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.