Florence to San Francisco

June 21

Boboli Gardens

We talked to Jeff this morning and wished him a happy birthday. He and the Ashland group were headed to the Uffizi. Ann and I decided to walk through the Boboli Gardens. It was still morning, so the temperature was bearable. It was a pleasant stroll, one that we have done at least two times before.

We left the gardens as lunch time approached. We stopped at a market to get some lunch supplies and went back to the hotel to fix ourselves a meal. It was too hot on the hotel’s terrace so we ate in our air conditioned room.

I fussed around on the internet to find out why this blog was not going out to my email list. I found a solution and installed it. It seems to work.

At 4:00 we consulted our bus route map to find out how to get to Fiesole from our hotel without walking a long way. Bus #23 connected nicely to #7. We were in Fiesole around 5:00. Chloe’s high school orchestra was scheduled to “assist” at a youth concert that evening. We walked around for a while trying to find the venue, an ATM and the location of the restaurant where we made reservations. We were successful on all three. The recital was to be in a small sanctuary at the top of a very steep hill. We were able to combine the walk up the hill with a meandering walk back down in a cool, tree shaded park.

When we reached the town square, it was too early for dinner, so we parked ourselves at a British-style pun and had a Guinness. Approaching our reservation time, we walked up the main street and went to a different restaurant than the one where we made reservations. Our first restaurant had changed names and we think that the one with the old name had moved. We were unsure which restaurant had our reservations. We ate instead in Trattoria i Polpa. This is where I had an outstanding lunch a couple of weeks ago. Dinner was even better. We started out with crustinni spread with liver pate along with baked pecorino cheese with a light honey sauce. Ann had pasta with XXXX while I had flat noodles with pheasant. The sauce was slightly spicy and flavored with cinnamon, oregano and rosemary. It was one of the best pasta meals I have every eaten. We managed to finish a liter of sparkling water and a bottle of the house red wine.

After dinner, we headed up to the church for the concert. We met the Ashland group on the way and found out that “assisting” in the youth concert meant showing up and filling seats. We were disappointed that we wouldn’t hear them perform. That was one of the main reasons for staying over in Florence before going home. In any case, the youth orchestra was very good playing several Vivaldi pieces.

We left the concert early. It was well after 10:00 and we wanted to get some sleep before our morning flight the next day. We took the #7 bus down the hill and transferred to the #23 thinking that it would take us back to the hotel. We found out that our bus was going the wrong direction. We got off at the train station and tried to interpret our route map to get back. We ended up walking. Bed time was midnight.

June 22

Up at 6:00. Taxi at 7:30. Airport shortly after 8:00. We checked in at Swiss Air and walked to the departure area. Somehow we missed the VIP lounge before passing through security. We found a fast food cafe and had juice, coffee and a croissant. Our plane left for Zurich on time at 9:40. They served us juice, coffee, fresh fruit and a croissant.

We arrived on time at Zurich, passed through passport control and security. The VIP lounges were closed so we went to our gate and waited until boarding our flight at 12:40. I love Swiss air. We have seats that allow us to lounge and recline to form a bed. Service is superb. For lunch they served us an appetizer of trout mousse with smoked salmon along with pepper, carrot and courgette salad in addition to a green salad. For a main course I had fillet of pike-perch “acqua pazza” with date tomatoes and turned saffron potatoes. Ann had fennel and tomato ragout with green olives and long-grain rice. For dessert I had apple cream with rosemary and crème de gruyere. Ann had a fresh fruit salad. They poured lots of wine, coffee and, of course, Swiss chocolates.

We are home now. It was a long flight but Swiss Air made it enjoyable.

Two And A Half Days In Florence

Sunrise Over Campitello

June 19

We got up real early in Campitello so that we could get the rental car back to Florence before the Hertz office closed. It was Sunday, so all the rental car agencies shut their doors at 1:00. We were fortunate that the hotel opened the breakfast buffet at 6:00 for us. We ate a good meal.

Ann and I were on the road before 7:00. It seemed that we went downhill for over an hour through a narrow valley with mountains on each side. We eventually left the Dolomites behind and entered a vast agricultural plain. It was here where we entered the autostrada.

Our Fiat Panda can fly. I kept the speed at 140 kph most of the way. Even at that speed we were passed by lots of bigger cars. We made one pit stop on the way to Florence and still beat (GPS) Jack’s estimated arrival time by 45 minutes. Arriving in the city streets of Florence, we tried three gas stations to fill up the tank before we figured out how to use the self-service pumps. They didn’t like our credit card, so we finally used cash.

Jack got us to our hotel on a direct route through narrow city “streets” where we encountered hundreds of tourists walking along not paying attention to the traffic. To be fair, these streets are restricted to cars with permits (which we didn’t have) but are open to all traffic on Sunday. We didn’t know that until we got to the hotel and talked to Massimo, the main at the front desk.

We unloaded our bags at Hotel Silla and then drove to the Hertz office. The car passed inspection with no extra charges. That made us happy so we celebrated by having lunch at Trattoria 13 Gobbi, a four-peat eatery that we discovered a few years ago. We shared some bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and anchovies. Ann had rigatoni pasta with a creamy tomato sauce. I had flat pasta with fresh mushrooms.

