a group of enthusiastic hikers on a hike up to 1600 meters organized by a local group similar to the Sierra Club. At the end of the hike the plan was to enjoy hot chestnuts, pies, and cakes made of chestnut dough topped with riccotta. Above all, wine was being served as well. This was a great opportunity for us to mingle with an energetic group of people. We were picked up by Carmine who took us to a local parking lot where we were to car pool with other members. The weather was cool, and cloudy, but it didn't rain. The views from ascending the mountain were wonderful. Many of the trees had shed their leaves which offered us open landscapes with meadows, evergreen patches, and granite peaks in the distance. Below we could spot old hill towns with forts, and churches surrounded by stone houses. The food at the end was a treat. We stuffed our faces with warm delicacies before returning to our small apartment in Lucca.

11/ 8/08 Cycling Lucca to Montecarlo - 34 km Loop

We got on the tandem later than usual today. We felt itt was time for a shorter ride. We rode to Montecarlo to attend a small festival called the "first tasting of the wine". Alas, when we got there at 1pm we were told it wasn't to start until 3pm. How did we miss this? The information clarity gap has been a common denominator to our trip here in Italy. We wonder if this is due to us misunderstanding the information given, or is it that Italian brochures and literature is incomplete. Well, we are not going to pass judgement either way...Rather than wait, we decided to ride back mainly due to threatening dark clouds building up around us, and the fact that days have gotten short here, and we wouldn't enjoy much of the festival especially due to the likelihood that the 3pm start-up was more likely to become 4, or 5pm anyway... We managed to be back in Lucca without getting wet, and the route proved to be rewarding with undulating terrain, pretty small villages, lush farmland, and groves everywhere. Montecarlo is only 17km from Lucca, and to our surprise it turned out to be a charming small traditional cobble stone hill town, typical of many in Italy. It sported a clock tower with a small fort built in the 13th century, including great views of the valleys below from the well preserved city walls.

November 7, 2008: Hiking the Big Aqueduct

We had paritally hiked this aqueduct, but since it rained that day, we postponed going further up the hill. Today, the weather offered an opportunity to hike longer. Also, after yesterday's hard climb it made sense to climb to 420m. on foot at a slower, less demanding pace. The aqueduct is a true marvel. It was order built by Maria Luisa of Bourbone in 1822. Why, we really don't know, since it seems to us a ditch would have done the same job. Yet, this humongous project has the aqueduct up so high and approximately 3-4 km long. The arches are so big that local paved roads allow cars to drive across without a problem. It is only interrupted where the autostrada had to be built. The municipality built an overhead walkway to allow foot traffic along the entire length. Now, the engineer who had built this marvel was Lorenzo Nottolini. This water diversion system includes embankments, canals, inspection houses, screens to filter water, a holding tank, mini dams, stairs, and foot bridges. Walking along this project takes one into fantasy land, or something like a video game. We just loved it. At the source, the trail continues up the hills through magnificent chestnut forest broken up here and there by small hamlets with olive trees, pine, and vineyards. We hiked up about 10 km enjoying great views of valleys below before retuning back to Lucca.

November 6 - Cycling up to Pizzorne - 47km

Lucca is surrounded by hills, and mountains. It sits in the center of a fertile valley and makes an excellent base for cycling. Today we embarked on a fantastic, yet challenging, scenic ride to a small village at the top of a mountain at 990 meters. The area towns that lead to this place are just northeast of town. The intention was to do a loop, but when we got to Pizzorne, we followed signs to our intended destination, but got to either a dead end, or unpaved roads (this is quite typical in Italy when it comes to signage, or general information for that manner). After cursing in four languages, we decided we had better descend to where we had come from. This is when we realized just how high we had come. The scenery was fantastic, but the hands didn't like the prolonged squeezing on the brakes. The pavement was rather wet, and covered with leaves from the chesnut trees that are so abundant in this area. The long descent chilled our bodies, and we were happy to finally arrive at the flats where we could start pedalling again, and raise our body temperature to a comfortable level. On the flats we managed a good clip of 30kmph, and arrived in Lucca tired, but satisfied. It is hard to say which of our circuit rides around here is the prettiest. This ride definitely stands alone as one of the best!

November 4th and 5th, Rainy Lucca

A rainy day in Lucca on the 4th. We went shopping for groceries in spite of it and just hung around our new place all day.

Woke up on the 5th and immediately turned on the TV to see who our new president was...we were elated with the news and the landslide victory. We can tell you from our discussions with the Italians and without giving our own opinion, they, and the world are elated to have a smart, worldly, balanced president...everyone seems to have new hope. All of Italian TV for the next 24 hours was discussing the new president.

The rains decided to take a break today, so we decided to walk to Parco Fluviale just north of town. It is a path along the Serchio River which comes from the Apuane di Alpe in the Garfanga north of us. It was swollen from the rains and we satisfied our curiosity. In the afternoon, Mauny managed to go for a run on the city wall with other runners, strollers, and cyclists. The wall is definitely a place where seemingly the entire town uses almost on a daily basis. We truly love it here.

November 3rd, Lucca - Moving to a New Place

This a.m., we moved over to our new digs at Affitacamere Primavera inside the walls of Lucca. We stayed there a couple weeks ago and liked it. We will be here until November 19th, when we return to Venice to pack our bike for our trip home on the 23rd. It looks like currently that we do not need to share the bathroom, kitchen and living room with anybody in our new accomodations, since it is off-season. We were also given the bigger bedroom. The kitchen has a ref, stove and we can now cook our meals with dignity....no more sleuth cooking on the camping stove.

After settling in, we went and picked up our bike at our previous hotel where it was being stored and road back to our new place. Rain was threatening, but we got all done in time. So we went shopping and just enjoyed our new digs the rest of the day. The owner also owns a video store next door, so he set us up with a DVD player and we can now rent movies to watch at night.

November 1st - Rain; November 2nd - A 56.k Ride

It rained off and on all day on All Saint's Day. So we talked with Carmine in the morning and then went out to explore the Comic and Games convention. The paper says there are over 50,000 people here now. Carmine had dinner plans tonight, so we came back and made a great barley and vegetable soup and read. We were going to go out and see more costumes at night, but got too tired reading and went to bed early.

On Sunday, November 2nd, we woke up to sunny skies. After breakfast and socializing with Carmine around the table, we walked to get our bike where it is stored in our last affitacamere and took it on a nice ride west of the city. There were throngs of bicyclists out, about 10 groups were seen with about 50 bikers in each group. The ride took us through rows and rows of olive trees being harvested. We have lovely pictures of the white, orange and green nets that are placed under the trees to collect the fallen olives. Carmine told us that there was great concern about all the rain destroying the olives that fall. His father has an olive orchard and makes olive oil.

Our destination was a large lake of which we got a great vista. We came upon another hill town and had our lunch there, before heading toward Lucca. On the outskirts of Lucca, we followed a river trail that took us toward town. The river was peaking. We found a lovely raised caffe trail side and stopped for our afternoon coffee. After putting the bike back in storage, we walked on the grass surrounding the walls of Lucca for a change, and enjoyed the scenes of humanity as well as all the comic characters from the convention.

Carmine went to a retreat in Florence, so we had dinner alone at his place, read and went to bed. It has been wonderful staying with him. He is a very warm man with a great sense of humor and genorosity. Allowing us to use his kitchen to cook (with real pots and pans and dishes) has been a great treat as well. We are looking forward to spending more time with him in the next couple of weeks, as he is just around the corner from the apartment we are taking. He wants us to be involved with our arts in some of his workshops with his clients. Should be interesting.

Friday - October 31, 2008 - Lucca - More Rain

18,000 people are expected to attend the Comic and Game convention. In fact people are starting to pour into town despite the bad weather. Tonight Mauny and Elaine celebrate their wedding anniversary. The plan was to go out, but Carmine suggested having dinner with friends at his charming apartment. We, of course accepted. We went to buy veggies, and a tasty cheese cake. We spent a wonderful evening that lasted into the wee hours. Carmine fixed a finger-licking good rissotto. He actually took the time to show Elaine and Mauny how it is prepared the Italian way. We hope to remember, and be able to make it back home. His friends were also charming, and they brought more fine dishes, and wine. We had slices of cheese with a walnut sitting on top of each slice. You put honey on it just before eating it. It is highly recommended! We went to sleep after midnight to the sound of rain outside.

