Countries visited: Italy, San Marino
Cycled mileage in June: 1,288.9km
Cycled mileage per country: 1,278.8km Italy, 10.1km San Marino
Total cycled mileage incl. June: 52,464.0km
June mileage not cycled 210.2km (walking, bus, train)
Days per country: 27d - Italy, 2d - San Marino
Days cycling: 20d
Technical failures: 2 Punctures
Link to this month's route
Last month we had reached Pompei where we had set up our base. We finished the month of May exploring the ruins of the famous Roman settlement Pompeii. The month of June was kicked off visiting Naples. The modern town of Pompei is only about 30 kilometres away from Naples and has frequent commuter trains. Hence our decision to not cycle into Naples but rather visiting it by train from Pompei instead.
From the train station in Naples we walked to the Duomo, the cathedral which houses several ornate chapels. The most important one is the chapel of San Gennaro (Saint Januarius), the patron saint of Naples. Three times a year a little vial with the blood of the saint is the centre of a miracle which is said to hint at the fate of Naples. During a ceremony the vial will be taken out of its safe and shown to the people. Over the course of the ceremony the blood will be expected to change from a solid to a liquid state. If it does this is a good omen. If the blood doesn't liquefy this is a dark foreboding. Famous examples before which the blood didn't liquefy are Cholera outbreaks, earthquakes and eruptions of nearby Mount Vesuvius.
After leaving the Duomo we strolled around the old town of Naples, aimlessly wandering along the narrow streets full of tourists, shops, souvenirs - and all kind of food stalls. And food is one of Naples' big attractions! We started our eating tour with some Pasticcio di Maccheroni (macaroni pie), tried Baba (sponge cake with rum, vanilla custard and fruits or chocolate), we had some Neapolitan moka, drank an Aperol Spritz and of course ate some pizza!
We decided this was enough of exploring for one day and headed back to Pompei and to our tent. The day had been mostly sunny but when we reached Pompei dark clouds started to appear and soon a thunderstorm started. In fact it rained so heavy that the drainage system of the camping ground couldn't hold up. A puddle formed under and around our tent and water was leaking through the small holes that 2 years of heavy use had left. There was no way we would have found sleep under these circumstances.
Earlier we had been told that there were mobile homes for rent on the camping ground. Luckily there was one available and so we moved all our stuff into a shabby caravan. At least it was dry and we had enough space to spread out our soaking wet belongings. Not a great start for the month of June!
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| On the commuter train to Naples |
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| Duomo |
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| Old town |
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| Pasticcio di Maccheroni |
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| Aperol Spritz |
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| Baba |
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| And of course - Pizza! |
The next morning it was back to sunny and we continued last night's mission of drying our stuff. By early afternoon also our tent was dry. We briefly thought about moving from the caravan back into our tent but decided against it after checking the weather forecast - which was for more rain. For the rest of the day we just hung out in our shabby caravan.
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| Rainy night in our caravan |
The day after we were ready for more sightseeing and returned to Naples. From the train station we walked to the Rione Sanità neighbourhood. Until recently considered a synonym for poverty and crime this part of Naples is now being discovered by tourists. The fact that it is home to Naples' catacombs certainly helped. In fact there are two catacombs that are accessible for tourists. We started with the San Gennaro catacombs. The catacombs are hewn into the soft tuff stone and date back to the 3rd century even though there probably was a pre-Christian site in the same place. The catacombs' names come from San Gennaro whose remains were buried in the catacombs for centuries. Only in the early middle ages they were moved to the cathedral of Naples. Around the same time the catacombs fell into disrepair and were looted over the course of subsequent centuries. In the 17th and 18th century all skeletal remains were moved from the catacombs to nearby Fontanelle cemetery. In recent years restoration work and archaeological excavations have taken place and only in 2008 the catacombs were opened for the public.