Back at the hotel, we unpacked and relaxed. Jeff called and told us his logistics. His group was having a late dinner near Palazzo Vecchio. We decided to get some take out food at a super market. Then we met him and Chloe as they sat down for dinner after 8:00. After chatting for a bit, Ann and I walked to Perche No for gelato and went back to our hotel.

June 20

I met the Ashland group in Piazza Republica this morning and joined them for a walking tour of the old section of Florence. (Ann wanted to rest her feet, knees and artificial hip). The tour went to the Duomo and then through narrow streets to the Ponte Vecchio. It ended up near the Uffizi. The chaperones of the group were each responsible for a small group of students. Jeff and Chloe had to stay with their group, so I walked back to the hotel and took Ann to Trattoria Anita where we had an inexpensive fixed price meal. Ann had rice with tomatoes along with tuna  carpaccio. I had pasta with tomato sauce along with rabbit. We both had a mixed salad. She told me what she did in the morning.

She went to the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine to see the frescos. She also saw a film about them. This took place in the Piazza del Carmine, the ugliest square in Florence.

Jeff called after we got back to the hotel. He and his group were tired and hot and wanted a place to relax. We invited them over to the hotel. We spent a delightful afternoon chatting and rehydrating on our terrace.

After they went back to meet the rest of their group for dinner, Ann and I went across the Arno to Ristorante del Fagioli. We split appetizers of bruschetta and crustinni with liver pate. Ann had a good vegetable soup while I had ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese with a light lemon sauce. We split a portion Italian meatballs.

June 21

(To be continued). It’s late and I’m going to bed.

Marmolada Out And Back – Last Ride In The Dolomites

There was much less stress at the breakfast buffet than there was at dinner last night. Most of the other hotel guests must have been sleeping late because the dining room was almost empty. The longest line was at the coffee machine.

I kept an eye on the weather to see if it would be practical to ride up to Lake Marmolada on Paso Fedaia. It looked promising. I put on my cycling gear and took off. I wasn’t the only one. Almost everyone on our tour was riding ahead of me.

We started climbing immediately after Canazei. The temperature was cold, but the climb kept me warm without a jacket. I was using my lowest gears most of the way. The straight sections of the road seemed to be slightly steeper that Paso Pordoi, yesterday’s climb. There were a few switchbacks that allowed me to rest.

When I got to the top, I realized that I had done the climb three years ago on our BAC Trans Alps trip. I recognize Lake Marmolada and the cafe where I took photos of some of our group having refreshments. Today was too cold to sit outside and rest.

I continued on to the end of the lake and looked at the spectacular view heading down the other side of the pass. Then I turned around and made good time going down the hill back to our hotel. I got back at 11:30 just in time to clean up and go to lunch. Ann had just return from a long walk.

Here is a link to today's ride.

Ann and I got into the car and drove 3 km back to Canazei to buy gas. We also had lunch in a restaurant where we saw about 40 bicycles in front. We figured that cyclists know where good and plentiful food is. Ann had a large vegetable soup with wurst. I had grilled local meat with French fries. I’m not sure what kind of meat it was. It was thinly sliced and salty – perfect after a bicycle ride.

We headed back to the hotel where I spent an hour packing my bicycle. Tom K. who is new to cycle touring watched me because he in in the market for a bicycle that he can pack up and take with him. He also helped me fit the bicycle pieces, tools and extra equipment into my suitcase.

Dinner at the hotel was almost as chaotic as last night. We had to wait an hour for our first course while other tables were finishing their second course and lining up for the dessert buffet. Ann and I both had orchiette with broccoli for our first course and roasted rabbit for our main course.

Cortina d’Ampezzo to Campitello

Our group photo in Campitello

Back Row: Ann Lynn, Pam Duckworth, Jane Shakman, Bruce Dewey, Tom Leever, Jan Hansen, Julie Leever

Middle Row: Karen Hoskinson, Henry Lam, Marie Tesch, Jane McGrath, Marilyn Dewey, Ron Guidotti, Claudia Spaulding, Paul Braithwaite, Barry Spaulding

Front Row: Stu Shakman, Bob Lynn, Alan Deda, Sandra Eve, Steve Kelton, Tom Keams

We said good-bye to Hotel Ankora and our upgraded suite. After an excellent breakfast buffet, I started out with Julie on our two-pass route. The weather was cloudy and cool but it wasn’t raining.

Our climb started immediately as we left Cortina. After 16km we were at the summit of Paso Flazarego. This is the same pass that we descended from three days ago. It is also the same climb that Jeff and I did three years ago. The grade seemed a bit easier with my Co-Motion that has lower gears than my old Bike Friday.

We stopped at the top to put on long-fingered gloves and wind jackets. The temperature was cool and the descent was fast so we were glad to have warmer gear.

At the bottom we had some rollers. We had to take off our warm gear to cool off. We pedaled through a narrow valley with very steeps sides until we reached Arabba. I was surprised and pleased to see Ann standing at a small cafe as we stopped for a snack. She was driving two of our group who had health issues and couldn’t ride – one had a cold, the other had food poisoning. They decided to stop at the cafe to great us. One of the guys wanted to greet his wife as she arrived.