October 28th-30th, Socked in in Lucca

The last couple days have given us horrific and extremely moody weather...with thunderstorms, winds, then a tease of sun, and a return to sudden downpours. We have tried to wander out when we get a small break to get some exercise, go for coffee, the internet and coffee. On the 30th, we checked out of our digs, stored the bike there for 4 days, and met our Servas host, Carmine Parella. ...a psychologist and a dear. He works alot with his patients with art and drama therapy, including Playback Theater, which Elaine was first exposed to at the Healing and Storytelling Conference in Minneapolis a couple years ago. He met us at his place at 2, within the city walls, we talked, he showed us around his place, and gave us the key to make ourselves comfortable. We offered to cook that night and he was happy to have us do so. Elaine made her pasta and artichoke dish and we sat up until midnight talking. Fortunatley, he offered us to stay here for 4 days until we check into our next and FINAL flat on Monday, which is very nearby. We have been blessed, especially given the weather situaion. We were unable to find room in Lucca for these 4 days, due to a huge Comics and Games convention here...everything is booked solid.

October 21st, Lucca by foot

Today we hiiked the long acquaduct that extends out 2 or more k from the Lucca train station. It called for rain, so we took our rain gear with us, plus lunch. En route, we saw people in their backgrounds tending to their gardens, people driving up in their cars to get water from the fresh spring taps en route. At the end, we saw a path that led beyond it and at night Mauny connected the dots, and saw that it was part of another trail, called something like Via della Acqua, which we had seen on a bike ride a few days . We made note to do the trail, of about 20k, on our next nice day in Lucca. It was beginning to rain, so we had our lunch under one of the aquaduct arches. By the time we returned in the afternoon it was pouring buckets. We stopped at the local supermarket and had dinner back in our room.

October 26th, Lucca to Pisa and back, 67.8

We woke up to not a cloud in the sky and very mild temps. By 10 a.m., we were headed south on S12 business. We rode flat through vineyards, villas, and a street lined with straight trees. We did a mild climb, and went through a tunnel, before doing a serpentine down to the outskirts of Pisa. Pisa is only about 25 k from Lucca and with easy access by bike. The Leaning Tower suddenly appeared and we navigated the streets toward it. We hung out at its plazza that also included a cathedral and cemetery and lots of tourists getting snapped pretending like they are pushing the tower over.

We then went toward the Arno river, and then back up an old shopping street, had some kebob at a Turkish restaurant, and then began our ride back. This time we were coming back on the old road toward Lucca. Mauny had found a side climb for us to do. When we were looking for it, he noticed that we had a flat. So he finally changed the rim tape and fixed the flat, and we found our road up. It was over 7.5 k straight up from the road we left and seemed to go on and on. En route, we saw lots of cars parked to the side, and families out in the woods looking for mushrooms to take home to cook. En route, Elaine and Mauny both got rather exasperated, due to lack of good fueling for such a climb, and had to stop to rest. But we were not deterred and went on. At the top, we thought we were going to find a village, but instead found a restaurant. For those of you in the Ventura area, this Sunday trip was like going to Cold Springs Tavern on a Sunday afternoon. Everyone was there. We rested for a moment there, turned around and made an 18 minute descent down the mountain, with seemingly constant oncoming cars. It was a white knuckle ride for Elaine.

We had a beautful finish to our ride into Lucca and went for some nutella crepes, that were well-deserved. We went home and changed shoes and went back out for groceries. Not a supermarket or bar was open, except for a small pizza joint in our neighborhood, where we had to eat. We did have something new to eat...a pizza like concotion made from chick peas. We went home, showered, read and went to bed with aching legs. A wonderful day!

October 25th, Lucca

Today we walked to the Lucca Saturday market to buy shoes, as we know that we are tempting weather fate with our Teva sandals. Mauny forgot his money belt, so Elaine waited for him inside the city walls. While there, she heard bagpipes and then a man in full Scottish garb approaching. He and his mate were promoting an upcoming concert by a Scottish military band. Elaine told him about her high school band and majorettes from her hometown of Scottdale, PA, which had its own bagpipe brigade and majorettes who did their own Scottish fling at footbal halftimes. They parted company and as he walked down the streets of Lucca, he flung his bagpipe up under his arm, and played the tune that Elaine had mentioned her school bagpipe brigade played upon entering the field. It brough at tear to her eye.

Mauny returned and on they went to the market. Mauny found running shoes, and Elaine a shawl and pair of new slacks to look more presentable for upcoming social evenings out. Mauny went back to our affitacamere and did his first run of 5k since September. Elaine went to wash her very dirty rain jacket, which took about 3 hours, as she had to wait for the stores to open at 3:30 just to buy detergent. So in the interim, she walked the shopping streets to find her shoes. After buying detergent, she went to the laundromat, only to learn that detergent was automatically included in the wash.

Elaine had also bought some Lucchese soup and took it back to the room. After dinner in the room, Elaine and Mauny went to a free concert. Puccini was born in Lucca and they are having a 150 year celebration of his life. Most of concerts are at charge, but the one tonight was free, and was excellent. The very talented jazz trio, took Puccini operas and set them to jazz. Later in the program, they also brought out an operatic singer who sang opera to jazz. It was a unique concept and very well done.

October 24th, Lucca, 50k circuit

Now settled in our first apt. in Lucca, we set out to cycle the 20 k or so to Pisa. However, the skies looked threatening, so we decided to do more local loops. We rode south, then east for a highly rewarding route (all based on gussing from the Touring Club road map we have been using throughout our trip) through vineyards, orachards and small medieval stone built towns. One of the routes overlapped with the Via delle Acqua (road of water) and we saw many people collecting water in jerry cans, and bottles from springs. We finally rode along the acquaduct into Lucca and had lunch beside it. To cool down, we cycled on the city walls two times and Mauny made note of the distance for his future runs (must buy new shoes tmow). We bought some homemade tortellini at the neighborhood store and cooked in our room with a local bottle of wine and good books at our side.

October 23rd, Train: Lucca to Castlenuova di Garfagnana

Last night was a sleepless one, as Mauny and I discovered that the couple next door have are in a lovenest that is over the top.

We decided to take the very small train up into the Apuane mountains to the park hub at Castlenuova. They have a craft and food market there every Thursday. We arrived when it was shutting down and the park office would not open until the later afternoon. So we had coffee and walked around the multi-tiered quaint town. We decided to take the 3 p.m. train back and to just call the office for park info. Mauny had already obtained a good map for hiking and biking.

Back home, Mauny went to the supermarket while Elaine went to the internet. They found each other unexpectently in the small village behind their affitacamere. We had coffee, cooked and read.

October 22nd, Florence to Lucca by train

We woke in time to say goodbye to Elizabetta who was heading to work. She was setting up a very nice breakfast for us. We exchanged our contact info for Lucca hoping to have a better visit later, if she can come there. We then took the bike to the train station and caught an 11:30 train to Lucca. On the train, we met a very interesting young American guy, who was biking from European marathon to European marathon. He had just finished one in the Il Chianti area and was doing a side trip to Lucca, before heading up to Austria. Most of the time he was stealth camping. In Lucca, we made way to our first Lucca apt. which was simple, but clean, yet on the outside of the walls. We were happy to have a sink in our room, so that we could continue to cook and clean dishes in the room. Mauny got a safe place to store the bike. We went and had coffee, bought groceries and settled in for the evening and began some more planning.