From the catacombs we continued to the aforementioned Fontanelle cemetery. The area had long been used as a quarry but in the late middle ages the caves were first used as burial grounds. The cemetery has since been used to bury the victims of plague and cholera outbreaks, earthquakes and wars. In the 19th century the caves were extended and the skeletal remains were interred and catalogued. To this date they remain stored in makeshift boxes and on wooden racks. Around the same time the rather strange Anime Pezzentelle ('poor souls') cult developed. Devotees sort of adopted skulls, 'cared' for them and asked for favours in return. Surprisingly this cult continued until 1969 when it was banned by the church.
In the late afternoon we left the cemetery and walked back towards the train station. On our way we passed yet another attraction – Cappella Sansevero. Once a private chapel of one of Naples' noble families it is now famous for the 18th-century sculptures that were commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro. There are around 30 artworks in the chapel but the 'veiled Christ' is by far the most famous. In fact the marble sculpture and particularly the veil look incredibly realistic. Other famous exhibits include two macchine anatomiche ('anatomical machines'), human skeletons encased in a system of veins and arteries. The exhibits were long thought to have been the result of some sort of plastination. Recent studies however suggest the blood vessels were made from wire, silk and beeswax. Unfortunately photography was strictly forbidden in the Cappella Sansevero.
After the Cappella Sansevero there was still one more attraction on our agenda for the day - Pizzeria da Michele. Naples claims to be the birthplace of pizza and da Michele is apparently one of the best and oldest pizzerias in town. There was a substantial queue in front of the door but a proper Neapolitan pizza cooks in the oven for only 60 – 90 seconds (at an impressive 485ºC!) and so the waiting time wasn't too long. Da Michele solely makes two sorts of pizza: Margherita (tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, basil) and Marinata (tomato sauce and garlic) and we decided to try both. It. Was. So. Good.
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| San Gennaro Catacombs |
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| Fontanelle Cemetery |
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| Reminders of the Anime Pezzentelle cult |
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| No pictures allowed in Cappella Sansevero so we bought some postcards |
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| Waiting in front of the famous Pizzeria da Michele |
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| Pizza Marinata |
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| Pizza Margherita |
The next morning we were again on the train to Naples. The ticket for the San Gennaro catacombs yesterday happened to be also valid for the nearby San Gaudioso catacombs. Unfortunately they had already been closed yesterday. Actually it turned out to be totally worth it to return for the catacombs. They date back to the 5th century and derive their name from San Gaudioso, a saint and martyr who had originally been buried in the catacombs. Similar to the San Gennaro catacombs the San Gaudioso catacombs fell into disrepair during the middle ages. In the 17th century Dominican friars took over. They discovered an ancient fresco of the Virgin Mary that had been buried under mudslides. It was decided to make this fresco the centrepiece of a new church. To raise funds for the construction work they re-opened the catacombs for burials of Naples' nobility. 'Draining' (actually sort of mummifying) the bodies of the diseased was a common procedure in the South of Italy at that time but the friars took it a step further. The skull of the diseased were displayed on the walls of the catacombs while the bodies were frescoed, often depicting typical clothes or instruments of their profession. This sort of morbid fundraising worked so well that the new church, named Basilica Santa Maria della Sanità, was finished in just over one decade.
From the catacombs we returned to the train station from where we took a train to Herculaneum, half-way between Naples and Pompei. Just like Pompeii the Roman settlement was destroyed in the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii was buried under hot volcanic ash that allowed to take plaster casts of all sorts of organic materials. Herculaneum, however, was hit by a pyroclastic flow that carbonized organic materials thus preserving them. Nearly two millennia after its destruction you can still see carbonized wooden doors. We'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
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| Basilica Santa Maria della Sanità |
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| San Gaudioso Catacombs |
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| Entrance to Herculaneum |
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| Charred roof structure |
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| Charred shutters |
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| Remains of the victims |
The next day we got an early start and cycled the 50-odd kilometres from Pompei to Caserta. A rather stressful ride on narrow and bumpy roads with dense traffic. We checked in at a guesthouse and then strolled around town for a bit. Caserta is most famous for the Reggia di Caserta, the Royal Palace of Caserta. In fact the 18th-century residence of the kings of Naples is one of the largest royal residences in the world. It is also considered a prime example of baroque architecture and therefore UNESCO-inscribed.
