From Munich I took the train through the Alps to Verona starting my Italian adventure. As much as I would have loved to cycle through the Alps, it would have taken too much time unfortunately. I did add another country to my growing list as the train passed through Austria (ha). The Alps were beautiful, I'm afraid not as beautiful as the Rockies though.
When I arrived at the Verona train station I had instructions from my B&B hosts to get on a regional train to Caldiero (a small village about 10km east of Verona where the B&B is located). After several circles to find firstly where the regional train was and secondly how to get a ticket for me and my bike, I of course met my first Italians. Two guys who just finished a tour to Florence and back (they live in Verona) commented on how large my load is while we waited for the elevator. It's always amusing to see the looks on peoples faces when I tell them I'm on tour for ten months, after which they decided I didn't really have very much stuff at all! I didn't have much time to catch the next train I needed to be on but ran into them again in the line up for tickets and was able to chat a bit more with them.
At the ticket booth I was given two tickets, one for me and one for my bike and then rushed off to catch the train leaving in less than ten minutes. But when I got to the train I was told I was not allowed to bring my bike on board. Seriously! I couldn't understand why I was sold a ticket for my bike in the first place. arg! So back to the ticket booth I went to discuss the situation and of course didn't get on that train. The whole thing was frustrating, plus someone was meeting me at the train station in Caldiero to show me the way to the B&B, which I wouldn't be arriving on. I was then told it was the last train to Caldeiro at the ticket booth and given a refund. Lacking any other option had to take a taxi, which took a bit of convincing to find one that would take me, all my gear and my bike. Good thing I am charming when I want something... 35 Euros later (uck!). Although it was nice to see how traffic works in Italy, not at all the same as North America. At one point the taxi driver was tailgating a Polizia car, for quite a distance actually. In Canada that driving behaviour would have resulted in a ticket for dangerous driving.
Calderio is mostly residential villas and two and three storey apartments all closely tucked together. The streets are narrow and considering it was about 8pm was not surprised that it was fairly quiet about. At the B&B, it's named Happy Days, I rang the door bell to be greeted by a gentile man in his mid forties who only spoke very little english. He then called my welcoming party at the train station to let him know that I was not on the train and had arrived. I was then welcomed inside and given a cold glass of water (which I had tried to refuse, but given anyway). When Giorgio, the one waiting at the train station arrived, we were in the middle of finishing paperwork. The guesthouse is around back and upstairs and absolutely perfect. There is a small make-shift kitchen, two rooms and a large bathroom. But considering it's mid-week I had the whole place to myself.
Giorgio also asked me if I had eaten dinner, which I hadn't as there was no food options on the train. He told me there was a pizzeria near that would deliver, which was fine for me. But I knew I wouldn't eat a whole pizza, maybe one or two pieces. But given my limited options....hmmm. After getting settled and showered, I came into the kitchen to find a plate of pasta on the table for me! Linguini with fresh tomatoes and olives and herbs. Sooo yummy and so very kind to receive! Outside there is a park in the back and kids were still playing about even though it was after dark. Really it was an amazing place to find myself in for my first night in Italy.
While Giorgio was showing me everything during my check-in he waved at the espresso machine a bit pointing to the buttons quickly then exclaimed "But you are a woman and know how these things work already" and moved on. I had to laugh. Perhaps Italian women are better at espresso machines because this Canadian did not do so well the next morning. Oh my! I'm very glad no one was around to see me as it was not a pretty sight. Buongiorgno Italia!
I also discovered that Verona is the place where Romeo and Juliet lived and had their brief romance and died. Both are buried there. The city itself is very nice, but was so full of tourists by the end of three hours had had enough. I'm also back to cycling on vehicle roads due to no bicycle paths, which took some adjustment. And in addition to everything being closed on Sunday's, everything is also closed in the afternoon between 1pm and 3:30pm (if business even chose to open up again after 1pm actually). I was late getting started and so didn't arrive into Verona till after 1pm as the B&B is about 13km from the city (about a 45 minute ride). Thus I had to wait till 3:30 for the bicycle shop to re-open. I headed downtown to look around and entertain myself for the next couple hours. It was also stupid hot out and all I wanted was to find something cooler to be clothed in and shade! I found an outdoor market, bought myself a cheap sundress and a cup of fresh fruit for a treat and proceeded to find a toilette to change in. Okay so the paying for bathrooms in an epidemic here in Europe. Next option, change in the park.