October 21st, Train to Florence

We had rain last night, but woke to clearing skies and were able to wipe down the tent to pack it dry. We had breakfast and went to the train station to catch the train to La Spezia and the Firenze (Florence). There we walked to the apt. of our Servas host who was storing our bike. Elaine had phoned her on Sunday night and left a message that we would arrive on Tuesday night (she was expecting us either Tuesday or Wednesday and was going to host us as well on one of those nights, so that we would not have to go to the campground in Florence for just one night). She told us she would be home at 5 both of these nights. When we arrived at 5:30, she was not there and we waited on her stoop. Mauny went to the local Coop to get some pizza which we ate while waiting. Around 7, Elizabetta was sauntering toward us with her bike and was very surprised to see us. She never got our message. Elaine left the message, thinking she was being prodded to do so by the recording in Italian. Lesson learned: always have direct contact to confirm. Nonetheless, she was very generous and had us up and made sure we were comfortable. She had to leave to go to meditation and a potluck and we stayed and began repacking our bags. Unfortunately, she came home around midnight and were were already asleep.

October 20th, Cinque Terre, 10k hike

An aside to our trip itinerary. We received confirmation from our potential Lucca digs that we can stay there from November 3-20, at a negotiated reduced rate of 35 Euro per night (and with a small kitchen to use). We had another backup accomodation in Lucca for the time prior and called them and also received confirmation for October 22nd-29th. We now just figure out what to do from the 29th-3rd, when there are no accomodations in Lucca due to a comic book convention there. Always more logistics to figure out....

Today was a superb day of hiking. We too the train to Riomaggiore and began a hike, this time heading south toward our destination of Porto Venere. After 3k, it began to rain, and were were wondering if we should just abort the hike. But fortunately, there was a coffee house right there when it started. While there, the rain stopped, and we continued on. The hike was just stunning, with varied terrain of pines, chesnut trees, rock scrambling, and down a deep ascent with a stunning view of a medieval castle and another medieval ediface on the point. It was glorious to behold. Porto Venere was a quaint seaside harbour, where Lord Byron and other poets would spend their time. It was like a movie set for a pirate movie. We took the ferry back this time to Riomaggiore, where we caught the train to Levanto. In Levanto, we decided to splurge and have a Ligurian (the province of Cinque Terre) seafood dinner. We found a cute restaurant on a quiet side street.

October 19th, Cinque Terre, 10k hike

It rained lightly last night, but now we were not worried, being in our new waterproof tent. The day ended up being mild and sunny. After breakfast at our site, we took the train from Levanto to the first northern Cinque Terre town, where we would begin our hike through these 5 cliff-clinging towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The towns are absolutely gorgeous, hugging cliffs on one side, and plummeting down to the sea on the western side. The houses are in subdued pastel colours, with each town having narrow streets and small harbours. From a distant, it looks like a Christmas train set landscape. The trails were steep at times, but we were in shape for the task. They cut through terraced vineyards and olive groves. Each picnic area had an assigned cat, with a bowl and sometimes its own tent (you can buy t-shirts of this). The Italians show their love everywhere we have gone.

At the fifth town of Riomaggiore, we caught the last evening ferry back to Levanto. We had planned to get off at Riomaggiore and take the train back and were suprised to see that we had actually landed in Levanto. This time, the Italian logistics surprise worked to our advantage...and the view from the sea with the sun setting was picturesque and rewarding.

Back at the campsite, we ate and showered. Now, there is only one thing wrong with the campsite, which we learned about last night...it has a neurotic town clock that not only sounds on the hour, but also has a different bell for every 15 minutes. So the worst time of night is 12:45, when the first bell tolls 12 times, and second bell tolls 3 more times. The best time of the night is at 1 a.m., when the first bell only tolls one time. Tonight we will put in ear plugs.

October 18th, Train - Lucca to Cinque Terre

This morning we approached our hotelier regarding a longer stay and she asked that we write to her and explain what we wanted. We think this a great place to explore the Apuane Alpi region, much smaller than the Alps. Also, the weather, ironically, is very mild here, and with a place to stay during November, we can take advantage of the nice days and still hike and bike. When it rains, we will have a place to hide that is nice with kitchen, a sitting area, and a city full of coffee shops, and other distractions.

We caught the train to La Spezia, where Mauny handled getting our Cinque Terre passes for the next 3 days. We were amazed how many tourists were still here this late in the season. Then we hopped a train to Levanto, a small seaside town just north of the Cinque Terre "park" area, and with a few trials and errors, found our way to the AcquaDulce year-round campground, which had been recommended to us by a German couple we had met during our ride in Tuscany. Appropriately named, it has a fresh spring coming out in the middle of the campground. It had very modern, but unisex bathrooms and a nice place for cooking with tables. We have found that the other campgrounds we visited to be void of tables. Elaine found the unisex situation strange, although not uncomfortable. She felt that she had been allowed into the very most private areas of the daily routines, of men, in particular, being privy to the routine of females in bathrooms as well as that of her own husband. As an anecdote, Mauny, in contrasts, had spent a year in a Kibutz in Israel where boys and girls showered together...

We went into town, bought groceries and cooked dinner and had nice hot showers.

October 17th, Florence to Lucca, By Train

This morning, just like magic and prior to our rising, our efficient German scout troupe vanished...tents struck and packed away like clockwork. We were impressed. We struck down our tent and checked out, only to find that the Italian trains and buses were on strike (so we were told). We were planning to take the bus to the train station, but had to walk. En route, however, we saw that indeed some buses were running, but otherwise all was strangely quiet on the streets. We thought it must be a notorious Italian work slowdown. We walked the 3k to the station and got a train ticket to Lucca without a problem. In fact, it was awfully quiet at the train station, perhaps because many people couldn't access by bus. The ride only took about 1.5 hours.

In Lucca, we headed to the tourist office and we found a very charming affitacamere (room for rent) right near but inside its medieval walls. It had a kitchenette and shared bathroom. We loved it and our brains starting to get ideas about the next step in this journey. After we walked around and on top of the city walls, our hearts were won. It is a clean city, with small canals flowing, spring oozing around twon with people filling dozens of bottles each, and wonderful walking paths going in and out of the walls and with culture to boot. So we put thought to exploring staying here after going to Cinque Terre and reclaiming our bike from storage in Florence.

October 16th, Florence 0 km

Today was our transition from cycling to hiking and we were a little sad to leave our bike temporarily behind. This a.m, we separated what we needed for the next small portion of our trip. This is when we get to unzip our converitble front panniers in order to be able to use them as backpacks.

In the afternoon, we rode our bike with only the rear panniers on through town again, with the usual chaos, expect this time we knew the way (including where we could steal against traffice on a one way street). We hauled our rear panniers and bike up to the 2nd floor apt. of our Servas host, where she would kep our bike on her balcony, and our bags in her office. We sat and talked with her and her friend for awhile and Mauny got a lot of giggles helping the girls compose a letter to a man they had met at an Israeli-Palenstinian peace conference, while Elaine copied Servas addresses for Rome from her book (Elaine did not bring these on the trip, and now we both think perhaps visiting Rome could be nice, as Mauny recommends). We left shortly after dark and made our way back via bus to our last night at the Michael Angelo campground.

October 15th, Florence, 0k

Another night at Michelangelo campground in Florence. Today, we walked around seeming more piazzas, cathedrals, and statues. We would probably have more interest in Florence, had we not already seen so much in smaller portions in smaller and quainter towns...and Florence was charging more for it. Also, the number of tourists present is just overwhelming. Thus, our art friends will be greatly disappointed that we did not take advantage of this city as much as we should have. We did climb up the dome of the Duomo, which was pretty impressive, ironically much like climbing our own half-Dome in Yosemite.

With news of the economy, we are exploring ways to either shorten our trip or stay put somewhere that we enjoy and can save money off-season.

This evening, our little corner of the campground was encroached upon by a large troop of German scouts (boys and girls). They talked late into the night, as we did when we were their age.

October 14th, Florence, 15k

Elaine was up ill all night with some kind of stomach virus. She was thankful that there were not many people around our immediate sight as she gripped on and over a tree most of the night, in and out of the tent, zipping and unzipping. She felt better by the morning, but without much sleep. So our first task for the morning was to get some anti-nausea medicine.

Today we walked to the Tuesday cheap market on the outskirts of Firenze, along the Arno River. However, we did not find much that interested us. We are looking for shoes for the upcoming rainy season in particular. Afterwards we walked to the secondhand English bookstore, where we did further research on Morocco, Siciliy, etc. and Elaine picked up two novels.