We had been planning to leave the next morning but by the time we woke up it was already 10am and we quickly decided to extend our stay. The day was spent doing some admin stuff - and doing a lot more relaxing.
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| Reggia di Caserta |
After all that rain and grey weather over the past weeks it was back to blue sky and sunny weather the next morning. The sun was scorching down and the humidity immediately went to tropical levels. Even though we were taking quiet back roads it was rather unpleasant cycling. We kept sweating like mad while we slogged up the Apennines once more. On the map the road had looked rather remote but in fact we were cycling through an infinite number of small villages and hamlets. Our hope to find somewhere to camp was soon shattered and so we pushed on to Isernia. Accommodation in town was rather expensive but just having a shower and rinsing off the sweat at the end of the day was worth it.
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| Approaching the Appennines again on the way to Isernia |
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From Isernia we continued further into the mountains. Our road was really beautiful but apparently the heavy rainfalls earlier in spring had damaged a lot of infrastructure. We had to take detours a few times. One time it was particularly bad. The deviation led down into a valley over a steep road. From the valley another steep road led back to our route. According to our navigation apps the ascent peaked at a gradient of 27%. The fact that we had to push the bikes up as the front tyres completely lost traction supported that number. In the afternoon we reached the National Park of Abbruzzo, Lazio and Molise and soon later we arrived in the medieval village of Barrea. At the tourist information we asked about further road closures and it turned out that our planned route was actually closed – bummer! We continued a bit further along the Barrea Lake and then called it a day when we reached one of the national park's designated camping areas. During dinner we discussed some potential routes. Eventually we elected for staying in the Apennines rather than cycling back to the eastern coast as the scenic road towards the coast was closed anyway.
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| On the way to the Abbruzzo National Park |
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| Barrea |
We slept late the next morning and by the time we hit the road there were already myriads of motorbikes about. It was Sunday and it was the first sunny Sunday in a while so bikers had virtually taken over the national park. Usually motorbikes are not a problem and many bikers wave enthusiastically when they see us on the road. But today their sheer number made cycling rather unpleasant. After a mere 20 kilometres we stopped at the next designated camping area and decided to put in a lazy day.
The night held a rather nasty surprise. Dominik's sleeping mat had sprung a leak and he didn't get all too much sleep. Despite a thorough inspection we couldn't figure out where the leak was.
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| Lazy day |
We did get a late start and after some last climbing over a 1,400 metres-high pass we left the national park. At the end of a long downhill we reached Avezzano in the late afternoon. We had booked a cheap guesthouse and when we checked in we noticed they had a proper bathtub. Most important mission was finding the leak of Dominik's sleeping mat. Unfortunately it turned out to be a case of delamination rather than a simple puncture. We used a patch from the repair kit that came with the mat and hoped for the best. The rest of the afternoon we didn't do much and indulged in some pizza and some beers.
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| The last mountain pass in the national park |
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| Searching for the leak of Dominik's sleeping mat |
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| Pizza!!! |
The next morning there was no running water in our accommodation. Apparently they had shut down the supply due to road construction work nearby. Bummer! We got an early start and soon we were back in the mountains and back on some beautiful back roads. Occasionally we passed small villages but mostly we were on our own. In the late afternoon we reached a stretch of road that was paralleled by an older, derelict stretch of the same road. Just a few dozen metres away from the new road there was an old bridge over a dry creek. Actually the spot was very well hidden and after a short inspection we decided to call it a day and pitch our tent right on the old bridge. It was a really idyllic spot surrounded by trees and super quiet. At night, however, it was less quiet. There were some bigger animals about – boars we assumed – that made a lot of noise. Also the sleeping mat we had just fixed was still deflating albeit at a slower rate than before. We figured the delamination that had caused the leak was nothing that could be fixed with simple patches.