The sundress I got is bright and colourful, suits me well. And I felt so much better after removing thick cycling shorts and my sports bra. I was amused to also discover that all it takes for everyone to think you're Italian is to put on a sundress and ride your bicycle around the city. I had quite a few people try to ask me for directions (in Italian of course) and all I could do was smile and say "Non parlo Italiano". At one point I had three young guys ask me in English right off the bat, not that I could help any more. But I did have a tourist map of the city I didn't need anymore, and gave it to them. They were ecstatic with me.
Unfortunately the bicycle shop was unable to help in the map department, which I wasn't really surprised by. All I was hoping was that could send me to a place where I could get maps. After checking at the magazine store around the corner for me, they sent me to the Tourist Information office and back downtown I went.
In Verona there is an old stone Arena downtown, it's quite spectacular, but is being renovated so there was no access to it. The Tourist office was near it, but I was still having trouble locating it. I ended up in a city or parliament building that I'm pretty sure I wasn't allowed to be in, but the door was open so how was I suppose to know. Nonetheless, I was pointed to where I needed to go across the street. I now know to start at bookstores for things I need for navigation (not that I succeeded in finding a stellar map though, but have something).
The next morning I was up early and on the road by 9am. I wanted to get in as many kilometres before noon as I could get as the past several days were at about 30 degrees mid day. I have to rely on my offline maps on my ipad for routing through Italy, as the physical map I have is terrible. Plus I'm blind to where camping places are and am just hoping things work out mostly. I got on the road and headed towards Piacenza with the idea of finding a mid place for a night. I spied Mantova on the map and kinda headed in that direction.
After cycling all morning, getting through my nerves and settling into a new country and new things, it was a lovely ride to Mantova (about 55km). I did accidentally exit onto a major highway, which was dangerous and scary. I turned around though and went back instead of going towards the next exit. I didn't know what else to do but knew I needed off the quickest way possible.
So my first sight of Mantova....I cannot believe places like this still exist! An ancient city with cathedrals and dome towers surrounded by a stone wall. Mantova is where Romeo was banished to, more history. Even though I was only at 60km for the day, I by chance saw a camping flag on my offline map and decided to stay put. I could also see there was a storm coming in and didn't want to be on the road stuck somewhere in the middle of it.
So sleeping in a tent during a thunderstorm is not so much fun, and will not be repeated if I can avoid it!
On the road after leaving Mantova I was struggling to keep my speed up, sometimes lingering at about 13km/hr. That's slow fyi. Usually I try to cycle around 20km/hr on flats touring. But that morning it was just a constant struggle to even get up to sixteen. Plus it was stupid hot with high humidity. I had stopped off to the side of the road under some trees to re-apply sunscreen and was treated to the dinging of a bicycle bell. An Italian man (with half the load of me) pulls up beside me. Meet Mauro. Mauro is maybe in his fifties was cycling in my direction so we agreed to cycle together. It was so nice! Mauro doesn't speak much english and besides had a cold or something that was affecting his voice. We spent a little while trying to have a conversation then both decided that silence was just better. Mauro kept a fast pace and took the lead and it was just what I needed. That day we cycled in silence on a long, flat road with nothing to really look at, stopped for a couple breaks (Mauro shared his spare sandwich with me) and I was given the key to getting through my day! It ended up being a 105km day and if it wasn't for Mauro it would have been disastrous in my world alone.
When we reached Cremona I knew that I had to route differently than Mauro, I think he was hoping I'd just follow him endlessly....lol. I guess we all have our dreams, unfortunately I don't fit into the follow category. I had already made arrangements with another Warmshowers host in a small town about 20km from Cremona in the other direction that Mauro was going. After goodbyes, I got myself on the right road and headed to the boonies!
Meet Diego, Luciana and Tiago (Hello to all three of you and thanks again for such a wonderful time staying with you!). This family was like being wrapped in a warm blanket after coming in from the rain, the kindness and generosity I was given there are sometimes rarely given so freely. They live in a very small village called Cornovecchio. Diego greeted me with open arms when I arrived. We laid out my tent to dry from being in it the night before during the thunderstorm and was allowed to shower right after as I was gross from cycling in 30 degree weather all day (a shower is pretty much the first thing I want when my day of cycling is done). After returning to a clean normal state I was able to greet the everyone a bit better.
Diego took me on a two day tour of life in Italy, small town style. From local wine bars, to family run winery tours and food, and finishing with pizza with his mom. My time there gave me a break, some rest and a whole ton of fun! It was so much fun playing with little Tiago too, I simply adore the little man! Gracie Mille Diego!