We got back to the camp in the afternoon, and then biked to a Servas host, to speak with her about hosting her first bike only guest. We need to leave our bike somewhere while we go to Lucca and Cinque Terre, taking only the panniers that convert to small backpacks as well as our tent and sleeping bags,etc. Mauny successfully negotiated the madness of the Firenze streets. Everybody rides bikes, no matter what the attire or age, and they claim the streets, in spite of the number of cars. We are quite impressed with their attitudes in this regard. We arrived early, and so had coffee at the local bar.

Our host, Elizabetta, embraced taking our bike in the next couple of days. We left thankful for yet another host helping us and biked back to our camp, but on smaller streets this time, as it was growing dark. Trip accomplished.

October 13th, Florence, 0 k

This am, we cooked and ate breakfast at the campgrounds outdoor cafe, cooking campside first, and then getting the coffee from the bar. We walked to the center and marvelled at the Duomo, other grand edifices of the Renaissance and Medici eras, all the glorious gelato displays, and of course, coffee... However, that being said, we find Florence, congested, polluted and frenetic, and more beautiful from our campsite, actually.

October 12th, Radda in Chianti to Florence, 56k

Taday we had left St. Gimignano before getting here. Another gorgeous day and another beautiful route through the Chianti region of Tuscany. Before departing we had coffee at a cafe in Radda. A German couple stopped on bikes and asked us about the tandem (they had one too). This ended up being a delightful and long conversation for which they joined us at our table. Such are the joys of being on the road and making yourself available to rub elbows. We departed later than hoped, but arrived in Florence in time to enjoy a wonderful descent from Chianti, around a beautiful botanical garden and down a windy street into our campground, the Michelangelo campground. The campground is perched high on a cliff overlooking the Arno river and a stunning view of all of Florence. It has great amenities, including very hot showers, a bar and cafe, internet access, store, bus and foot access to town, etc. We also got assigned a tiny spot in an area all to ourselves. It is quite cozy. Thus is the end to the riding part of our trip to Italy. Stay tuned as we explore on foot, Florence, Lucca, and Cinque Terre.

October 11th, to Radda in Il Chianti, 50.2k

A glorious ride out of our campground. Another warm day and we even rode with short sleeves by 11 a.m. The views were fantastic, and the hills long, but with good grades. Regardless, pedalling uphill for 20 plus k peaking at 600 meters is tiring, especially loaded wih 25 plus kg. Going through Poggisbonsi was a nightmare and we had to stop and ask many people many times, the way...to San Jose. Our first goal was Castellina in Chianti, obviously in the beautiful wine country where Chianti is made. In spite of these moments of being lost, we made it there in good time. There we had coffee for a short break, and ate our salami and cheese sandwiches. Now, I am sure many of you are pondering our very bad diet. It is true, but these seem to be our limited choices while cycling...hopefully we are getting rid of the cholesterol fairly quickly. We will get back to our healthy routine once we are back home and can buy fresh produce, refrigerate, etc.

We also made it in no time to Radda in Chianti, a small town in the Chianti region. It was best to stop here for the night, so we grabbed the first place advertising camere (rooms) and we got a lovely spot in a home in a walk-in basement. We had a terrace and window that overlooked a drop dead valley of vineyards. Our host had grapes on our table ready to eat, and spoke very clear and animated Italian. We really enjoyed her. After unloading we walked 1k into town and had a look, to use the internet, buy groceries. At our host's recommendation, we also bought a bottle of the local Vin Santo and Cantucci (biscotti)...and we went back to our little abode and poured and watched the sun set on the hills. The locals like to dip the biscotti in this sweet wine..so when in Rome....Our big discovery in Radda was that it was a hub for a hell of a lot of peanut butter (we treasure and hoard when we find it). ...and who said there was no peanut butter in Italy.

October 10th, San Gimignano, 37k

We spent the day in and around this lovely hill town. We had our breakfast of cereal campside as the sun was slowly shining on the town, our view from our camp, and then on us. We walked up the steep path to the bar for coffee and croissants. We then rode the bike 2k to town. We visited the cathedral with its storyboard like art frescoes depicting the history of SG. We climbed one of the town's 12 towers to get a birdeye's view. Ironically, some of the towers align like the World Trade Center. A few had tables and chairs on top of them. We listend to yet another street musician who played a beautiful harp. We took our lunch up another path that overlooked the valley below and had our packed peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We had a session at the Internet cafe trying to do damage control on the ever declining stock market, and then hopped on the bike to do a 25 k ride on a scenic road recommended by Lonely Planet. This was on the way to Volterra which we were going to visit. However, the description seemed very similar to some other hill towns we had been to and we were seeking uniqueness. The roads were hilly, but we ate up the k's in record time, sans panniers. We returned back to town afterwards having earned our right to a world-renowned gelator (and I am ashamed to say we had two of them, so good were they and so deserving we felt).

The day was warm at 25 degrees Centigrade. Cyclists are everywhere and we talked to many at the main plaza here. Everyone is intrigued by our tandem. It is a real conversation starter. We met a large group from Norway, a couple from Seattle and numerous local cyclists. We returned to the local supermarket/Coop for our dinner suppliles. At camp, we showered, cooked pasta and made a salad.

October 9th, Sienna to San Gimignano, 48.4k

What a beautiful day we woke up to. Ate, packed the bike and when we finally showed ourselves in front of our hosts home, they came out to say their goodbyes. I guess the language barrier prevented them from being more social with us. They even suggested we stayed longer, but we were satisfied with what we had seen in Sienna and wanted to move on. We were thankful for an opportunity to have our independence anyway, providing a bed, kitchen, pots and pans, towels, etc. (even though we have our own).

We set off for San Gimignano. The ride was great. We had an unexpected treat en route. On the map, we saw a place called Monteriggioni as a place of interest. From afar, it looked like nothing more than an abandoned medieval fort. But we decided to take a peek, and were surprised to find that it had a tiny city inside of it that was quite charming, with wine tasting, a hotel, restaurants. We did a walk along the city walls and talked with some other bikers there, and of course, tasted some wine. We would definitely recommend this as a place to stay on any bike trip, as it is away from the maddening crowd, yet had all the amenities, including an internet cafe.
San Gimignano turned out to be one of our top favorite hill towns in Tuscany. The book describes it appropriately, in that it looks like you are entering Manhatten (it now has 12 standing towers, and once had 72 of them). In the summer, it also said you would feel like half of Manhatten had moved in, as it is a popular tourist place. We found a stunning campground and campsite, down a steep hill, that gave us a great view of the SG. We unloaded our stuff and headed into town. It was a delight to go in on such a light bike. After tooting around, we had a wonderful Tuscan meal and then went to the central plaza where some German students were playing outstanding classical music. An end to a perfect day!

October 8th, Sienna, 0 K

Having taken the bus last night back to our Servas host home, we were able to figure out how to walk into town today. A breeze...We visited the big fort (not mentioned in the tour books) and the market around it (Wednesday is market day all over Sienna). The weather was gorgeous. Went to an internet cafe and to see a recommended church only to find it now converted to a university. The view of the city was nice. We went back to Il Campo, picked up some gelato and laid down on it, like many other toursits, soaking in the Tuscan sun. We watched a mime entertain those at Il Campo and photographed many, many people eating gelatos.
We returned to our Servas host home and Mauny worked on the bike, changing the brake pads, worn out b all our steep descents we have done the last 800k. He tuned up the bike as well. This is the 2nd set of brakes changes on this trip. We made dinner in our room and went to bed.

October 7th, Sienna, 0 K

We spent the day exploring the wonders of Sienna. We decided to walk, using the map we bought yesterday. Although we had found our host with the map, the streets we wanted to navigate into town, did not exist, except for on the map. So we decided to take the bus. After we got on the bus, we found out that we should have bought a ticket at the tabachi. However, the driver did not seem to care, so we rode into Sienna free of charge. We got off near the center. After all the lovely hill towns we have visited Sienna did not seem as much of a surprise as we had thought. It is pretty, but very touristy with Americans everywhere. The cathedral was stunning, with over 50 marvelous marble created scenes on the floor.