Arabba was the start of our second climb up Paso Pordoi. This is a classic 9 km climb with 33 switchbacks (and several turns that aren’t switchbacks) with an elevation gain of around 2400 feet. I put my bike into its lowest gear and slogged up the road. Julie left the cafe before me expecting me to pass her on the climb. The only one I passed was an old gaffer about my age who was having a hard time. I really like switchbacks on Italian passes. They are either level or very gradual and lead to a short section with reduced grade. This lets me rest my legs.

At the top of the pass, I met up with Julie. We put on our warm clothes again and began the descent all of the way into Campitello. I couldn’t get much speed because of all of the switchbacks going downhill. We caught up with Claudia, Barry, Sandra, Jan and Jane and rode together to our hotel.

Here is a link to today's ride.

Ann and I had some snacks in our room. After I cleaned up, we walked around this small town. There are lots of restaurants hotels and shops that cater to skiers in the winter and hiker and mountain bikers in the summer. We seem to be between seasons because most of everything is closed and many are going through major maintenance.

We found out at dinner that there are lots of people staying at our hotel. There were long lines at the salad and antipasti buffets, lots of desserts were gone at the dessert buffet and they ran out of the fish that we ordered for our second course. I settled on a first course of crepes with asparagus in a cream sauce. Ann had the same thing and substituted chicken for her fish. My highlight dessert was a bowl of fresh fruit.

Cortina

Cortina - View from our Room

June 15

The skies were blue when we got up this morning. Because it was our 48th wedding anniversary, Ann and I decide to do a tour together in the car. We followed the designated bicycle loop that went as far as Dobbiaco. We turned around and made several stops for photos. The route from Dobbiaco back to Cortina was the same one I did a few years ago on the BAC Trans Alps trip.

We took a turn on the road to Tre Cime which is an epic out-and-back for cyclists. It starts with a 16% climb for about 1 km and levels out until you reach a toll booth. We turned around there because of the high price of passing through. We had a good view though.

For lunch we stopped at a restaurant/pizzeria on Lake Misurina. When we went in, we were two of the very few inside. When we left, it was full. We split a tuna salad and a vegetarian pizza that had fresh tomatoes on top.

We wandered around town and took some down time until dinner time. We joined most of the group at Cinque Torri, a decent trattoria. We decided to eat Tirolean cuisine. Ann had vegetable soup and canederli – large dumplings with spinach in a butter sauce with parmesan. I had ravioli stuffed with beets (the menu said red turnips) and grilled sausage with fired potatoes. After dinner, we stopped for gelato.

June 16

It had rained overnight and the roads were wet this morning. It looked like it might clear up but the odds of showers during the day were pretty high. I decided to wait for awhile to decide whether I was going to ride the loop. So Ann and I went shopping in the large mall on the main street.

View of the Countryside Outside of Cortina

I could see some blue sky and thought that the clouds would burn off, but at noon the black clouds were moving in. Riding looked doubtful. We took a walk with the Leevers instead. Our route took us along a nice bicycle path out of Cortina. We got about 1 km down the path when the skies opened up. We took shelter under the eaves of a house until the rain let up. Then we walked up a steep hill toward a golf course where we expected to find a path through the woods taking us back to town. It started raining again really hard. We took shelter in the caddy shack which turned out to be a tent. The rain let up a little. Instead of finding the path through the woods which would have been muddy, we retraced our steps back to Cortina. We stopped at a cafe and had some snacks – cheese cake for Ann, apple strudel and hot chocolate for me.

Several rain showers passed through this afternoon. We stayed inside. With our large hotel room, this was not an inconvenience.

Dinner tonight was at the hotel. We had another excellent meal. We started with gnocchi flavored with sage and bacon. The main course was tender pieces of turkey glazed with rustic mustard and accompanied with courgettes flan. Dessert was puff pastry stuffed with apples, pine nuts and walnuts served with vanilla sauce.

Selva di Val Gardena to Cortina d’Ampezzo

There was sunshine and partly cloudy skies this morning. All of the cyclists were edgy and ready to ride in good weather. You could smell sunscreen. Upholding BAC tradition, I was one of the last to leave shortly after 9:00.

Today’s ride featured three passes – Passo Gardena, Passo Campolongo and Passo Fauzargo. None of the climbs were very steep although I am sure that we reached 10-12% in places. I was ascending in a jersey with arm warmers and descending with my rain jacket. I had on leg warmers for the entire route. The temperature was in the high 50s.

The scenery was fantastic all along the route. We could look up and see the jagged peaks – some with snow. We could look down and see lush green valleys. There were small picturesque villages along the route clinging to the cliff sides.

I stopped for lunch in Arabba when I saw some of our group at a roadside cafe. This was about halfway through the ride.

The end of the ride was a nice long downhill into Cortina. I couldn’t take advantage of the grade because it started to rain. As I was entering the outskirts of Cortina, it started pouring. I took refuge under some trees until it let up. Then I coasted into our hotel.

Here is a link to today's ride.

Our hotel is really classy. It is full of antiques and oriental rugs. Our group was upgraded to suites. Ours has a bedroom, a sitting room and two bathrooms. Ann claimed the one with the Jacuzzi.

Dinner was at the hotel. Our waiters were dressed in tuxedos.  brought our food to our table in covered plates. At the count of three, they lifted the lids and we responded with oohs and aahs. We had macaroni with a creamy tomato sauce, Baked white fish with potatoes and ice cream cake for dessert.