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| Back into the mountains |
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| Loading up fresh spring water |
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| Camping on a derelict bridge |
During breakfast the next morning we texted some Warmshowers members (a hospitality network for touring cyclists) to ask whether we could use their addresses to order a new sleeping mat. The sun was already scorching down when we hit the road but the first half of the way was mostly downhill. At lunchtime we reached Rieti and had some pizza. The cycling after Rieti became a slog. The road was sort of busy, we had had too much pizza and heat and humidity were taking their toll. Eventually we reached Piediluca Lake where there was a nice camping ground. We checked our emails and one Warmshowers member had invited us to Florence and he also allowed us to use his address to order a new sleeping mat. Score. We placed the order right away.
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| Old city wall of Rieti |
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| Pizza for lunch |
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| Beautiful nature on the way to Piediluca Lake |
The next morning started with fog and lots of condensation in our tent. We waited until the sun had dried our stuff and got a rather late start. From the camping it was mostly uphill for quite a while. It was a beautiful road but fairly exhausting. Just when the first uphill ended and when we rolled down into the valley we heard gunshots. First we thought of some sort of hunt going on in the forest around us. Then we passed a small village and saw a procession coming our way. They were carrying a statue of what was probably the patron saint of that village. We figured the gunshots must have been sort of a salute. After the valley there was invariably another uphill albeit the last one for the day. We huffed and puffed up in the scorching sun and eventually we reached the top. From there it was all downhill to Spoleto. First attraction we called at was the church San Pietro extra Moenia. A Romanesque church outside the ancient city walls ('extra Moenia') that is famed for the reliefs on its ornate facade. Near the church is the medieval Ponte delle Torri aqueduct that leads right into the old town of Spoleto. Unfortunately the walkway along the impressive aqueduct was closed due to damage sustained in the 2008 L'Aquila earthquake. We cycled back to the main road and took a less stunning route into the old town. After aimlessly wandering around the narrow alleys we eventually reached the Romanesque cathedral. It was already late afternoon and so we figured we should get going again. We continued a bit further north and briefly stopped at a Decathlon store to buy a foam mat to temporarily replace Dominik's inflatable sleeping mat. From the Decathlon it was another short ride to a camping ground where we stayed for the night.
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| Some more uphill the next day |
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| Religious procession in a small village along the way |
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| Church of San Pietro extra Moenia in Spoleto |
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| Panorama of Ponte delle Torri and Spoleto old town |
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| Spoleto |
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| Cathedral |
We did get up early the next morning but then ended up leaving late. First we found Simon's front was flat. After fixing the puncture we started chatting with a Dutch cyclist who had stayed on the same camping ground. Eventually we left but it was already sweltering. The first part of the way was downhill and then we reached a cycleway that led all the way to Assisi. Assisi is best known as the birthplace of St. Francis. The 13th-century Basilica di San Francesco which was begun right after his canonisation is the main sight in town. And actually it was quite impressive, particularly the medieval frescoes. The old town wasn't less impressive if a bit overrun by tourists.
By the time we were done with sightseeing it was too late to push on to Perugia and so we settled on staying at a camping ground in the outskirts of Assisi. A tad pricey for what we got but the convenient location made up for it.
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| On the way to Assisi |
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| First glimpse |
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| Basilica di San Francesco |
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The next morning we got an early start but still it was a slog to cycle up the steep hills around Perugia. We hadn't had a proper breakfast and were desperate to find something to eat. In fact Perugia is home to one of Italy's most famous chocolate factories and sweets sounded perfect for breakfast. Unfortunately it turned out the Perugia chocolate factory was far away in the outskirts. We abandoned the idea of a sweet snack and some quick research showed there was another local speciality – Porchetta. Basically pork roast in a bun. There was a Porchetta stall nearby and so lunch was sorted. And delicious it was! After lunch we dived right into sightseeing, visiting the Gothic cathedral, the medieval fountain Fontana Maggiore and the Palazzo Priori. A quite interesting building. Priori translates to 'first citizens' so basically it was the seat of the magistrature in the middle ages. From the palazzo we continued to the Porta Augusta. Despite its name – and some Roman elements – this city gate is Etruscan and dates back to the foundation of Perugia or Perusia as it was called in Etruscan times.