We bought some groceries and returned to our host facilities. We have found our arrangement with this Servas host a little unusual, as neither he nor his wife come out to see how we are, offer us wine or coffee....nothing, no communication at all. We are feeling a little odd about this. However, we appreciate the generousity of shelter over our heads as always.

October 6th, Bano Vignoni to Sienna, 59.4 K

Today started out as one of our best days. We had a very hearty breakfast prepared by our British patron. The best we have had so far. The road from S. Quirico to Asciano was the most scenic we have experienced, in which we road a pathlike paved crest of a mountain, from which flowed vineyards and vistas on either side. To top that, we have had the best gelato in Asciano, which seems to be a hub for cyclists with great eats. Talked with an Aussie couple there.
From here we roade to Sienna, with a few challenging ups and downs with signs of 20% grades. Regardless, none were as tough as we had thought. We must be in shape. Entering Sienna was tricky to say the least and finding our Servas host a little bit of an adventure (more on this later). Stopped in a tabbachi for better maps, and the patron was kind enough to show us where the host was located outside of town. Elaine had tried to talk with the host prior. As she had little Italian and he little English, she got out of him that he was in a neighborhood named Cappacini. We were able to find us and greeted us with a kiss on both cheeks. He showed us to our room, which was in the basement of his house, with a kitchenette and private entrance. In the Servas book, it said lodging only, and so we were not suprised that we were going to be on our own. However, we were a little disappointed in the cleanliness of the room, and we are still peeling off cobwebs from our clothes, several days later. When we could not communicate, he took us into his house, and we sat down at his computer, on which he had a translator. Thus, we were able to tell him how long we were staying, ask about hot water, etc. We washed our clothes in the sink, hung them to dry, admired the 5 kittens he had, made our dinner and planned our voyage into Sienna tomorrow.

October 5th, Montepulciano to Bagno Vignoni, 34.4k

After our Italian breakfast we walked around Montepulciano, a town known for its wine (name excapes me at this time, but you can look it up). We enjoyed the fantastic views which are regarded as a UNESCO World Heritage area. We tasted some wine in town, got food staples for the day and departed after noon. We made an hour stop in the hilltop town of Pienza which originally was not on our agenda, but the view of the valley below from its vantage point was recommended. There we sat on the perimeter stone walkway and had caffe americano and talked with two women who were on their upteenth trip to Italy. After that we set out for Bagno Vignoni, a short trip. En route, we talked with a biking family from Australia who were travelling with a teen son and baby in diapers in tote. We are so amazed when we meet families like this who are so adaptable. What an education they are providing. We headed toward S. Quierco, where we searched for a room for the night. All were chiuso (this is an inside joke for us, as it seems everytime we need or are looking for something, it is closed). We decided to press on toward our sight destiination of Bagno Vignoni, where there are hot springs once used by the Etrucans, and other old folks of yore. Of course, today they are used by old folks of today. Italy is full of agriturismos (working farms where you can get rooms for the night) and bed and breakfasts (different from US b&bs). En route to Bagno, Elaine saw a B&B named San Buonoventura (the Italian version of our own home town, San Buenaventura). Even though it looked like nobody was home, she decided to walk up the gravel road and knock. And indeed they had rooms available. We checked in, unloaded our bikes and flew down to the baths, crested on a hill. A place for the hoighty toighty and not for budgets like ours, we just had a look. We went back home, ate in our room, and watched Italian TV before retiring.

October 4th, Celle S. Rigo to Montepulcino, 45.8k

We awoke to dark overcast skies. After the typical Italian hotel breakfast of a croissant and coffee, we just hung out in the lobby waiting, waiting for the clouds to disperse. At last, Mauny thought it good enough to take a chance. So we made our way to our next destination, which is on the map of many wine enthusiasts...Montepulcino. The road was not spectacular, but there was not much traffic, for which we are always thankful. As usual, a grueling ascent to this hill town. Upon entering the gates, a car stopped dead in front of us and Mauny drew a crowd (and Elaine got a push) by shouting "Allez, allez, Tour de France!". Everyone was laughing. The information office was closed and it was a Saturday. We have found this often in Italy. So one of us would go off in search of a hotel, while the other watched the bike. I think we got the last room in the town (and these always seem to be on the 4th floor for us) at a hefty price, which we were forewarned about in our travel books. So we just bit the bullet. We were in a suite, community rooms of which we shared with other renters. This included a kitchen, tv, etc, so we were able to prepare our dinner there. Unlike most people who visit Italy, we have not been experiencing the good food and wine as much as we would like to save money. While unpacking, there was some kind of parade going on out on the plazza with colorful flag tossing. Mauny was able to get a pix. It was a cold night, so we walked outside only briefly before retiring.

The next morning after our Italian hotel breakfast, we walked around Montelpulcino and sampled some of the fine cheese, bread and wine, and saw alot of old buildings on steep streets.

October 1st-October 3rd, Onward from Orvieto.

We have arrived in Sienna yesterday. We will cover our adveture in Orvieto, Pitigliano, Celle S. Rogo. All are in Tuscany. We will track back to where we left off at our last post:

10-01-08 ORVIETO TO PITIGLIANO - 61.4 km

Today we entered Toscany, leaving Umbria behind. We woke up at 7:30 and started packing our bags. The bike was chained to a door at the lobby, and our bags were three floors up. We packed the tiny elevator twice to get all our stuff down. At 8 am, the head nun came by (after prayers) to check us out. We rode into the center of town - two blocks - to the local Bar for coffee. We had our cereal earlier at our room. It is hard to find a good American breakfast in Italy, so when we can we buy milk, eggs, cereal, etc., and prepare the meals in our room with our little camping stove, and mess kit.
We had planned an easy exit out of town, but soon discovered that the road was leading in the wrong direction ( have't we been here before?). The correction added what seems our customary daily 10km "error penalty".
What causes all this is the fact that the roads aren't properly marked. If the map has a road number, the signs don't, or visaversa. Mauny selceted what looked like a quiet road out of town. When we fianlly got there we found ourselves having the steepest climb yet! We were climbing for over 4km on grades that had to be more then 10%. With the loaded bike, we once started pedaling after a short stop, and the wheel actually spun below us. I, for a moment thoght we broke the hub...
So, on a couple of occasions we walked the bike for 10 minutes which proved just as difficult. Once on top of the mountain, we actually had a fun ride in great weather. The descent down to Lake Bolsena was as pretty as it gets. We had a flat ride along the lake, and enjoyed some of the landscape Toscany is known for - vineyards, olive groves, and small pretty farms. We later ascended to the town of Gradioli where we had a coffee break at the local Bar. Two Italian cyclists stopped by to gulp a coppa'. We had a chat with people at a table next to ours. They were curious about our trip, and wished us a "bon voyage". At 4:30 we spotted a B&B and decided to check in. We left our bags in the room - at ground level this time around - and rode into town light, and fast. Pitigliano is a true charm. It is like a three dimensional scuplture of Escher paintings. We just loved it! There is an old synagogue there which is open to visitors. We bought chocolate covered mazza to take to our room. Back later in the evening, we bought groceries at the local Coop, and discovered that there was a big winery right next door. Tractors upon tractors where lumbering up the hills to enter the winery with white, and red grapes. After hours, they just park in front of the gate for the night. We are still looking for peanut butter, but no dice. We found baked chicken, and ate it with fresh salad, and mashed potatoes in ur room.

10-2-08
We initially intended to leave today, but after reading more about this area, we changed our minds. We will stay another day so that we could hike the ancient cave paths, as they are called here. These pathways were carved by the Etruscans BC. They were later expanded by inhabitants from the Middle Ages. Today, you can hike there with walls rising above you on each side. The area is thickly forested, and at this time we saw cyclemens in bloom everywhere. There are small streams flowing form all directions, and here and there you get a glimps of parts of this hill town. We wre glad to have decided to stay the day!

