To Vasto

April 22, 2025

There were a couple of reasons we decided to stay in Termoli a fourth night, but one was that one of our credit cards turned up missing on Saturday . It's our least important card, if that makes any sense - nothing is tied to it like recurring charges or bookings, and it serves just as a backup. And there's no evidence that it's been misused, so it's not a big concern yet. Still, we'd like to find it rather than cancel it and the only remaining place we can think of is the pharmacy we stopped in.

Unfortunately the pharmacy was closed by the time we went back Saturday afternoon. And of course it was closed on Easter, but it was also down for the Monday after Easter; so we decided to stay in town partly for the chance that they might have it.

So with that disappointment behind us we headed up the coast to Vasto, our next overnight stay. It's a twenty mile ride and virtually flat for the first eighteen. The ride divides roughly into thirds. The first five are on bike path, the first two of which are the waterfront promenade north of Termoli that we've ridden or walked a few times now. It's much quieter this morning than it was over Easter weekend, and thoroughly enjoyable. We just ride, relying on the GoPro to remind us when we look back on this day.

The next stretch is roughly 10 miles, on the comfortably wide shoulder of SS16, the Adriatica, the coast road that runs nearly the entire length of Italy from Padua to Otranto. This is one of the better stretches - traffic is moderate, the shoulder is comfortable, but there's no real reason to stop so we sail through this stretch too.

Before joining the Adriatica though we make our only stop of the ride, a mechanical one so I can tighten down my right-hand mirror. As long as I'm stopped I get out the phone so we won't have only the GoPro to share with you.

Several miles from Vasto we come to the best part of the day when we leave the Adriatica and ride a delightful green ribbon right to the heart of the lower waterfront. It gives us an excellent first impression of Vasto as we cruise in, admiring but avoiding thinking of for the moment the profile of the upper town nearly five hundred feet above us. For now though we're content to stop for lunch at Trattoria Toscana, where we share a plate of grilled vegetables, I have a generous serving of veal with Gorgonzola and carmelized red onions, and Rachael digs into an oversized whole orata large enough that nearly half goes away with us for her dinner.

And then we get on with it, starting on the 2+ mile climb to the upper town where we've booked ourselves into the San Marco Hotel. We were both apprehensive about this climb, probably the most we've done with a load since returning from Spain last fall. It's not bad though, maintaining a steady pace of 6% or so. A confidence builder, but one we're happy to see the top of on what's turning into a warm day.

Sound track: Festive Minor, by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet

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It's not long past two when we check in at our hotel, and the next few hours are generally spent in down time until Rachael decides she can't wait any longer and we head off to the nearest gelateria where this time she gets her fill of pistachio.

Afterwards we go our own way for the next hour or two. She heads to the grocery store again, always a treat for her, and I walk through the historical heart of Vasto. There's quite a bit to see here, all within a fairly small area; which is a good thing, because my knees really are a problem. I am still holding out hope that they'll be better when my steroid dose is dropped well below where it is now - after all, it wasn't that many months ago that I was able to fairly comfortably walk four or five miles. If they don't improve though we're starting to think that this may be the winter we need to finally take a long break so I can get knee replacements.

In any case though, here are some of the highlights of old Vasto, all within maybe a five or six block radius.

Looking across Piazza Rossetti at the Torre di Bassano.

The Church of Saint Mary Maggiore, whose tall bell tower is the crowning structure on Vasto's skyline. The church's origins date back to about 1200, but after a series of catastrophies it was largely rebuilt in the 1600's.

Inside the Church of Saint Mary Maggiore.

Alongside the Cathedral of Saint Joseph.

Maybe the most evocative sight in the medieval city: the portal of the former Church of Saint Peter, built originally in the 10th century on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Ceres.

Sant Peter's church endured the usual series of traumas and catastrophies over the last thousand years, but its complete ruination came in the massive landslide of 1956, leaving only the portico from the 1200's.

Dante's Lane, the walkway between the Porta Nuova and the cathedral.

The view southeast along the Adriatic. It's said that on a clear day you can see as far as Termoli and the Tremiti Islands, and this might be a day for it.

Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 302 miles (486 km)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesYour knees seem to be a major limiting factor these days. Dodie went for surgery when the walking became this difficult and even wearing knee braces and using 2 trekking poles was of minimal help. She had her knees done sequentially but some people have both done at the same time. More painful and intense recovery period, but it is over in one go. Maybe in Tucson over the winter? Rehab on the Loop?
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1 week ago

Patrick O'HaraWhat an attractive town! Great shots.
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5 days ago

Janice BranhamThat greenway looks delightful in the video
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3 days ago