A Hike On The Sunny Side Of Val Gardena

It was raining lightly as we were eating our buffet breakfast. That didn’t deter us from our planned hike. After all, we brought rain gear so we might as well use for hiking as well as cycling. Ann and I joined Toma nd Julie Leever, Claudia and Barry Spaulding, and Tom Kearns for a bus ride down the hill that we rode up yesterday. We got off at Ortisei and walked over to the gondola. It was still raining. Claudia and Barry decided to wander around the town. The rest of us took a double gondola ride up the side of the mountain to an elevation of 2500 meters. The view on the way up was restricted because of the clouds but we could see the sheer cliffs as we ascended in the second gondola.

At the top it took us a few minutes to get our bearings and to decide which trails to take. All of the trail intersections are well marked so we had no trouble walking along our chosen route. The surface of the trails pre-cast stone webbing, gravel and natural. Walking was fairly easy except in muddy spots.

It was still raining after about an hour when we reached Baita Trojer Hutte. This is one of the many huts where you can stop to rest and to eat. Most of them have German names. They have full menus. We had cappuccino, coffee, hot chocolate, soup and bread as we dried out from the wet descent.

Putting on my rain gear again and wearing my backpack under my rain jacket, we left the hut and continued our descent. After a while, we could see our shadows and it got too warm for our rain gear. We could now see more of the mountain peaks and the alpine valleys. We passed some gurgling streams and a couple of alpine ponds. We even walked by some local wildlife.

Three hours after our start at the top of the gondola lift, we reached Selva and our hotel. Ann’s new hip was a little sore, so she decided to relax it by swimming in the the hotel’s indoor pool and taking some vitamin I.

We managed to get some downtime in the afternoon. We thought about wandering around the town, but my only shoes were very wet from washing the mud off of them after our hike and it was raining again.

After Happy Hour, Ann and I decided to eat at the hotel. I couldn’t go out to another restaurant because I was still wearing the hotel-supplied slippers. (Egon, the hotel owner, encouraged me to go out anyway claiming that it was good advertising for the hotel). Henry, Marie and Karen joined us. We both had salad from the salad bar and an appetizer of soft cheese wrapped in thinly sliced dried beef. I had garlic soup. Then we both had wiener schnitzel with roasted potatoes and fennel. No dessert tonight.

After dinner we looked outside and were greeted by blue skies and high, wispy clouds. It only rains during the day here.

Bronzolo to Selva di V. Gardena

We left our hotel under cloudy skies and cool temperatures at 9:00. Tom Leever led us to the bicycle path and beyond. The bicycle routes and paths in this part of Italy are fantastic. They take you through cities and next to highways on dedicated lanes and separate paved paths. The route we were on took us north through Bolzano and then north north east to Ponte Gardena. The path surface puts California roads to shame. We went through some tunnels that were constructed for the older road but are now part of the path system.

The path went for 37km. It gradually climbed for around 1000 feet next to a raging river. As we neared the end, we started seeing shadows. The sun was breaking out for the first time since we started the tour.

The van was at the end of the path with some refreshments – apples, cheese and water. This came in handy because we turned onto SP242 and started to climb. The climb lasted until we got to Selva 21 km later. It was a steady 6-8% with some pitches as high as 14%. There were a few short flat sections that gave us a little relief. We ran into bridge work at Ortisei where the road was blocked off. It was Sunday with no workers around so we lifted our bicycles over the barricades and continued on. We had to ride through some tunnels that were very well lighted but very noisy when cars drove past us.

Here is a link to today's ride.

When we reached Selva, we knew that we were finally in the Dolomites. The craggy peaks surround the alpine inspired town. Selva is a ski resort so there are several lifts and gondolas that start right in town.

I arrived around 2:00. Almost all of the shops and restaurants were closed. I fixed a PB&J sandwich for lunch which really tasted good.

After I cleaned up, Ann and I took a quick tour of the nearby part of town. I found the hotel where Jeff and I stayed the last time I was here. Our hotel this time is nicer. We have a corner room with large windows where we get a panoramic view of the hills and mountains on both side of Paso Selva Gardena. The photo at the top of this blog shows the view. The hotel owner is very friendly. He speaks several languages which is valuable in this town where visitors come from all over the world. During our Happy Hour he offered advice on hikes to take tomorrow, our rest day. His 90+ mother was also here giving incoherent bits of information about the hotel and her family.

Dinner was in the hotel. We had a salad bar. Appetizers were prosciutto and melon. For our first course, I had soup while Ann had spaghetti. Our main course was quiche. For dessert, I had tiramisu while Ann had a raspberry tart.

Andalo to Bronzolo

We awoke to light rain. The day’s ride was to be short so we dallied at breakfast to see if the rain would let up. It didn’t. We left the hotel in a group around 9:30. I dressed for wet conditions. I wore a rain jacket, rain pants, rain gloves, and waterproof booties. I wrapped my queue sheet in a zip lock bag and put my camera in another waterproof bag.

For the first few kms we climbed over a ridge from Andalo. Then we had a nice downhill of nearly 3000 feet. I had to use my breaks a lot because of the wet road. This part of the ride was through a forest.