From Cronovecchio I headed towards Piacenza and then west to a small resort village called Salice Terme near Alessandria. After a great day cycling following the mountains I checked into a hotel I'd booked the day before and headed to a patio across the street for a cold cocktail and snacks. So in Italy at bars you only order drinks or wine and food is automatically given, sometimes cheese breads and pasta in addition to the meats and olives. It's brilliant! (Something Diego taught me during my time with him). The Pizzeria across the street was rock'n out with some early 80's rock music, creating a fun atmosphere to enjoy my Mojito and snacks.
The next days ride was about 80km taking me through Alessandria towards Piemonte. The morning was cloudy, but no rain (perfectly cool and a welcome break from the sun). I stopped in Alessandria (a fairly large city) to find some food for lunch at a grocery store and sat in the park nearby for munch and rest and figure out navigating out. The original downtown part was quite spectacular. Large five storey apartment buildings all completed in a golden yellow with small stone balconies and crown mouldings laced throughout each building. Maybe about fifteen square blocks all tucked closely together with narrow cobble stone roads in between.
I was heading towards a Guesthouse on a farm and winery called Agriturismo La Mussia. It's near an old village called Castelnuovo Calcea (south of Asti) that sits high on a hill surrounded with a stone wall. The church sits at the highest point with the village tucked closely below.
After seeking directions from a local man who explained to me, entirely in Italian, how to find La Mussia - a wonderful encounter I might add as he was amazed firstly by my load and secondly that I'd survived the hill to get up to the top Castelnuovo Calcea, considering I had just reached the top before talking to him I'm sure I was quite the sight (some things don't require me to understand the words in order to understand what is being said). I usually try to find places on my own because it's a good feeling to navigate and always discover something new, but this time because Castelnuovo Calcea is on such a high hill and the road immediately went down I thought it best to ask as I didn't want to go flying down the long steep hill to the bottom only to discover I'd have to go back up. Thankfully I was headed in the right direction and enjoyed the speedy long descent to cool off and dry some of the sweat dripping from me (lovely thought eh ha).
Dinner that night at La Mussia was absolutely delicious!. It was set menu dinner, basically I was told to arrive at 7:30pm and it would cost me 20 Euros, everything included. On arriving I had a table set for one, that's me ha, in a room with four other tables set as well, two couples and a family of five. This room is straight out of an old fairytale. Yellow painted walls with a brick shelf that is part of the wall to my left made stocked with bottles of wine, the ceiling is exposed brick slightly curved up in four rows. The tables have yellow and red checkered tablecloths with wooden chairs. The estate family eats in the kitchen, which I'm sitting next to and also helps serve everyone. I enjoyed the estate Barbara d'Asti with my dinner (I'm just south of Asti and this region is most known for their Barbera's). When I sat down there was fresh Bruschetta and an egg frittata with zucchini. For the main course I was served fresh homemade Spaghetti with a tomatoes (fresh from their garden) with a few herbs. Simple and absolutely delicious! I had two bowls full! For the next course I was served fresh steamed greens with a roll of chicken rolled with ham and cheese in the middle. Desert...oh my god desert! Freshly poached peaches with cocoa brownie in the middle drizzled with amaretto. I licked the plate as much as I could with my finger. If I could have I would have picked up the whole plate and licked it! Then of course espresso and an aperitif of Barbara grappa. And during coffee and grappa time I was told about the winery and grapes the estate has and about their cellar! Highly recommend staying there is you are ever near Asti! (Thanks Laura and family for a wonderful stay and amazing experience!).
The next day took me on a routing tour of Piemonte before ending up in a village just above the city of Barolo. (well more than just above!). I passed through Barbaresco, Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Barolo before discovering that the town of Novello (where my hotel was at, sigh) was at the top of mountain (or in Canada what we'd call a large large large, holy crap large hill). It was a 10km climb to reach it in direct sun in 28 degree Celsius sun. At one point I plastered myself against some grape vines for five minutes to seek the only shade I could find. That was certainly a feat of determination. I was suppose to make it to an evening tour of Paolo Conterno in Monforte d'Alba, a nearby village where some famous and delicious Barolo's come from, but up arriving to the absolute top of the hill was thoroughly exhausted and rescheduled for the next day. Thankfully Daniele was very understanding and accommodating.
I'll reveal the details of the rest of my time in Piemonte and Italy soon. Here is the link to pictures for Italy thus far as well!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s0zd9vbz9bvf3px/GJNr7mxcnQ
Ciao!