From Perugia we continued to Lake Trasimeno where there were heaps of camping grounds. We picked one of the cheaper options and called it a day.
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| Porchetta for lunch |
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| Cathedral and Fontana Maggiore |
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| Cathedral from inside |
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| Palazzo Priori |
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| Porta Augusta |
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| Lake Trasimeno |
We got an early start the next morning and quickly left the lake and also the region of Umbria behind. Soon after we had crossed the border to Tuscany the rolling hills begun. The landscape was absolutely beautiful but the cycling was tough. The ascents were never long but many of them were super steep. We regularly saw signs indicating 20% gradients. We passed the famous wine region around Montepulciano and powered on. In the afternoon we reached San Giovanni d'Asso, a picturesque medieval village. There was supposed to be a camping ground nearby and we really felt like calling it a day after cycling an infinite number of hills. Unfortunately it turned out the camping ground was temporarily closed. The next camping was at least 50 kilometres away and Tuscany's hills don't have much shelter. After some quick discussions we figured we would just carry on towards Siena and would hope for a secluded spot to pitch our tent. More steep hills and dozens of photo-stops later we reached the outskirts of Siena - without finding anywhere to camp along the way. Totally shattered and with 120 kilometres under our belts we found a camping ground almost in the centre of Siena. We set up our tent, prepared some pasta for dinner and then retired into our tent.
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| Wine lovers know why :-) |
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| Cycling through Tuscany |
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| Church in Giovanni d'Asso |
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| Rolling hills on the way to Siena |
The next morning we slept in. After breakfast we took a bus into the town centre. We could have cycled there but we were just too lazy. We spent pretty much all day in town exploring the amazing Romanesque cathedral, the town square Piazza del Campo and the Palazzo Salimbeni, seat of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of the oldest banks in the world. In the late afternoon we returned to the camping ground and rounded off the day with some pizza and a bottle of local wine.
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| Siena old town |
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| Palazzo Salimbeni |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Cathedral |
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| No day can be complete without pizza... |
We did get an early start the next day. The forecast was for another scorcher and we wanted to get some kilometres in before the heat would be too bad. Immediately after leaving Siena the first hills started and soon later we found ourselves between endless vineyards in the famous Chianti Valley, origin of the homonymous wine. We stopped in Castellina in Chianti, one of several picturesque villages in the valley. Unfortunately it was a bit too early for wine-tasting and so we settled for a cappuccino instead. From Castellina we continued further along vineyards but eventually left the valley towards the medieval town of San Gimignano. It was quite a spectacular sight to approach the town. San Gimignano is famous for its 14 up to 55 metres-high towers and sometimes referred to as the Manhattan of Tuscany due to the impressive skyline. Unfortunately it is also among the most popular tourist destinations in northern Italy. We arrived at the same time as at least five tour buses. It. Was. So. Crowded. Still it was quite fascinating to see such a well preserved example of a medieval town. Just when we were about to leave we saw a touring cyclist arriving. It turned out it was Angela. She is a friend of Valentina with whom we had been cycling in Central Asia. She had been following us on Instagram for a while and had thus recognized us. It was good fun talking to her. Unfortunately she was a bit short on time and we soon had to see her off. We might meet her again later on in northern Italy. We pushed our bikes back to one of the old city gates. Our plan was to do some quick shopping and then carry on to a nearby camping ground that had been recommended to us. Just in front of the supermarket we saw some heavy-duty touring bikes. They belonged to a French couple who had cycled around the world a while ago and were now holidaying in Italy. They had actually taken a similar route like us in Asia and so we soon found ourselves with beers in our hands and exchanging stories. These utterly random encounters are one of the biggest gifts of travelling! With sunset approaching we said farewell to the French and carried on to the camping. The site was in fact really lovely with dozens of oak-trees and great views onto San Gimignano. We set up our tent and then chatted with a French pilgrim who was walking the Via Francigena, a historic pilgrimage route linking southern Europe to Jerusalem.