Once we got to the bottom of the hill, we were in an immense flat valley of vineyards and apple orchards. I lost contact with the other riders and got very confused with the route instructions. My GPS got me back on route but it then tried to send me other roads. Fortunately, I met Paul who kept me on track until I had to stop for a nature break. I was on my own again.

The queue sheet said to follow the bicycle route signs until I got to Stazzione in Ora. I rode on the trail for several kms. I was standing next to a trail intersection when my cell phone rang. It was Tom who told me that Ann was worried because I hadn’t shown up yet. He got me back on track. When I got to our hotel’s street, he and Julie waved me in the right direction. Ann was waiting next to the hotel and showed me in. It’s really nice to have such helpful support.

Because of the rain, I didn’t get my camera out very often.

Here is a link to today's ride.

After I stored my bicycle and took off my wet outer garments, Ann and I walked down the main street for lunch. She had a salad while I had the chef’s pizza – ham, asparagus, an egg sunny side up and a big glob of aioli. It was really good.

Ann took a swim in the hotel’s pool while I did my internet thing.

We had a group dinner that was pre-ordered – no choices. We started with pasta with a tomato and bacon sauce. Then we had a mixed grill – chicken, pork and beef. We also had some good peas, zucchini and baked tomatoes. Dessert was apple strudel.

Riva del Garda to Andalo

We watched light rain falling as we ate breakfast this morning. Everyone was a little edgy because we had to ride to the next town. No out-and-back ride today and no hanging out at the hotel. By 8:30 the rain had stopped. I put on my waterproof booties over my riding sandals and tied my other rain gear under my saddle in case I needed it. The temperature was in the low 60s so I could get by with bare legs. My torso was covered with a nylon t-shirt and a cycling jersey. I also had on my arm warmers.
We left the hotel shortly after 9:00. After escaping the city traffic at around 3km we started to climb. Sixteen km later, we had climbed over 2000 feet. We were on a narrow road with a few switchbacks and very little traffic. The views looking down were very scenic. Looking up, all we could see were clouds clinging to the mountain tops.

As the road leveled off and then became a descent, it became cool and I felt a few sprinkles. I stopped and put on my rain jacket. During the rest of the ride, I alternated with the jacket on and off. It was on at the end.
We had a nice descent which ended in Blaggio. Then we started to climb again initially in heavy traffic and then with hardly any traffic as the cars and trucks turned off of our route to get to the A1 autostrada. I was riding alone, now. I was going at my own pace for a couple of reasons – I didn’t want to overextend myself and I wanted to stop from time to time to take photos.

The road leveled off along Lago di Molveno, a beautiful alpine like with emerald green water. (That’s a photo of it at  the top of this blog). Then it kicked up again at the town of Molveno and stayed that way until I reached Andalo.

Here is a link to today's ride.

Andalo is an alpine resort town. It is nestled in a narrow valley with steep hills on each side. Skiing, mountain biking and hiking are popular here. It is between seasons so there is not much activity and many shops are closed. The hotels and houses are more Germanic alpine than Italian. They have timbered facades, steep roofs (because of the snow) and lots of potted flowers under the windows and on the balconies.

Ann was here when I pulled in. She had used Jack the GPS to get here on a slightly different route. After I cleaned up, we walked to a pizzeria where we each had a decent pizza. Other people from our group were already there. Tom and Julie arrived and shared a table with us. Henry showed up a little later and we chatted with him.

At 4:30, Ann made a run to the COOP to replenish our snack supplies – bananas, peanuts, M&Ms, etc.

We had a group dinner at the hotel. Ann and I had lentil soup and spaghetti carbonara.

Riva del Garda to Rovereto and Back

We had a good breakfast buffet with lots of protein this morning. This helps me keep down the hunger pangs after a couple hours of riding. We were expecting rain later today, so we got on the road shortly after 9:00. The sky was dark and the weather was cool. After several days off of my bicycle, it felt good to be on my bicycle again.

Our ride was an out-and-back to the city of Rovereto. The entire route was on a bicycle path. Parts of the path were shared with cars, tractors and pedestrians. After leaving Riva, most of us made a turn too early and ended up climbing our major climb of the day on a semi-busy highway. It was OK because we merged with our intended route at the top of the hill. Tom and Julie were waiting there with the van showing us which street to go on. From that point, we were on a few minor ups and downs until we reached Rovereto. We cycled past vineyards and corn fields most of the way. We managed to navigate through one small town and its outdoor market when the route sheets were confusing. We just kept following the brown bicycle route signs.

I rode the out portion of the ride with Claudia, Barry, Alan, Sandra and Ron. When we reached the end of the bicycle path in Rovereto, Ron and I stopped and looked back. The other four riders were missing. We waited for a couple of minutes and then went on our own tour of the city. Dead-reckoning our way back to the bicycle path, we were fortunate to ride through the oldest part of the city. There were very old buildings painted with frescos, a fortress and narrow, narrow streets.

We stopped for a banana and then headed back to Riva. On the way, we played leapfrog with Paul. Halfway back, we met Jan and Jane and rode with them almost to the end. At one point we helped Jane change a pinch flat.

When we reached the top of the hill where we came up the wrong way earlier, we went down the correct way. We were glad we did because the view of Riva and the lake were gorgeous.