10-3-08, PITGILIAMO TO CELLE S. Rigo, 57K

After breakfast, we saddled up and went to the local coffee shop for the usual lfare. The weather forecast called for rain in the afternoon. Regardless, we went to visit the town of Sovana, which is quaint and pretty, and warranted about an hour. We then went back up the hill and made our way through Sorano, which we were greatly suprised by both the ride and the amazing cliff side position of the town. We rode up and down through beautiful tufa canyons. Saw bikers going the other way. After town, an ascent as the weather began to thicken and the wind began to blow somewhat. We spotted a tiny town on the map...Celle sul Rigo...would we find shelter there. We made it up the grueling ascent just in time..to a hotel with a young entreprenuer who had only one hotel thus far in his hote. After settling in, we walked through the tiny village, and had pizza at the local bakery before playing cards in the lobby at night, watching the local men coming and going in and out of the rain from the street to the bar. We felt that again we had outsmarted the weather.....

October 2nd: Writing from Pitigliano

Wed. 9-24-08 FORTONE TO GUBBIO - 46km

Today, we popped four tubes due to overheated wheels. I will elaborate later.

We left Fortone toward the ancient monestary of Fonte Avellana which is situated at 700 meter. After doing our compulsory "get-lost 10k", we got on the right road to begin an ascent into pristine countryside. The climbs were tolerable, and we managed a steady clip. The more challenging feat was the steep descents. They were winding switchbacks without any leveling to give the hands a break from the brakes. Mt. Catria looming to our right with building thunderheads we hoped were going to spare us (and they did). At the monestary we chained the bike to a guard rail on the main road, and descended on foot on a gravel road to visit the site. It is, as usual for monestaries, situated on prime real estate. We cycled through beautiful roads cutting through canyons with pleasant winding roads. The final part of the trip today was the extremely steep descent into the hill town of Gubbio. I knew the wheels could not take the constant braking, so I stopped the bike to cool off the wheels. As soon as we stopped the rear tube popped. What is one to do? Had I continued it would most likely blow. Once stopped the spinning and forward motion caused the wheel to heat up even more. Since there was no way to coast, I did the right thing. So, I changed a tube. On we went. No more than 2 km, and it popped again. I couldn't believe it, since I was very careful this time pumping the brakes. Luckily I found a small widening in the road to lay down the bike for the change. Twice more the tube blew as soon as I pumped it. I scratched my head, and discovered the real problem. We melted the inner rim liner during the first descent. The material bubbled deeply into the sprocket holes, one actually burst open. With the last good tube avalable, I decided to offset the holes. This worked, except for one hole. I put a tire patch to cover this hole, and we were finally cruising without incident. As we were finishing our descent we realized we were only 2 km from town! We could have walked if needed. Anyway, walking the bike with all the weight, on a flat tire would not be a good idea. We had one more hour before dark, so all ended up well. We will need to find a bike shop for tubes, and tape for the wheels.

As a result of this misshap, we cancelled our visit with SERVAS host and checked into a hotel near the center of town.

9-25-08 GUBBIO TO MANGARA - 15 km

Last night when we called from Gubbio to cancel our visit with SERVAS hosts, we discussed the possibility of staying with them tonight instead. Tim, and Marie, who lived just outside of town on a small farm up the hill, suggested they would meet with us in mid morning. Last night we had a chance to visit the town for a bit. The most amazing thing in this town is the huge palace which dominates the town no matter where you might stand. The winding streets, and ancient buildings are a marvel to the eye.
When Tim, and Marie showed up, Elaine left with Marie to the library, and Mauny left with Tim to look for parts for the bike. Tim was very kind in taking the time to drive around to two bike shops for parts. Luckily, the second shop had everything we needed for the bike. Mauny decided to schedule a tune-up as well. Tim dropped Mauny off at one end of town with enough time to walk through some of the neighborhoods before the scheduled meeting with Elaine and Marie for lunch in a popular local pizzeria which is underground. This by far was the best pizza we had so far (oh, there was to be yet another best pizza we were going to eat in the near future...). The arrangement was made for us to meet Tim, and Marie at their house early evening. We took the bike out of the hotel, packed our bags and rode to the neighboring town - 4 km away - to the bike shop for a tuneup. After the tuneup, we rode the rest of the distance to Tim, and Marie's house. The steepness of the hill, accompanied by the rough road defeated us on a couple of occasions, and we were forced to walk the bike. We arrived early, and parked the bike against the house. While waiting for our hosts' arrival, we walked around a bit. The place was beautiful, with a view of Gubbio in the distance. It got a bit cold, and late. We didn't know what to think. Finally, at dark, while walking downhill to warm up - cat in tow - they arrived. The reason for the delay was medical. Marie got some cactus stickers in her hand, and needed medical attention while in town. The house is without running water, but they keep making trips to fill containers of water. Water for drinking, for washing, for flushing, etc. Makes one appreciate how precious water is. We had a fantastic dinner, and a well deserved sleep.

Fri. 9-26-08 MANGARA TO PERUGIA - 37km

It rained at night, but cleared in the morning. Early in the morning we had a brief breakfast, as Marie was leaving for Rome, and Tim needed to drive her to the station. We liked both of our hosts, and felt sad we couldn't spend more time with them. We said our goodbyes, and mounted our tandem for the next let to Perugia. We rode in the kind of weather you know was going to get you: strong wind and a bank of clouds moving from the northwest. We hoped we could outrun this incoming cloud. As we put miles behind us, climbing, descending, and climbing again. The scenery dramatic, and just perfect for any cyclist - we felt that we did get lucky: except for a couple of sprinkles, we were spared the rain. In Perugia we were to visit Pierre Luiggie, and Sonia. These SERVAS hosts are true adventurers. They have travelled by van to places like Iran, Georgia, and Syria. They have fantastic pictures from their trips. Pierre Luiggi is an avid cyclist himself, and he had a place to store the tandem. They live in the heart of town in a building several hundred years old. We couldn't have spent three days in a better location with better people. We arrived in the early afternnon and Sonnia had to go teach and Pierreluigi had to go check his grapes crop, so we went up to the main square and visited the Cathedral and an overview of Perugia. The dinner we had the first night was a true Italian delight with rissotto, and other casserole dishes with fish, and vegetables. We were accompanied by a few of their friends who happen to be also SERVAS hosts. The atmosphere was cosy, amicable, and we felt we could live in such a town, and socialize with these interesting people.

Sat. 9-27-08: STAYING PUT IN PERUGIA - 0 km
Today we spent the day wandering around Perugia which is full of charm with multi-layered old housing, walkways, etc. Every turn is a treat. We saw the Etruscan arch, went to several churches (where weddings were also taking place). However, we found the Medieval Gardens closed. Just walking around this lustrous city was entertaining enough. We stopped for chocolate desserts and coffee, went to the antique market, shopped and then back to the apt. Sonnia and Pierreluigi had other plans with friends (to which were invited), but we opted to rest.

Sun. 9-28-08: ASSISI AND SPELLO

We got up early and had croissants and coffee at a cafe overlooking Perugia before walking to the bus station from which we went to Assisi. We were not that impressed with Assisi as it was overloaded with tourists and was quite a trap. It was also very pristine, and in spite of its antiquity and spiritual premise, seemed without a soul. We saw a couple Basilicas, but the tourists ran us out. So we hopped the train and took a 10-minute ride to Spello, which is a quaint little town built on a hillside. You walk up going through it and down coming back. Little cobblestone alleys. We just walked around there and had coffee. We took the train back to Perugia, but got off at the wrong Perugia station. Our books failed to tell us there were two. So we put out 18 Euros for the ride back to our hosts home. Live and learn. We took Sonnia and Pierreluigi out for pizza and had good scotch back at their apartment and shared pix of our separate travels before retiring.


Tues. 9/29/08 PERUGIA TO ORVIETO - 79 km

Just like the Wizard of Oz, after saying goodbye to Sonia, Pierreluigi lead us out of Perugia by bike about 15 k to where we met the Yellow Brick Road that would take us on the back roads to Orvieta. Today we had our longst climb. The climb was followed by our longest descent yet, but no blowups this time since there was enough time to cool off the brakes when grade softened periodically. Mauny's hands though, suffered the consequences of prolonged pressure on the break handles. Orvieto is like a cake carved out of a rock outcropping. It has the prettiest cathedral we have ever seen. We just loved it. Of course, as usual with these hill towns, there is the final painful ascent after a pleasant glide. Regardless, the 4 km climb was baby food as compared to the long gradual climb we had just completed, and what a treat! We checked into a hotel run by nuns. It was clean, and quiet. The room had a large balcony overlooking the valley below. Next door, a British cyclist who is riding solo, headed to Rome.

