Il Viaggio di Marco a Italia
Gira Italia
1-16 Settembre 2005The beginning of Settembre found me with a cold and a sore throat, so I did the obvious thing and packed up my panniers and began cycling south. I was losing the villa for two weeks to another tenant, so I really had no choice.
On Settembre 4th, I met my friend Lora in Siena and we went to her friend Lauren's wedding. Our meeting was a bit funny. We agreed to meet at a hotel in Siena, but as fate would have it, it was more of an apartment than a hotel. Thus, no signs to it. But we both had the address... but Ialians aren't great about things like street signs, certainly not accurate ones.
Anyway, I arrived first and wandered up the obvious street where the apartment should be. I met the owner on the street (he saw my bicycle so it figured I was me). I got all checked in and then he left for the evening. So, now what? Lora may or may not be showing up this evening. There's no sign for the place. So, I did the obivous thing. I opened a bottle of chianti and relaxed in the living room. she After a glass of wine to ponder the situation, I wondered to the window (3 stories up) to check out the view. And look who's slowly wandering up the street - pushing her bike over the cobblestones! As I call out (well, whistle actually), she is distracted by a couple of Italians asking about her bicycle tires. I called out again and she looked up.
So, I came down two glasses of wine in hand, and opened the front door. It seems meeting in a randow Italian town at a random hotel isn't such a problem after all.
Gira Italia
Our bike tour started by leaving Siena on Sunday, 4 Settembre and ended on 16 Settembre in Schilpario. Here's a map of our route.We figured we needed a fun yet challenging route, so we decided to cycle to Elba (the island) via Volterra (a Tuscan hill town). We learned why they call them HILL towns! The last 6 miles to Volterra was uphill.
The View From Volterra
And here's a view on Elba of the road that cuts across the center mountains of the island.
After that, we would head north up the coast to Pisa (via a train because the coast was overdeveloped). Then, to avoid the overdeveloped coast again (a 50 km stretch), we cycled to Lucca and up the Garfagnana river valley. This put us east of the Alpi Apuane, so we then cycled up and over them (in a thunder and lightning storm), and down to the coast at Carrara.
Then we went through La Spezia and up over the ridge (twice) into Cinque Terre. Avoiding the boring 50K of coastline ended up being a 180km detour over a 5000' pass!
The view from the summit of the Alpi Apuane (about 5000' ASL)
Cinque Terre (Corniglia)
After a much deserved rest, in Cinque Terre (we hiked one day, and cycled WITHOUT our panniers the second), we headed northeast back over the Alpi Apuane again. We landed in Pontremoli (a non-touristy town) for the night. From there, we headed over the Apennines (the center mtns of Italy) into Parma. Our last day found us in Milan where we managed to catch an Opera at La Scala before Lora headed home. I then cycled north into the Alps for two days before catching many trains back to Firenze.
Gira Italia: Some Details and Photos
Our first stop was Volterra where a banner competition (complete with drums and horns) was going on. we bought tickets and watched fr a couple of hours. Sometimes, on eguy would juggle/toss 4-6 flags by himself. Other times, the whole troupe would thorw flags to each other around the square. It was all very colorful and impressive. The pictures don't do it justice.
Catching the flag with his leg
The big throw!
In Volterra, we stayed at an old monastery. Supposedly, Christopher Columbus prayed and studied here as a small boy.
Volterra Towers
Loaded Up and Ready To Leave Volterra For The Coast
The View From Volterra: Our day started with a sweet 8 mile down hill!
Next we cycled to Piombino on the coast and caught the ferry to Elba where Napoleon spent some time. Elba was great fun. It's a small island (20 miles long by 4 miles wide). We cycled around the island and up over the central mountains. Spent 3 days there biking, swimming, and eating. Okay, so that's really what we did everywhere we went.
Our First Swimming Spot!
Cool Steps
Poggio: the small hotel-less town we went to. Eventually, we cycled over the mts and down to the other coast.
Marchiana Marina
The road across the center mountains of Elba
An Old Roman Tower
Marina Di Campo
After Elba, we trained to Pisa, spent the night there, and then cycled up through Lucca and up the Garfagnana Valley to avoid the boring coast. It rained on us that day - a lot. But, by afternoon, it cleared up and we sort of dried out. We stumbled across the famous Ponte Diavolo (the Devil's Bridge). It was a nice afternoon break. We ended the day in Castel Nuovo di Garfagnana - a small mountain town. We found a nice hotel, had a great dinner, drank some fine wine, and slept to sounds of an awesome thunderstorm.
The Pisa Tower (straightened by me)
The Pisa Baptistry
Ponte Diavolo
Ponte Diavolo: it doesn't look it, but it was so steep and slick that we could barely walk up in (in biking shoes)
Ponte Diavolo
Ponte Diavolo
Ponte Diavolo
Unfortunately, the storm continued the next day, so we had to cycled over a mountain pass to get back to the coast. We held out in a local cafe for an hour (two cappucinos) procrastinating, but finally we had to go. The other patrons looked on incredulously as we left the cafe with thunder and lightning and torrental rain coming down. We stared incredulously at each other as well. One woman shook her head and crossed herself.
We cycled for a few hours in the rain up over the Alpi Apuane. The
rain let up by noon and the ride was grand!
Views in the Alpi Apuane
Views in the Alpi Apuane
Views in the Alpi Apuane
And finally, the mountain pass!
The View Right After Exiting The Tunnel! We stopped for lunch.
A marble quarry
Views in the Alpi Apuane
A marble quarry
Galleria Non Illuminata! Turns out that most of the tunnels weren't lit. We didn't have lights so the tunnels were particularly treacherous. Most of them leak water (Italian engineering?), so they are full of pot holes. We learned to slow way down! Of course, then it takes longer to get through them and you almost guaranteed for a car to come which presented a new challenge...
A view of the coast!
Lora Taking A Break
After crossing the Alpi Apuane, we made the coastline and cycled up and around to Cinque Terre. We thought we had arrived, but alas, there is always one one hill. Well, in this case, it was a 2000' ridge. We should have suspect, when some cyclists at the bottom saw us and commented, "Wow! You're going up fully loaded?". Oops.
Lora On The Last Hill of The Day
Corniglia: a Cinque Terre town
And finally, our hotel room and a great view!
The bikes' new home for three grand days in the Italian Riviera
Cinque Terre coastline
Vernazza and its one street
400 Steps from the water to Corniglia
Lowering boats into the steep harbor!
After Cinque Terre, we headed inland again back through the Alpi Apuane and the Apenines. We stopped in Parma for the night (home of Parmesan cheese - which we indulged in). Then a train ride took us to Milan where Lora caught a plane back to the US.
The View Inland From Cinque Terre
Damn! Do we have to go over those, too?
The last pass
Small chapel in the last pass into Pontremoli
On the top of the last big hill of the trip
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