In Saluzzo: the Airasca to Moretta cycle path - The Road to Rome, Part Two: Europe - CycleBlaze

October 15, 2021

In Saluzzo: the Airasca to Moretta cycle path

The day begins with a curious start, as we have to leave the room we were upgraded into yesterday because it was only available for one night.  At breakfast we’re told our new room will be ready by 10:30, so we can just walk our belongings down the hall before leaving on the day’s ride.  No problem.  It’s very cold this morning indoors and out, and we’re in no hurry to get started.

At 10:30 we pack up, walk down to the hall to our new room, and find that it’s still a mess from last night’s guests.  No problem, because it’s still cold anyway.  At eleven though, I go downstairs and ask the host what to do.  Just move our belongings into the new, unmade room, and the cleaning crew will work around them.  So we do, and head out to get the bikes.

It’s still quite cold, and rather damp and foggy.  About a mile into the ride Rachael wails that she’s miserable - she didn’t dress warmly enough or bring her warm gloves - and just wants to go back to the room and get under the covers, if we only had a ready room to return to.

We won’t have such a refuge available until later in the morning so she does the best she can and quickly bikes ahead of me, hoping that if she picks up the pace she’ll generate enough heat to survive.  It’s a good day for that, as we’re on an out and back.  I’ll just meet up with her down the road somewhere.

It’s foggy this morning and will remain hazy all day. This is the best view we’ll get of the mountains just west of us.
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It’s too cold!
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Jen RahnYes! Even the cows are huddled together for warmth.
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2 years ago

After a couple of days in the hills and vineyards, we’re back in the ultra-flat Po Valley.  The river arches north around Turin, but further west the valley bends south again and broadens out in a bowl surrounded by hills near the river’s source beneath spiky Mount Viso.  We won’t see Viso today though because of the fog, so sights are restricted to the usual - miles of newly shorn corn fields and hay bales, columns of poplars, and the occasional village.

It’s a great ride though.  After about twelve miles on mostly empty farm roads we come to the southern end of the Airasca to Moretta cycle path.  This is a wonderful bit of cycling infrastructure along the course of the former train line between Airasca and Saluzzo, which was active from 1884 to 1986.  In 2011 the 18 kilometers of northern half of the old line were converted to a rail trail, with the remaining miles to Saluzzo undeveloped because they were still in use as a freight line.  The freight line has since been eliminated also, and now the plan is to eventually complete the cycle path all the way to Saluzzo.

Smooth, surprisingly scenic, passing through dying towns that once thrived along the former line, it’s a very relaxed, enjoyable ride.  It would be wonderful to come back and ride the complete line from Saluzzo once the lower half of the trail is developed.  And it would be even better to ride it on a clear day when you can see the mountains rising just to the west.

There’s lots to see, so Rachael gets well ahead of me.  The sun comes out and warms the day up, so by the time she’s doubled back and we meet up at Scalenghe and have lunch by the abandoned train station there she’s warmed up herself and enjoying the ride.

Later when we return to our room we’re further warmed up by an exciting discovery: the radiator in the bathroom is generating heat.  It’s October 15th!

More of those double muscled cows the region is famous for.
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They really do have an emaciated look, and maybe they really are so. This young lady is ambling over to see if I’ve brought breakfast, while the others keep an eye on her to see how it goes.
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Keith KleinHi,
Not to worry, they are fairly normal dairy cattle, bred to have long legs not big butts like beef cattle. I don’t recognize the breed though. Looks like they are happy it’s fall and the flies are gone. I’ll bet you are, too.
Cheers,
Keith
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Keith KleinNo, they’re a distinct breed, the Piemontese. There are heritage signs here describing them as a protected breed in the region. Their unusual structure is apparently because of a genetic trait that produces muscular hypertrophy: https://www.thecattlesite.com/breeds/beef/56/piemontese/.
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2 years ago
Keith KleinWell I’ll be. Ya learn something new every day. First time I’ve run into a breed that’s both beef and dairy. Unheard of where I grew up, and here in Burgundy, for that matter. Thanks.
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2 years ago
Jen RahnAnother interesting bit about these cows from Wikipedia ..

"The enlarged muscles of dam and calf at birth leads to increased difficulty of calving, and in some breeds frequently necessitates birth by cesarean section."