Jan and Jane descended slower than Ron and me, so we continued on and promptly got lost. We should have waited for them to help us with directions. We know that we were off of the bicycle trail when we dead ended into a hotel parking lot. No problem, though. We walked our bicycles up some stairs, rode down a dirt path, crossed a bridge and were back to a trail. It wasn’t the bicycle trail, but it soon merged into it.

Here is the link to today's ride.

I met Ann back at the hotel. We went to lunch at the same place where we had lunch yesterday. I had salad and a huge portion of lasagna. Ann had a big salad. Afterward, I had apple pie gelato.

The skies were partly cloudy when we went into lunch, but they were turning more cloudy as we left. We took a short stroll around this end of town until we felt rain drops. Then we made tracks back to our hotel.

Happy Hour was at 6:00. Our group dinner was at 7::30 at the hotel. Ann and I had eggplant baked with cheese and fried swordfish with mashed potatoes and pickled onions. Dessert was flan.

Riva del Garda

We have been doing lots of driving the last two days. Yesterdat we drove in the rain from San Quirico to our hotel near the airport in Milan. The drive was mostly on the autostrada. It was uneventful. Because of the rain and clouds, we didn’t see much of the countryside. Besides I had to concentrate on driving in wet conditions on a high-speed highway. We spend lots of many at the gas pump – 1.40+ Euros per liter – and a little money at the Autogrill. Italian rest stops are wonderful. Each has several restaurants service quick food to full meals. We opted for a full meal of pasta and salads. There are also groceries, souvenirs and gasoline.

We arrived at our hotel around 3:00 and met most of our group there. Dinner was at a small restaurant. I had pizza while Ann had tagliatelli with asparagus.

This morning we had a good buffet breakfast with fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, breads, coffee, etc. We left the hotel around 9:30 and drove very fast on the autostrada until the turnoff to Riva del Garda. Then we were on a slower two land road that eventually followed the west shoreline of Largo di Garda. The road was carved along the steep hills. There were lots of very narrow tunnels that tested my nerves when meeting oncoming traffic. It was a pretty drive, though, passing through many picturesque resort towns.

Jack, our GPS, led us into Riva and then routed us into the town market on a closed off street. We realized the problem, turned around and had him route us around the market and eventually to our hotel.

We had lunch at a restaurant next door sharing a table with Ron, Bruce and Marilyn. I had flat noodles with shell fish while Ann had risotto with porcini mushrooms.

We tried walking along the lake after lunch and turned back when we felt some sprinkles. It is very scenic here with high mountains rising on three sides of the town with the lake on the fourth side.

Dinner was in the hotel. Ann and I both had selections from a salad bar. Then we had an appetizer of smoked salmon, a entree of sea bass with potatoes and cauliflower, and chocolate mousse for dessert.

The weather tomorrow threatens rain. Our loop ride might be called off. I’ll let you know.

Breakfast in San Quirico – Lunch in Cortona

Because of the reliable afternoon thunderstorms, Ann decided to swim before breakfast. She cut her routine short because it was so cold – not as cold as Lake Wenatchee, but cold nevertheless.

We discovered good orange juice at the COOP, so we drank it in our room rather than drink the Tang-like juice that is served in all of the hotels. We had our usual breakfast buffet of cereal, breads, meat, cheese, yogurt and coffee.

Jack, our GPS, guided us to Cortona perfectly. He even found new routes when I veered from his original route. We parked below the city in a free parking lot. Our path up to Piazza Garibaldi was on a combination of steps and escalators. (They treat tourists well).

Rick Steves walking tour of Cortona is short, but we took it anyway. It led us along the narrow, flat main street to Piazza della Repubblica. This is the city’s main square and the site of its City Hall. We walked around the right hand corner and entered the next square – Piazza Signorelli. This square is the home of Casali Palace. We looked inside and saw some old coats of arms dating from the 15th to 17th centuries.

Finally, we walked to the end of the street at the Piazza del Duomo. Here is the Diocesan Museum, a cathedral and a statue of St Margherita. As Rick points out, St Margherita is loved by the locals and is believed that she protected the city from WWII bombs. We went into the church where Ann pulled back a tablecloth on one of the altars to revile some relics.

Walking back to the main square, we decide to climb up to the Church of St Francis. It dates from the 13th century. Its wooden beams are original. There are also some original faded frescos on the wall.

I was getting seriously hungry, so we went to one of Rick’s recommended restaurants for lunch. We sat outside on a very narrow street at Fufluns Tave rn Pizzeria. I had some breaded, stuffed fried olives and pasta of flat noodles made with blueberries. They were covered with a meat sauce with fennel, pine nuts and herbs. Ann had Tuscan soup along with some grilled vegetables. All of the food was very good.

While eating, we could hear thunder in the distance. So we hurried to the car and decided to take a ride in the countryside. We ended up going part way around Lake Trasimeno. I found part of my bicycle route from two years ago and we drove along it until the car got too tired. This put us back into the many short, steep hills of Tuscany. The land around the lake is very flat, but it gets very hilly to the south.

We set the GPS to the hotel and followed Jack’s directions back to San Quirico stopping for gelato and some supplies at the COOP. The thunderstorms did not break loose when we got to the hotel. It was sunny and warm.