Tue. 9-30-08 ORVIETO - 0 km

We spent the entire day enjoying what this town has to offer. It is a rather small town, but it has enough to fill a day, or more. We first walked around the perimeter admiring the steep walls it is built on. These walls are tufa rock outcrops that are in themselves a natural fortress. We then proceeded to enter the famous 52 meter deep well. This is a storybook well with internal corkscrew staircases. Yes, two staircases, one for going down, the other for climbing out. It is an impressive enginnering feat of middle ages when the citizens prepared for a long siege by the Imperial army (Rome was sacked at this period - one needs to read more history books on the subject). The climax was the large cathedral. This is by far the most impressive cathedral we have ever seen. Photos will not do it any justice. One must see it in person. But, we will have photos in the future, nevertheless. We crossed the plazza in front of the cathedral to visit the Etruscan Museum. Now, we know ( we think) who these people were...We tucked in for the night after more latte, chocolate, and other Italian delights. We ended the day with a room-cooked dinner.

September 23rd, Urbino to Frontone, 47k

Our intention this a.m. was to wake up at 6 a.m. But we were so cozy in our sleeping bags that we did not leave until 9, instead of 8 a.m. We boiled 4 eggs for breakfast on our alcohol stove and had it with bread and anchovy spread and of course, with hot tea. Today we are trying to get to Gubbio, 45k to the south. We set our goals on the town of Cagli. The weather started off cloudy and cool and we were cold in our long descents. The road flattened and narrowed as we entered Furlo, a national forest area with steep gorges and an ancient Roman tunnel to go through. We stop for coffee past the tunnel in an area where Mussolini used to do the same (La Golena at Gola di Furlo=, for its beauty. Elaine gets her phone card stuck in the phone booth and has to call on the baristas to bail her out to no avail. Mauny and tools to the rescue! After Cagli, we stop at the side of the road to eat p&j sandwiches and press on after that. When we reached Frontone, a town before we are to make a major ascent into the national forest (with no towns en route), the weatherman, Mauny notices a huge thunderhead and believes it would not be best to press on. We stop in a lovely little 2-star hotel in Frontone for the night. After checking in, we go for a little walk in the town and then return to the room. Mauny is an accurate weatherman as we do have showers that would have been treacherous conditions for us had we pressed on. Our room opens onto the roof and we handwash clothes and cook in the bathroom. We do have coffee in the restaurant as well as apertifs of limoncello after dinner. Hey you have to have some class. 55Euros for the hotel is a bargain in these parts. That is about 75 dollars. Elaine makes many calls to Servas to continue cutting our expenses while experiencing Italy with the locals.

September 22nd: Urbino, 10k

We wake up to no rain and wet clothes on the line. But the sun is peeking out. Mauny is out of clean clothes and borrows one of Elaines shirts. Our breakfast is hot tea and a new creation that Elaine wants to market...peanut butter and nutella sandwiches...but perhaps will inject them into a croissant.

We have a steep descent and then a short ascent into Urbino. We lock the bike, while everyone is in awe of our mode of transport. We visit the big Cathedral, the palace of the Ducale, and the National Gallery. Murals are on display from the 15th and 16th century with other paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The city is a true gem.

We spend two hours at the Internet cafe, buy some groceries for tomorrows ride. We ride back to the campground which is on top of hill, from which you can see the walled city of Urbino. You can hear the church bells ring from our site. That night we have mashed potatoes with salami. We will have to decleanse ourselves upon our return to the states. Each night seems filled with checking maps, guidebooks, and listings of Servas hosts. No time for luxury reading.

Sunday, September 9th: Into the hills from Catolica, 49.7 km

We woke up at 7:30 and as directed by our hosts, we ate in the hotel restaurant. It seems that they have some type of arrangement for such things for their guests. Fantastic chocolate croissants. It is hard to imagine, that just a week ago, we were bailing water out of our tent and now we are getting first class treatment. After loading our bikes, we knocked on our hosts door and they came down to the garage and then outside to take many photos prior to departure. We wished we could have stayed longer, but we must move on, especially when the skies are kind. We are proud to have been Georgias first Servas guests.

The ride today is throught the hill towns in Le Marche. This is what we came for. Windy roads through fields of of olive, apple, plum trees and grapevines. Our goal is the jewel of Umbria...Urbino. It is about 5:30 when we arrive in the outskirts. We see in our guide book that there is a campground outside of Urbino...but will it be open? We took a chance, after a hard climb, it was hard to give up what we had gained. We screamed down a steep descent, only to find ourselves having to climb up the steepest part of our trip so far...and were so glad to see the doors to the campground open! We camped here for two nights, so that we could spend a full day in Urbino. We had showers on and off, but no worres with our new rainproof tent. We made soup, with tuna and cheese sandwiches, took hot showers and hung some clothing out to dry. However, it rained during the night and the clothes would have to go into plastic bags for our next leg of the trip.

Sat., September 20th, On the "Panoramica" - 35 km

This morning we said goodbye to our lovely Servas host in Verseba outside of Rimini (home of Fellini, by the way). Our goal today is to take our fully loaded tandem on the train south from Rimini to Pesaro and then ride north along what is called the Panoramica a cliffside ride along the Adriatic.

We are forewarned that we must carry our bike up and down steps at the train station (the number of these steps at each station will be different). Then we must quickly decide which end of the train has the bicycle loading car. All of our years of lifting weights (and doing aerobics paid off) as we were able to accomplish both. Fortunately we poised the bike away from pedestrian traffic on the platform - midway, and Elaine ran ahead of Mauny to direct him to the proper car to store our bike. No car was marked so we chose our own. Getting the bike up the three stairs with a narrow door on the train was the most challenging aspect of this journey. However, in the end, we had the whole car to ourselves and no conductor even checked our tickets. Then we had to hurriedly get the bike off the train, before it left for the next stop after Pesaro. Our hearts were pumping.

Finally in Pesaro and after some discussions with a charismatic taxi driver (we think), we made our way to the entrance of the Panoramica. About mid-way we stopped at a recommended restaurant (La Rupe) with a view in a tiny old town on a hill. In addition to eating lunch there, we walked around the town and took some pictures. The sun was breaking through clouds at last.

Then we rode on to Cattolica where we were going to stay with another Servas host for the night. After meandering around a couple seaside towns, we found our way to Cattolica.

Our host told us she lived in a hotel (Hotel Kurstaal). We were pleasantly surprised at our wonderful accomodations. They live in a penthouse at the top of a seemingly very high end hotel. We were given our own two rooms with a bath (and kitchen if we so chose to use it). We had a wonderful view of the plaza where a military band played later in the evening and we watched a fountain dance to music being played on the square. We were actually greeted by the mother of our host, who showed us the garage where we could store our bike and then took us our room and told us that our host, Georgia Galanti, a graphic artist, would be arriving around 6:30 and we would have dinner at 7:00. Georgia arrived as expected, and tooke us for a walk around the pristine town and then to her parents home (the penthouse) for dinner. Apparently, Georgia is working on a home now in the Panaramica and these are her digs in the interim. Her husband is an actor, but was travelling. She had a very charming 6 year old son, appropriately named Leonardo. After a lovely dinner prepared by Sandra, at the end of which we had homemade limencello in frozen ice cups (I must buy some before leaving Italy--Sandra has provided the recipe), Sandra and Georgia went to an art opening in another town. The opening was for a touring theatre troupe and Georgia had created all the promo for it. Because we were leaving early in the morning, we could not go. You just cannot do anything. So Mauny and I retired to our room and watched TV.

