|
March 24 Friday Bicycle touring Italy from Allerona Italy to Lago Trasimeno Italy Nice leisurely start this morning to our Italian bicycle touring adventure. We sipped hot chocolate with fresh vanilla wafers that have a freshness date on the wrapper of nearly a year from now. We are still in our free camping spot, hidden amongst the pines. Hardly any traffic on the road. We pack up our cycling gear and hit the road. In a couple of kilometres we came upon a group of men cutting trees from the forest. Who knew Italy had lumberjacks? We continued the climb from last night. In about five kilometres we cycled up to a picnic area. There are at least a hundred well spread out wooden picnic tables. This place must be a lot busier during the summer. There is even a nine kilometre hiking trail. Shortly after leaving the picnic area, we crested the summit on our old touring bikes on legs that felt even older. But,the old adage of what goes up must come down proved correct once again. We had a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside with green rolling hills and mountains in the background as we freewheeled downhill on our fully loaded touring bicycles. At Fabro, I finally got to buy bread after the guy behind the counter discovered I wasn't an apparition after all. Three women brought me to his attention. Oh no, I'm just standing here admiring your fine selection of cheeses. But, to tell the truth, I was getting a little cheesed off about being ignored though. As we cycled across the autostrata, a sign showed 13º C at 11:58 AM. The wind makes it feel cooler though, especially while zooming downhill on our touring bikes. We bicycled along a canal and a railroad track for a ways ... so you know it has to be flat. We had a headwind. Can't anything ever be easy while bicycle touring? In my wildest dreams, I never imagined we would find such quiet roads and the wonderful vistas in Italy that we have. Already, even though it's only March, there is lots of green grass. Farmers are working in their fields. The rich smell of freshly tilled earth permeates my nostrils. The smells brings back memories of when my grandfather used to plow up his fields. Cycling along, we found a gravel road and followed it. It led us to a condemned two story brick building. We leaned our bikes against a wall and it didn't fall down. So the building's structure mustn't be too bad. Those touring bikes are heavy! Laying in the sun, out of the wind, sure felt nice. It was even hot. I had to put on my sunglasses and take off my fuzzy cycling pullover. The Coke I had a craving for the past couple of days (the sudden coffee withdrawal, I guess). It didn't taste as good warm, though. Had a couple of slices of pizza for lunch, too. A thin crust smeared with a thinner tomato sauce, some canned tomatoes and a bit of cheese. Stone cold. I thought it was delicious! Amazing what one will eat when one is starving on a cycle tour. Sharon said she couldn't imagine anyone eating this back home. And they think we have lousy food. Not so. We have the all-round best, I'd say. Diverse and cheap. They're not into convenience food in Italy. Everyone cooks. It takes a long time. Not many people eat out. Too expensive -- lunch prices range from $16 - $25. Each. At the church yesterday I overheard a woman talking about buying an ice cream cone. "I hope it's not as expensive as Florence," she said "Remember? 32,000 lira." Thirty-two bucks for four ice cream cones! I don't think I'd ever forget that. Stopped at a cathedral in Chiusi. Nothing special. I'm ruined after the one in Orvieto. Man, now that's what I call a church. We're free camping by Lago Trasimeno on a sidehill, overlooking the lake. We certainly have had some beautiful camp spots on this portion of our Italian bicycle tour. I can see a villa on an island. |