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| Cycling the Chianti Valley |
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| So many vineyards |
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| Approaching San Gimignano |
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| Tourist crowds in San Gimignano |
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| Meeting Angela |
The bottle of Chianti wine we had shared with the French pilgrim didn't help with getting an early start the next morning. The 85 or so kilometres to Livorno were rather uneventful. For the first bit we cycled through some more vineyards and rolling hills but soon the landscape became boring. Also the traffic became more intense and the last kilometres to Livorno were rather unpleasant. We found a camping ground near the sea and called it a day. Later in the evening we were joined by an Austrian cyclist and kept chatting until late.
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| Beautiful Tuscanian landscape on the way to the coast |
The next morning we slept in. We had thought about carrying on to Pisa immediately but we hadn't seen much of Livorno yet. So we elected for a day off and took a bus from the camping to the centre of Livorno. The town wasn't overly impressive but nice enough to spend a full day wandering around. Some parts of the old town were built on land reclaimed from the sea using the same methods like in Venice. And in fact some of the small canals somewhat resembled Venice. Also there was the Terazza Mascagni with its mesmerizing chessboard-pattern pavement. In the late afternoon we returned to the camping. We retired into our tent rather late after finishing the usual chores of doing laundry, cooking and preparing everything for an early start the next morning.
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| Exploring Livorno |
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| Terazza Mascagni |
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| 'Little Venice' |
We actually did get an early start and reached Pisa well before midday after a rather stressful ride. It's rather strange that a failed architectural project like the famous Leaning Tower has become sort of a trademark of Italy. In fact there is a lot more to see in Pisa than the Leaning Tower. Pisa had once been a city state rivalling Genoa and until today a fairly intact and rather impressive medieval old town remains. But of course the Leaning Tower alongside the Duomo and the Battisterio are the places that draw the crowds (the Leaning Tower was in fact planned as bell tower of the Duomo). It is an absolutely stunning ensemble but there were too many tourists to enjoy it. We took some pictures and then decided to rather push on. There were some nice cycle paths on the way to Lucca and we really enjoyed the ride.
In the late afternoon we reached Lucca. We found a rather shabby camping ground just outside town. The convenient location was the only thing it had going for it really. After setting up camp we cycled into the historic town centre for an evening stroll, the so-called Passageata. It's seems to be an important element of the Italian lifestyle. When the midday heat is over people dress up and take to the streets to meet with friends, to see and be seen. Quite a spectacle!
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| Exploring Pisa old town |
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| Duomo and the all famous Leaning Tower |
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| Evening stroll through Lucca |
The next day we slept in and decided to do a lazy day and explore Lucca in some more detail. In addition to a selection of stunning churches and palaces Lucca is also famed for its intact Renaissance city walls. The walls are crowned by a shady, 4 kilometres-long footpath that was good fun to walk. In the late afternoon we returned to the camping where we met Marco, an Italian touring cyclist with whom we chatted for the rest of the evening.
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| Walk on Lucca's city walls |
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| Old town |
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The next morning we got a late start, delayed even further by yet another puncture. It would have been possible to reach Florence the same day but our Warmshowers host would only be available from tomorrow. Thus we decided to rather just go to a cheap camping ground halfway to Florence. It was a short and uneventful ride and we happily spent the rest of the afternoon doing nothing.