We wandered into the old part of town for dinner. Monday is very quiet in San Quirico. Only old geezers and teenagers are visible. We looked for a pizzeria that was open but couldn’t find one. We settled on a restaurant which was down in a cellar. The food was good. I had spaghetti with a meat sauce. Ann had pumpkin gnocchi. We shared a mixed salad. I had a very rich dessert that had a small piece of cake soaked in vin santo with marzipan cheese, whipped cream and white chocolate. We took the long route back to the hotel trying to walk off the rich meal.

Tuscany Layover Day 2

Our Tuscany daily plan was enforced today. It entailed site-seeing in the morning, a good, filling lunch, an afternoon swim and/or rest at the hotel and then a light dinner.

We had our usual breakfast buffet at 7:30. We then left in the car for Pienza. We got there early enough to find a free parking place. We walked through the town gate and up the main street. Pienza is a small town that is known as the birth place of Pope Pius II. Later in his life, he had the town remodeled in the renaissance style. Today, the town exists with the tourist trade. There are many shops lining the street selling local arts and crafts, cheese, meat, etc. We peeked into a few shops and walked around inside of the Duomo when mass was over.

Leaving Pienza, we continued on to Montepulciano. We parked in a pay parking lot at the bottom of town. We looked for the free lots but couldn’t find them. The trek to the top of the town was steep in one section, but we prevailed. As in Pienza, the street was lined with the same kinds of shops. In addition, there were several wine shops. The city’s famous wine, Vino Nobile, is its major attraction. We did a self-guided tour of Contucci Cantina. I sampled its “young” wine and its Vino Nobile. There was quite a difference between the two.

At the top of the town is an ancient fort. We walked to it and found that the entrance and display area were being used for a comic book art exhibit. We chatted with the young man at the entrance, looked at some of the art and then walked slowly back to our car. We bought more parking time and went back to a restaurant that we saw on the way out and had lunch. I had pici pasta with a tomato and garlic sauce along with a tomato salad. Ann had mixed grill and a mixed salad.

Driving back to the hotel, we got there just in time for the afternoon thunderstorm. Ann’s swim time was interrupted again. In fact it was cancelled because the storm settled on top of us and it wasn’t safe to be in an open area.

We settled into our room by reading and using the internet. At 7:00 we ventured out in the car and went to a pizzeria. We shared a good, crisp thin-crusted pizza with olives, artichokes, ham and mushrooms with a tomato sauce base. Beer was our beverage choice. Pizzerias in Italy serve a lot more than pizza. This one had a full menu. It was crowded by many locals – mostly young families. There was also a table of boys around Sam Morton’s age each eating a large pizza. Service was very friendly. We will be doing this more often.

We were back at the hotel by 8:00, our earliest evening so far.

Tuscany Layover

Now that Ann is here, I have someone to talk to. I don’t have a lot of spare time to write my blog. Here’s a summary of the past two days.

We picked up a car in Florence yesterday. It’s a Fiat Panda – small but adequate for our needs. It’s the same one that we had in le Marche last year. We drove back to the hotel, picked up our luggage, turned on the GPS and headed out to San Quirico. We made one stop on the way at one of the wonderful autostrada rest stops. We had pasta in one of its restaurants.

Back on the road, we soon left the freeway and got onto secondary roads. We reached our hotel around 3:00.

After checking in, Ann took a swim in the huge pool. After she got out, we had a short, sparse rain shower. When the rain let up, we walked into the very old part of town. We wandered along the main street and side streets doing our tourist thing until 7:00 when the restaurants opened. We were seated at a small trattoria. We split appetizers of bruschetta pomodora and three kinds of pecorino cheese with pears. For a main course, Ann had thick vegetable soup and I had mixed grill – Tuscan sausage, beef and pork. We got back in time to be in bed before 10:00.

This morning we had a decent breakfast buffet. We then hopped into the car and drove over to Bagno Vignani, an ancient thermal bath. The village itself is tiny – just a few houses, a hotel and a large building that enclosed a spa and probably thermal baths.

We got back into the car and drove to Radicofani. This is another small village that is located below an old tower that was part of the fortification of this area. We parked the car and took a long walk up to the tower. When we got there, we were in a forested area, a contrast to the fields and vineyards that we are used to. We paid our entrance fee and climbed up the inside of the tower. The view was spectacular. Unfortunately, it was hazy and not conducive for taking photos.

Walking back down the road toward our car, we started to get hungry. We stopped at a small grocery store and had pinini made for us. Ann’s had pecorino cheese, mine had pecorino cheese and Tuscan salami. We ate in a park next to where we parked the car.

We decided to drive past Multepulciano on our way back to San Quirico. It looked crowded, so we didn’t attempt to find a parking place.

We got back to the hotel just before a spectacular thunderstorm broke out with very heavy rain. It also turned cool. The storm was done by 4:00 when we walked over to the COOP grocery store for some supplies.

At 6:30 we decided to head to town for a 7:00 dinner. Because of the threat of more rain, we took the car. We couldn’t find a parking spot so we drove it back toward the hotel and parked it about two blocks away and hoped it didn’t rain.

