October 12, 2023
Day 36: Fiuggi to Frascati
The flat foot Fiuggi with the floy floy
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So the whole deal with Fiuggi is that it apparently contains a spring whose water contains healing properties. It also seems to be popular among Russians for some reason. I was expecting to see ads for day spas and such, but mostly what I noticed were shuttered hotels. I estimate that somewhere between half and two-thirds of the hotels here are not operational. I had imagined it as one of those places with sanitariums where people would breathe the mountain air to alleviate their tuberculosis symptoms. But that doesn't appear to be the case.
We walked up into town to where the murals were supposed to be, but we didn't find any. I think we would've had to walk up another kilometer or so to find them. I was game, but my dear wife wasn't, so we turned back and prepared to make our getaway. We were both looking forward to coasting down the mountain.
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Once again, I had failed to pay attention to the elevation profile for today's ride. We had to sweat our way up to a higher peak before reaping the rewards of yesterday's climb. It was fine, though. Fresh legs and cool morning air helped a ton.
We left the road and found ourselves on what we quickly identified as a rail trail. Rusted telephone poles, a steady 3% grade, and buildings near the path in the towns we passed made it painfully obvious. The only "what if" factor was the trail quality. It started a bit shaky, then became very good. It only became very not good for the last 4km or so of the 20km path.
The last little train station was a special one, in that it had been renovated as a bar. Now, our hotel in Fiuggi had provided us with an ample and satisfying breakfast, and we'd been riding downhill for an hour without exerting ourselves, but it would've been some sort of bike touring blasphemy to have passed this opportunity by.
I feel like every American school kid has been exposed to Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken", although I'm sure that's not true. We were taught to think of American literature as equal or greater in stature than its Old World counterparts, which is just ridiculous, especially given that New World artists have had much less time to develop their canon.
I digress. I've mentioned the times we've chosen backroads over highways, or vice versa, and the advantages of each. Today was more of a highway day, which means fewer photos and fewer memories, but also fewer dogs, better roads, and more predictable outcomes. Nevertheless, I feel a slight twinge of guilt every time I leave the GPS trace for EV5, as though reviewing the route inch-by-inch is my solemn duty. I'm no pioneer, but I do get the sense that the Brindisi-to-Rome stretch of EV5 is infrequently traveled. The only signage for it we encountered was, coincidentally, in and near Monteleone di Puglia. I felt, perhaps falsely, that this little town was banking on it becoming popular. You know, build it and they will come. So yeah, it needs to be built. There needs to be lots of signage and lots of road improvements. The EU would need to throw a decent chunk of change Italy's way to make it happen.
A highlight of the day was this sanctuary we ran a across just in time for lunch. I don't actually know what a place called a sanctuary even means to a modern populace, but for us it meant a bench, shade, beauty, and peace. And a trash can. And potable water. The sanctuary building was surrounded on three sides by a cemetery. It doesn't seem that people around here have picnics or anything like that when they visit their deceased relatives, so we've generally avoided cemeteries. It was nice to finally see one up close. It felt like a place full of love and memories.
We hugged the foot of a mountain for a while after that, mostly on a mild uphill slope. Each toe of the foot contained a hill town that we had no desire to climb and explore. If this was our first day in Italy, we might've oohed and aahed over it all. But we've literally seen hundreds of them by this point, and while I'm sure that each one has its own unique charms, in general, it's far more trouble than it's worth for us. Komoot did route us on a shortcut through one of the towns, but the cobblestones were so loose that I would've gladly taken the highway instead.
About 5km from our destination, we said our goodbyes to EV5 once and for all. It continues north, where it peters out unceremoniously in a suburb of Rome. We veered south to visit Frascati, about which we know nothing. I chose it mainly because it sets us up nicely for tomorrow's ride, which I'm really looking forward to despite it essentially being an urban commute to our metropolitan Rome campground.
The place I booked ended up being a bait and switch. What I was expecting was a B&B, but what we got was a hotel room owned by the family that runs the B&B. I was too tired to care. As long as we had a place for our bikes and a pillow under our heads, I was happy. They're in roughly the same location, and the hotel room is fine. I'll leave a lackluster review in the form of a poem: "The Room Not Taken". That'll show 'em!
We strolled around town and dined al fresco at a lovely little trattoria. We'll wander on foot a bit more tomorrow morning, then we'll set course to essentially close the loop on our circumnavigation of Italy.
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 2,093 km (1,300 miles)
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We're currently on our way from Montpellier to Brindisi to cross the Adriatic Sea toward more adventures and we're following ev5 since Lucca.
North of Roma, ev5 is more or less following the cycling version of the Via Francigena and it's quite easy to find information and fellow cyclotourists but, as you mention, between Roma and Brindisi this is quite different and your travel blog is really valuable.
Today we're arrived in Fiuggi and we had lunch in the bar in the last (first for us) railway station that you describe on the really nice cycle path ;) ...
3 weeks ago
I described some of our challenges and triumphs in the journal pages. I don't really have much to add to that. You will probably have some issues with railway construction past Telese Terme, so ask locals about it if you can. Rest well before the big climb between Benevento and Monteleone di Puglia! And if you can afford to take a full day in Matera to sightsee, you should do so.
Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Happy touring!
3 weeks ago