I was going to say that they look a lot more healthy than some of the over-bloater bovines I've seen here. I always wonder if it's due to antibiotics, corn finishing, or ??
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2 years ago
Finally! A crossing of the mighty Po that doesn’t strain your nerves.
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No problem at all, as long as you follow it all the way upriver to its source.
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A hay bale drops in on the poplars. Looks like a scene from a bowling alley.
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Susan CarpenterLove this shot!
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterThanks! I’m not sure why it caught my attention in the first place but the longer I look at it the more it delights me.
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2 years ago
Patrick O'HaraAgreed. Nice one!
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2 years ago
Rich FrasierYup. Scott scores again!
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2 years ago
Jen RahnCould be the opening scene of a movie!
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2 years ago
In Villafranca Piemonte, words from the not so distant past: “The guarantee of peace rests on our armed forces.” - - - Mussolini
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In Villafranca Piemonte.
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Crossing another raging torrent, the Pellice - one of the first tributaries of the Po, which it joins just east of here.
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Along the Airasca to Moretta cycle path, passing the first of a string of former train stations we’ll pass in the coming miles. I think this is the twelfth station on the line, starting from the north end.
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Number 11. It looks like there’s some effort to preserve these. At least the ivy that had consumed it in the past has been killed off.
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A window into station 11.
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Vigone, one of the larger of the old towns along the line.
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I’ve looked at Vigone from both sides now.
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Station 9, at Cercenasto.
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In Cercenasto.
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In Cercenasto.
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A perfect poplar patch, one that just fills the frame.
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Jen RahnPeaceful, prissy, ... provoking!!
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnPretty pitiful proposition, pal!
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2 years ago
A stack of sundry bricks.
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Number 5. If we were staying another day I’d like to go back and collect the whole set.
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Pigeon roost, at the abandoned Scalenghe passenger depot.
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The trail is very well maintained and well marked. At each town you pass through there’s an information panel like this showing the nearby highlights.
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I’ve not noticed before. Are rose hips color-coordinated with their associated blossoms?
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Suzanne GibsonHang around a while and see if it ripens to a red rose hip.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonWhy, thank you! What a practical suggestion!
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2 years ago
Andrea BrownJust this one.
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2 years ago
We’ve been stopped by washed out roads and bridges. We’ve been stopped by construction projects. We’ve been stopped by landslides. We’ve been stopped by accidents. But we’ve never been stopped by a brigade of leaf blowers until today. They refused to let us pass, and we had to detour onto the busy highway for a mile to get around them.
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ann and steve maher-wearyWow. That is hard to believe, pushing people off the path to blow leaves off it.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo ann and steve maher-wearyPretty surprising, alright. It was treated just like any other construction project, with an entire mile long section of the trail barricaded at both ends. Seems like it would be down for quite a while.
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2 years ago
Jen RahnThat is completely outrageous!

I understand them not wanting to turn them off and on to let people pass .. but just redirect the airflow for a few seconds!
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnIt is outrageous, taken at face value. Looking again though, I wonder if it isn’t a prison work crew.
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2 years ago
Jen RahnHmmm. That's an interesting thought.

All the things we don't know. And the wild assumptions we make!
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2 years ago
Back into Saluzzo, excited to be checking into our new room.
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Let there be - - - heat! It’s October 15th, and the heat can come back on!
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ann and steve maher-wearyHave to remember this. I think you had some cold nights in Sicily too, in early spring?
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo ann and steve maher-wearyThat’s right. I’m sure it would be a consideration, especially in the higher elevations in the interior. The restriction limits the number of hours per day and date range, by region. In Sicily you’re limited to 6 hours per day and only between December 1st and March 31st. Here’s an overview: https://www.thelocal.it/20201112/when-can-you-switch-on-your-heating-in-italy-this-winter/.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierSounds like steam heat!
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2 years ago
Rich FrasierTo Scott AndersonWe don't have dates like that in France. A good thing, too. I'd face some serious rebellion from Robin if I tried to keep the heat off when she's cold. A good reminder to us to not travel in Italy until after the heat switch-on dates. Or in the summer!
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2 years ago

Video sound track: Un Cuore Malato (A sick heart), by Gigi d’Alessio & Lara Fabian

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Patrick O'HaraStunning shots in today's entry, Scott.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraThanks, Patrick. Really a great day. Saluzzo is really worth a detour. And just west of here is the Italian side of Col Angel, which in a different life I’d love to bike: https://www.climbbybike.com/climb/Col-Agnel-Colle-dellAgnello/1894.
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2 years ago

Ride stats today: 47 miles, 600’; for the tour: 2,112 miles, 74,800‘

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 2,112 miles (3,399 km)

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