We are in Urbino! Our first true hill town

We have made it to the hill town Urbino. What an adventure this has been. But, let us step back in time:

Last Sunday, 9-14, we were still huddled insinde our leaky tent bailing out water continuously. I succeeded getting money out of the last ATM in Sottomarina. Weather is what we would call a tempest! Supposed to get better tomorrow. I cleaned the bike form the sand, and rust formed on the chain. The rest of the time we read, and sit at the local restaurant sipping "cafe Americano con latte caldo". The papers are full of pictures, and headline about this severe storm with flooded streets all over Italy, but not a mention of two poor cyclists from America shivering in their tent...

Monday, 9-15-08: Sottomarina to Mesola, 104 km

We never planned to ride this long, but with our Micheline map we were forced to ride almost half the distance trying to find our way. Here is the rule: the Micheline map has selected towns listed on it. Not one of the towns they selcted to indicate on the map corrolates to the road signs - not even one! So, each time we are at an intersection, nothing makes sense. On the other hand, the Italian road signs do not indicate distances from and to. This makes it difficult to throw in a wild guess. As the day goes by, we realze that we need to ask as many people as possible who look at us puzzled as we mispronounce the names of their towns. Anyway, if not for our desire for a true adventure, we would have booked a guided tour...

So, we ride the Po valley with bike paths on and off. It is flat, fast and a marvelous view. We had an adventure finding how to get on a ramp leading to a big bridge across the Po. We finally passed over this giant river, and onto another smaller Po. The weather was threatening but we were spared any rain.

As we crossed a small river, just before the town of Loreo, Elaine sees a helmeted guy in a church yard. She tells me he must be looking for a bathroom. As we round the curve we see against the wall at the side of the road a sight we never expected to ever see: a red tandem, Santana no else twing a BOB trailer. A lady was standing next to it, and we stopped in awe. The guy returned form the church yard, and we all started laughing. How incredible could this be? We met Elizabeth from Austria, and Peter from Switzerland. Both about our age, and travelling along the Po Valley all the way from their home country. We were going in opposite directions, they from Ferrera to Venice, us from Venice to Ravenna. There was a nice country-side restaurant next to the churck, and we sat down for a drink and a long friendly chat. This so far is a big highlight for us!

We parted company after posing for photos. Our quest for easy navigation continued with our inadequate map, and the enigmatic towns. It was getting late in the afternoon, and we realized we were going to have to be creative. There were no hotels, no campground - nothing in this area with only a small rural towns. Suddenly, at about 7:30 Mauny spots what looked like a playground, and a picnic area with tables, chairs, and swings. There was a building suggesting a restaurant, but no, it is a small airport. It looked quiet, but two cars were parked in front of the building. Elaine knocked on the door, and two ladies with a young boy came out. Elaine asked if we could camp there. They saied it was. We started pitching our tent, and suddenly one of the ladies came and said we could sleep inside the restaurant, because it was supposed to rain that night. We asked about the morning, all in broken Italian, Spanish, French, and some English. We understood that this is a private airport that was not going to be used for several days. They gave us keys to the restaurant so we could lock ourselves in, and said we could leave the back door unlocked after we left. This was an experience of hospitality at its best! We slept while it rained outside ( We still had our leaky tent, and it would not be fun to have to bail it again).

Tuesday, 9-16-08: On to Marina di Ravenna, 88 km - Surprise no. 3!

We had a good wake up at our little airport dwelling. We didn't mention the friendly, and playful kitten the kept us company through the night. Acutally, we wanted to get it inside, but didn't want to break its habbits in case it was being trained not to enter. So we cuddled, and played but put it outside for the night.

The good news is: no rain! On this ride we are still on flat terrain cruising at 20-25 kph with occasional head wind. We pass a couple of charming towns such as Porto Garibaldi, and Comancchio. Both having a small canal - a slice of Venice, and a busy town center. The new shocking surprise it that most campgrounds closed on the day we departed Sottomarina. This wasn't mentioned clearly in our guidebook. We are now in late afternoon after crossing by ferry into Marina di Ravena to discover that we are tired, and are forced to either continue into Ravenna risking getting lost and riding in the dark. So, we check into a nice hotel at 100 Euros! We start doing the math with our fingers in total shock. We couldn't afford this situation on an ongoing basis. We must find as many SERVAS hosts as possible, and verify that there are some campgrounds open thorughout the year, somewhere in Italy. We had a good hot shower, and cooked a meal inside the hotel (this is something we had mastered many years ago while travelling in Mexico.

Wednesday 9-17-08, 10.2 km - Marina di Ravenna to the City of Ravenna

Up early at our 100 Euro Riviera Hotel. We eat the included breakfast, and pack our panniers for a short ride into town. The bike was stored for the night in the hotel garage, so we pull it out, install the panniers on, and off we go. This session with the panniers takes up to an hour each day when we fold camp regardless whether we camp, or stay at a house or hotel.

Arrived in Ravenna at about 11:00 am to find that the hostel we were going to check into was closed. You see, in Italy most businesses are closed in mid day. Luckily they allowed us to lock our bike in their storgae bin, so that we could walk around town. Ravenna is famouse for its mosaics. Today we are only seeking information regarding where to find good maps, and a rainproof tent. We also acquired information about storing bikes, and internet access. Today ended with information about everything, a purchase of groceries for the next two days. We chacked in, brought the panniers to the third floor where we stayed, and after a shower and dinner, we were in bed.

Thursday, 9-18-08. Zero Km, A Day in the City of Ravenna

We woke up early so that we could visit the museums, and cathedrals with enough time to find maps, and the most important item - a good tent.

Even though Ravenna is a city of cyclists, we decided to do it on foot. We would only walk about 6-8 km, and it would free us from the bike for the day. We visited many fine sites with unbelievable moasaics such as we have never seen before. When we publish pictures after our return, it will become obvious why Ravenna is such a unique town. However, besides the historical sites, we marvelled at the people who ride bikes all over town. There were dressed up ladies riding with high heels, old men going about their business, and grandmothers carrying their granchildren in baskets. Many people do business with store owners without even getting off their bikes! Oh, and we found a tent! Alas, it is bigger than what we hoped for ( 4 people) adding close to 10 lbs to our total load. The good thing is that the poles have shorter links, so that it packs better on our rear saddle. We also found good maps that were recommended to us by our first SERVAS hosts. We have accomplished the most improtant things we set out to do to make our trip more comfortable. We set up our new tent at the hostel's back yard, and I cut out the tub of our leaky tent, discarding the top. This tub would become our bicycle cover for those rainy days. Leaving the bike uncovered proved to be a bad thing. It is in pretty bad shape after a rainy ride as it is, and needs a wiping, and lubricating.

At the hostel, two cyclists from Holand checked in. They rode all the way form Holand along the Rhine, and were enroute to Rome. So far the long distance cyclists we have been meeting were headed to Rome...

Friday, 9-19-08: Ravenna to Rimini - 62 km. A Crappy Rainy Day!

We awoke to a clooudy day with rain in them. We decided to leave no matter what. The reason was that we had made arrangements to visit with a SERVAS host just north of Rimini, and we didn't want to miss our date. As we were packing the bike the rain started. First a drizzle, and then steady rain. We rode a few km to Basilica di S. Apollinare in Classe. We had to get on the main highway for a few kms, but soon we spotted a small and pleasant road to Classe, and arrived at the Basilica. From then on, we kept riding carefully, dodging pot holes, and bad spots. This is when we got our first flat. The rain took a pause, thankfully, just long enough for me to change the tube. We came upon the beautiful coastal town of Casenatico, with its decorated fishing boats, and a nice harbor scene. We stopped for pictures, and a cup of hot coffee. Our rain gear works fine, but it doesn't protect our feet. We called our SERVAS host, Mariolena to let here know we were expected to arrive at her house at 4 pm. We are a bit better at second guessing our Micheline map, and have managed to "outsmart" it on a few occasions...our new maps do not include this area. We arrived at Viserba (just a bit north of Rimini), and knocked on our host's door at around 5pm. We trully felt thankful that our host, Mariolena let two wet cyclists stay the night at her lovely house. We had a tasty Italian dinner, with soup, pasta, and cheese. We drank wine, and herbal tea, and had very interesting conversations. Mariolena is a fine artist who loves watercolors, and has been a photographer for many years. She has exhibited in galleries, and we enjoyed here photo books. We slept like babies!