September 17, 2023
Day 11: Quistello to Verona
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun*
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We had a lovely and relaxing time in this peaceful vacation home in Quistello. It was difficult to pack up and leave, but the open road awaited, and it was already starting to warm up. We promised ourselves that if we fell into a daily routine on the flatlands, that it would be 8-4 rather than 9-5. I think we compromised with an 8:30 departure. Our hosts rushed over to see us off. We took a few photos and reluctantly said arrivederci to one another. They're such a sweet couple.
The original plan was to continue on EV7 to Lago di Garda. I researched campgrounds, and while there are many, every single one either was closing for the season this weekend, demanded a 2-night minimum stay, or didn't offer pitches. We weren't particularly interested in the lake, anyway. Instead, we headed towards what looked like an interesting municipal campground in Verona.
As a result, we didn't spend much time on any Eurovelo route today, even though we were at the intersection of EV7 and EV8 near Mantova. I feel like we lost something by taking a more direct route to Verona. But the few kilometers we rode on the official routes were fantastic.
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Mantova was approaching, and Komoot had correctly routed us around some single track, but in the end, we decided, "what's the harm?" and went for it. It was pretty fun.
When we reached the historic center of the city, we were simply flabbergasted. We had our bikes with us, and we couldn't stick around for too long, so we just snapped away in a photo frenzy to enjoy at our leisure later. This is a place we want to return to! It's just our style, aka not overrun with foreign tourists (and yes I realize the Yogi Berra-ness of it all, but my point still stands).
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8 months ago
Soon we were back out on the open road. Verona awaits!
As we veered further away from established cycling routes, the more we felt like we were in the heart of farming country.
We had our final break in the village of Povegliano Veronese. They were serving a communal meal at the sheltered gathering place next door. The conversation was like a babbling brook to us. It sounds like they were having a lot of fun. Luckily it wasn't our meal time, so we didn't feel jealous.
Things got very industrial on the outskirts of Verona. Thankfully it was Sunday, so we didn't have to go head-to-toe with delivery trucks and such.
Once in the city center, it was pedestrians we had to contend with. We realized that once we started up towards the campground, we wouldn't have shopping opportunities, so we detoured a couple kilometers to one of the few supermarkets open on Sunday afternoon. It was worth it to have the food we wanted available to us.
The climb was pretty easy, with 3 mild switchbacks.
It turns out to be an incredible campground. Our site is situated beneath a thriving trellis of grapes. Very romantic. We're sharing it with other bike tourists and backpackers. It's a youth hostel type of experience, but much mellower.
* My parents were Kingston Trio fans, so I listened to this song a lot as a child. I understood its nostalgic melancholy right away. I put it in the same class as Those Were the Days (the one based on a Russian song, and which was also used as a TV jingle for Busch Gardens Van Nuys. I never went to Busch Gardens). Anyway, I'm amused to read the lyrics from Seasons in the Sun and to see how obviously French it is. Somehow I had it in my mind that the narrator was Greek.
Today's ride: 79 km (49 miles)
Total: 616 km (383 miles)
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8 months ago
7 months ago