We got lucky with the weather and with the food. We ate in a different trattoria. We had flower of zucchini stuffed with ricotta cheese as an appetizer. Ann had taglietelle with asparagus and tomatoes while I had rabbit.

Bedtime is before 10:00 again tonight.

Breakfast in Florence – Lunch in Fiesole

I am getting spoiled – sleeping until 8:00 and a casual breakfast with personal coffee service. I fooled the coffee lady this morning and ordered coffee Americano instead of cappuccino. That’s the extent of my non-conformity.

After breakfast I walked up to the Duomo and bought a couple of bus tickets. My intent was to catch the #7 bus there for Fiesole. I found that it only leaves from Piazza St Marco, so I trudged a few blocks to get there. June 2 is a major Italian holiday and the bus routes change slightly. Because of this, Piazza Signoria was crowded by dignitaries giving speeches, marching bands playing patriotic songs and several veterans groups marching to past memories.

Waiting for the bus at Piazza St Marco reminded me of a trip we made a few years ago to Italy with the Bensons and the Parkhursts. We stayed up the hill near Fiesole in Pensione Bencista and took the bus several times back and forth to Florence. I recognized the entrance on my way up.

Fiesole was settled by the Etruscans a few centuries ago well before the Romans settled in what is now Florence. The Etruscans were pretty smart because the summer breezes make the climate very pleasant. It wasn’t real hot in Florence this morning and the breeze made Fiesole very comfortable.

After I left the bus in the town square, I walked up a hilly street that Rick Steves recommended to see a panorama of Florence. (Yes, I’m still traveling with Rick’s guidebook). The view was fantastic but the haze was not good for photos as you can see.

I walked further up the hill to a church where a wedding was going on. Not wanting to interfere, I found a trail leading to a forested area. This really is far away from the noise and congestion of Florence. The trail lead me back to the hill I just climbed and was soon was back in the town’s main square.

I was getting hungry now. I purposely did not pack a lunch today so I started looking for a restaurant that Rick recommended. I couldn’t find it. While searching, I was gazing at the menu of a small trattoria when a local woman looked at me and gave me the “thumbs up” to eat there. So I did. Trattoria i Polpa has a wonderful menu of local cuisine. I had Sforatino di Pecorino e Miele (bread-like baked pecorino cheese with honey) and Peppardelle alla Fiesolene (flat noodles with lots of mushrooms and prosciutto in a tomato sauce). I also drank a whole bottle of acqua frizzanti. This was the best meal I have eaten on the trip. It’s worth a side trip to Fiesole to go there again.

I took the #7 bus back to Piazza St Marco and walked back to the hotel. After cleaning up and resting, I hiked to the bus station next to the train station and caught a bus to the airport. That’s where I am right now waiting for Ann’s flight from Zurich.

Ann arrived and we are back in Florence. We’re going out for a gelato walk.

Breakfast in Florence – Lunch in Lucca

There were some sprinkles as I left the hotel this morning. It was cooler than normal as I walked through the heart of Florence to the train station. I caught a train to Lucca shortly after 9:00. It had two levels. I sat in the upper level. The scenery to Lucca is not very interesting so I read some of my Kindle book as we headed west from Florence. It was a smooth 1 1/2 hours and cost me only 5.80 Euros.
I was traveling again with Rick Steves. He guided me from the train station to Porta San Pietro where I climbed up to the town wall and began walking a 2 1/2 mile circle. I should mention that the town is surrounded by this 16th century Renaissance wall. The wall is about 20 feet high and very wide. It used by strollers, joggers, cyclists dog walkers and many others. I made close to a full circuit taking photos of interesting sites. I stopped at a bench and ate the lunch that I packed. Today I had Schiacciatina with Barre di Arachidi and Confettura di Frutti di Bosco with Patatine Fritte, Banana and Grancereale Fave di Cacao.
I left the wall at Porta Elisa and headed into the center of town. Luca’s home owners built towers similar to those in San Gimignano. Most are no longer there. An exception is the Guinigi Tower which I walked past on my way to the old Roman Amphitheater. I discovered that it is no longer an amphitheater – it is a circular piazza lined by shops and cafes. It has a very lively atmosphere.
Rick took me out of the amphitheater and down the main pedestrian street named Via Fillungo. I should mention that these streets are not like main streets in the USA. They are very narrow, are paved with stones and are shared by pedestrians, bicycles and cars.
Rick had me stop and take photos of a classic old jewelry store with a rare storefront. He also had me stop at Di Simo Caffe where the artistic and intellectual elite hang out. Puccini tapped his toes here while drinking coffee.
My final scenic spot was Piazza San Michele. This square has been the center of town since the Roman times. It is dominated by Church of San Michele with the archangel Michael at the top of the Romanesque facade. I found that the really old buildings surrounding the square were more interesting. The oldest is from 1495.
I was tired from walking so I said good-bye to Rick and went back to the train station. A train to Florence pulled out as I was trying to find my ticket. No problem, though. There was another one in 35 minutes. I spent the ride back by dozing and reading.
It was warmer in Florence than in Lucca, but it was not the blazing heat from days before. I am getting good at directions and don’t have to use a map getting back to the hotel. It’s still a long walk from the train station.
For dinner tonight I had Riso Freddo Mare and Casarecce alla Genovese. For dessert I had torte di mele and creme gelato.