The forecast was for a serious heatwave and so we started as early as we could the next day. The ride was uneventful and rather unpleasant but the real bummer was the humid heat! In the early afternoon we reached the historic centre of Florence. Stefano, our Warmshowers host would only be available after 5pm and so we figured we would just stroll around the old town until then. It was so crowded. And so hot. And so beautiful! The Duomo was just stunning, the narrow alleys were picture-perfect and there were just so many amazing historic buildings. Walking though the crowds of tourists with our loaded bikes was sort of awkward and so we explored only a fraction of the sights. We were determined to return the next day anyway. Stefano's flat was pretty close to the old town and at 5pm we arrived there. It was a warm welcome with some delicious aperitivi, some equally delicious pasta and a lot of chatting. Also the replacement for our broken sleeping mat had arrived. Stefano told us that today was San Giovanni day, basically a festival for the town's patron saint. This also explained why the old had been that crowded. But most importantly there would be fireworks later in the evening. Together with Stefano and his wife Claudia we cycled to the river bank of the Arno, the river that basically cuts the old town into two halves. There were already hundreds of people waiting but we found a good spot to watch the spectacle. And spectacular it was. The fireworks lasted for a good half an hour and they were stunning. After a late-night ice cream snack we returned to Stefano's flat and well after midnight we finally went to bed.
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| Arriving in Florence |
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| Glimpse of the Duomo |
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| Cycling to the fireworks with Stefano and Claudia |
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| San Giovanni fireworks |
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The next morning we had breakfast together with our host. While he went to work we set off to explore Florence. There were so many amazing sights that we'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. After ten hours of sightseeing we returned to Stefano's flat.
He was out to meet with friends in the evening but he gave us some recommendations where to go for dinner. One of his recommendations was a place that offered an all-you-can-eat buffet. Of course this is where we went. We spent a good 2.5 hours eating ourselves through all of the dishes. Just when we were about to leave we received a text from Nicole, an American cyclist whom we had met on several occasions when we were all cycling in Central Asia. We knew she was in Italy and near Florence now but she had been unsure about when exactly she would arrive. It turned out she had actually just arrived and stayed in a hostel nearby. Soon later she parked her bicycle in front of the restaurant and joined us for a beer – and lots of travel stories. We only left when the restaurant closed for the night.
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| Duomo |
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| Battistero |
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| Palazzo Vecchio |
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| Michelangelo's David |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| Panorama of Florence |
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| Meeting with Nicole |
Originally we had planned to get an early start the next morning and to cycle towards San Marino. But we went to bed far too late and also we had agreed to meet Nicole again for breakfast. Stefano saw us off and then we cycled to Nicole's hostel. On the way we bought some food. Together we cycled a bit further to a public park where we had our breakfast together. At noon we were still chatting and so we returned to her hostel and sat down there. Nicole's sister would arrive later in the afternoon to visit her for a couple of days and Nicole suggested we could stay until then so her sister would get to know some more examples of the species 'crazy cyclist'. The temperature had risen to 40ºC and so we happily agreed. Our revised plan was staying until the early evening and then cycling to a camping ground about ten kilometres outside town. The hours passed, we chatted and chatted, had some ice cream and eventually Nicole's sister arrived. We chatted some more and at 7pm we actually started cycling. It was still so hot. Only ten kilometres to the camping but about 250 metres uphill. The road wasn't super steep yet it was so exposed to the scorching sun. Finally we reached the camping, set up tent and called it a day.
