|
April 4 Tuesday Bicycle touring Italy from along Italy's Arno River to above Capanne Italy There's no denying my uncanny ability to judge flat cycling terrain -- when I checked my cycle meter's altimeter this morning, before resetting it to start a new day, and lo and behold, the altitude climbed yesterday? Zero. Leaving our free bike camping spot, I decided to lift the chain this morning and push the bikes under the chain, rather than swing them over the precipice again ... since this time it would be my weak arm that I was swinging them with. Our bicycle tour continued flat along the Arno River towards Pisa. We cycled a yellow 'piccolo strata' small road, on the north side of the river, rather than the red Hwy 67 on the river's south side. The smaller roads usually have less traffic, but this one has been jam-packed solid since we cycled out of Florence. There are lots of small towns that run into each other. The leaning tower was easy to find in Pisa. We just cycled along, following the well marked signs. The leaning tower is amazing. It is leaning at a precarious angle. They have closed it to visitors and they are working to shore up the fabulous structure. They are pouring tons of lead around the tower's base before Galileo's experiment in gravity comes to a finite finish. I didn't realize that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was actually a bell tower for the church next to it. And, I always was under the impression that the architect built the tower that way on purpose. But no, the information I'm reading in Pisa says the ground under the tower just settled unexpectedly, creating an instant tourist attraction. Who knew? Pisa is also well-known for having founded one of the earliest universities in Europe. We ate lunch on the medical campus grounds, away from the hoards of tourists. It's quiet and peaceful feeling here, like a university campus usually is -- kind of surrounded by unnatural beauty and serenity. We have a wonderful view of the tower through a magnolia tree. The tree is blossoming with what look like pink tulips. The flowers are the most incredible huge purplish-pink tulip-shaped blossoms I have ever seen. It really is remarkable. I think it might even be better than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So, if you're ever on a bicycle tour in Pisa during magnolia blossom time, make sure you check out this stunning show of nature. We cycled north out of Pisa, toward Lago di Massaeiuccoli, and managed to get off the beaten track for a short while -- cycling through a farmer's field no less -- dirt tracks -- hmm, where is the principle strata? That is our saying when we are lost and don't know which way to turn. After cycling a semi-loop we got to the lake, Lago di Massaeiuccoli. Unfortunately, it was too early to stop. Back on route 439, the road is still busy. We cycled past some industry that is quarrying that fabulous famous pink Italian marble, and any other colour and pattern imaginable, too. One side of the road has massive blocks of unfinished rock. The other side of the road has thin slabs of highly polished marble leaning on edge. They look terrific. A little too heavy for a bicycle touring souvenir, however. Towns are now constant. One sign ends and the next town sign is right after it. We are getting close to Massa, so at Capanne we turn right and head for the mountains, looking for a spot to pitch our diminutive cycle touring tent. We cycled up and up, climbing 1000 feet in 3 kilometres. We are dripping wet on a single lane mountain road, with nothing but hill on one side and a drop off on the other side. We finally found a tiny spot behind a bush. We struggled to get our fully loaded touring bicycles up the steep thorny path. We are too tired to cook. It is almost dark. We ate ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, cookies, yogurt, and chocolate that I found at the Co-op. Traffic noise ascends the hill. We can see the sea on the horizon. Great view, but a bit of an effort to get here. |
