In Cuneo: the southeast loop

October 17, 2021

From the OSM Cycling overlay on RideWithGPS, Cuneo looks like an ideal spot for an extended layover. Look at the dense network of marked cycling itineraries radiating out in all directions!

We’ve got five days here, so we’ll be sampling the lay of the land in multiple directions, as well as taking at least one of the days to hike. We’ve already seen some of the country to the north when we followed EV8 in from Saluzzo, and today we’ll head southeast following a pretty screwy-looking route I came up with just to get the miles in while sticking to paved minor roads as much as possible.

We didn’t get started until nearly 11, lazing around our spacious and comfortable apartment while we waited for the day to warm up. I’ll let the photos speak for the day, with just a few other comments about it:

Our apartment couldn’t be better, with one exception: it’s on the second floor, there’s no elevator of course, and our bikes are up here with us. We’ll be ready to move on by the time we leave here, we’ll tired by then of lugging our bikes up and down 55 stairs each time we go out with them.
I’ve never been in a region so dominated by chestnuts. Their husks litter the ground everywhere, and you have to watch out for them when riding because they’re in the street too. I don’t know if they’d flatten a tire, but they could cause a spill if you hit one wrong. And, it’s a good reason to wear your helmet even on these empty roads. I was startled when climbing a steep hill and got bonked when one loudly bounced off my helmet.
Downtown Cuneo was packed when we biked back through it at the end of the ride. It’s the last day of the national chestnut festival, and billions of people were here completely clogging Via Roma, the main street through the heart of the old city. Our room was on the opposite side of this throng, and it was interesting getting across.
Last night, for the first time since entering Italy three weeks ago, we were denied indoor seating at a restaurant because we don’t have a European Union Green Pass. Fortunately they still had one outdoor table next to a space heater available, so we were fine this time. I think the restaurant was just in error here, but it’s hard to argue when no one speaks your language.