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| Farewell Florence! |
The next morning we got a super early start. According to the forecast it would be the hottest day of the current heatwave with temperatures peaking at 42ºC. Even at 5am in the morning it was sweltering. On the way to San Marino there would be a 1,000 metres-high mountain pass. Stefano had told us about a free wilderness hut on top of that pass so that was where we were heading. At 7am we reached the last town before the pass and were at 400 metres altitude. We did our shopping and then we pushed on. It was a slog. We felt like we were melting. Much of the way was through forests but the exposed stretches were so bad. Still we managed to reach the wilderness hut just before midday. The hut was at the point where some hiking paths crossed and even in the heat those paths were quite popular. There were some picnic tables around but most were occupied. We found one that was free and that was in the shade. All our clothes were soaking wet from all the sweating and we just laid there for a while drying. Inevitably we fell asleep and only woke up in the late afternoon. Most hikers had moved on and we had the spot pretty much for ourselves. The wind had picked up a bit and the heat wasn't as unbearable any more. The inside of the hut however was unbearably hot. We elected for pitching our tent instead. With the last daylight we prepared dinner and then we went straight to sleep again.
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| Slogging up the Apennines once more |
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| Camping near a wilderness hut |
At 5.30am the next morning we had packed the bikes and tackled the long, long downhill towards San Marino. It was bliss. The landscape was stunning, the air was still cool and crisp and all the way to Cesena it was basically effortless cycling. After Cesena the road was mostly flat but the traffic increased and the heat was really bad. We took it slow and made a lot of breaks. With more than 100 kilometres under our belts we reached sort of a nature reserve with some nice cycling paths. San Marino, up on the 750 metres-high Monte Titano, was already in sight. It was late afternoon and we were so tempted to just stay in the nature reserve. We found a promising spot. It was a bit too early to set up camp and while we were still discussing whether to camp or not we heard gunshots nearby. On closer inspection there were empty buckshot shells in the grass around us. Suddenly the camping spot we had found looked far less promising and we decided to push on to San Marino instead. Another 15 kilometres with some steep climbs and in scorching heat. It was such a slog we barely noticed the signs indicating we had just left Italy and entered the Republic of San Marino. Actually country #35 on this journey! Short time later we finally reached the only official camping ground in the country, pitched our tent and called it a day.
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| Early start |
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| Lunch break in Brisighella |
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| On the way to San Marino |
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| We're getting there... |
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| There we are! |
We slept late the next morning and then took a bus to the historic centre of San Marino. The State San Marino is divided into nine municipalities of which the municipality San Marino is the capital and the touristic and historic centre. It was quite a nice stroll through the narrow alleys with their medieval buildings and along the fairly intact ramparts and fortifications. Also the views from Monte Titano were stunning. In the late afternoon we returned to the camping and rounded off the day with a cold beer.
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| View from Mount Titano |
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| San Marino old town |
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| Fortifications |
The next morning we got another early start. The way out of the Republic of San Marino was a nice downhill which turned into some pan-flat roads once we were back in Italy and headed towards the coast and the town of Rimini. We stopped at a supermarket for a late breakfast and then continued into the historic centre. Among Germans Rimini is famous solely for its beaches and so we were pleasantly surprised to find a proper historic centre with highlights like the amazing Roman Ponte di Tiberio. We didn't stay long, though. Instead we continued along the coast towards Ravenna. And the beaches were so busy, packed with tourists. It was such a relief when we had escaped that awful mass tourism.
In the early afternoon we reached Ravenna, a town rich in history and famed for amazing mosaics. Of the many well-preserved Roman and Byzantine buildings eight are UNESCO-inscribed. It turned out there was a combined ticket to visit five of these sites and so we went for that. All of the mosaics were amazing but the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia along with with Basilica of San Vitale had undoubtedly the most outstanding examples.
In the late afternoon we continued from Ravenna to a small village about 15 kilometres north-west. Hisako, a Japanese ex-pat had invited us to stay with her in that village. We had a very pleasant evening exchanging stories from our respective travels. Unfortunately Hisako was working night-shift that day and so she left soon after dinner. We didn't stay up much longer anyway. The day, and the month of June in general, had been quite eventful and we felt physically tired.
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| Arriving in Rimini |
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| Rimini old town |
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| Ponte di Tiberio |
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| Baptistery of Neon in Ravenna |
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| Mausoleum of Galla Placidia |
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| Basilica of San Vitale |
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| With our host Hisako |
