The B&B Casina dei Marsi was a nice place, large and spacious, with beautiful big windows that opened up wide to let in the fresh air. Unfortunately, the breakfast part was lacking. The kitchen was large but not well-stocked, and it was strictly self-service. In retrospect, it seems the "B&B" concept has caught on in Italy (that is an Americanism, after all), but the breakfast part is lacking . . . so we didn't even bother with coffee (instant!). We hopped on our bikes and headed downtown (which was not far) and consumed a suitable breakfast for touring cyclists!
The remains of the day . . . at least through breakfast.
Downtown was actually rather busy for a Saturday morning, particularly the road headed out of town. We probably could have chosen one a little less busy, but this one took us straight to the mountain pass that skirts along and then carries you through the Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino.
But as we pedaled further, traffic dropped off, and we had a spectacular view of the challenges ahead. There is an alternative route to Sulmona that takes you further south than this route does, but I have biked this route once before and enjoyed it so much that I decided to do it again! This route is also a long, slow climb, with a grade that likely does not exceed 5%. Once we started, I was pretty much in the same gear for the entire length of the climb. Mark, on the other hand, varies his gearing more.
We were still low in the climb but gaining enough for a picture looking back on the valley and Avezzano in the far distance.
Along the way, we passed through one town, Collarmele, which was pretty much a straight shot through a fairly nondescript town. We didn't stop since we were well in our climbing groove by now (MP 14) and were truly enjoying another spectacular day in Italy. We saw one other cyclist who was on a pretty expensive bike (a Pinarello Dogma . . . I rely on Mark for these facts) but who was doing about our pace as well.
The only town we biked through as we ascended was Collarmele . . . and we were on a pretty good roll, so we did not stop except to take this picture looking back! We were only at MP 14 after all!
The climb up was pretty steady but with varying terrain. This section was near the top, where there is a mountain valley of sorts that you traverse before the big descent.
After traversing the valley (or mountain crest), we came to the descent and this beautiful view of the Abruzzi.
The crest of the mountain before the descent. More mountains lie in our path! We don't actually cross the farthest ones, but we did make our way through the intermediate ones. And there are some very similar ones on our journey southward.
Whichever town that was in the distance, it made no difference really. It was a glorious view . . . and the descent was equally so. Time for lunch! Our breakfast, in spite of our efforts to improve it, had still been pretty slim (Italians do not eat a big breakfast), so we were hungry. Our first stop was Castel di Ieri, which had slim pickings! Only one restaurant. But it turned out to be an excellent choice.
Castel di Ieri. I did not expect much when I walked into Da Lisa . . . so I was pleasantly surprised with the spread we ate.
Da Lisa was hidden behind the motorcycles and red awning. The proprietor, a pleasant woman, spoke to me in Italian but soon shifted to perfect English as she helped us store our bikes across the street in her private garden and then ushered us into the back of the house where the restaurant was located. As I said, we were hungry, so we poured it on.
Antipasto course. Very generous. The Abruzzi is known for its meats and cheeses.
. . . and a Genziana digestif. I was reluctant to drink during the middle of a ride but was convinced by Lisa's mom. Genziana is a specialty of the Abruzzi, and Lisa's mom insisted I try it, so I did ;-).
Lisa was not her name but her daughter's name. She was managing the restaurant that day after having moved back to Italy from Vancouver. As you can see, we had a delightful lunch.
Our next "stop" was Castelvecchio Subequo where we actually did not stop at all. It was all downhill still, but once we were at the town center, we had to do a little climbing to clear the town and make our way through the mountain gorge that led us to Sulmona.
A look back on Castelvecchio Subequo and some of the terrain we had covered that day. We still had about 15 miles to go.
The gorge is a beautiful ride in and of itself. It comprises narrow roads that parallel the river, passes through a tunnel, and slowly climbs up and over the mountain pass.
Our first tunnel! There were workers over the portal, and the red traffic signal said "no" . . . at least until a car came along to trip it. But on further exploration, it was short, and traffic was almost nonexistent, so on we proceeded.
At first Mark wanted to mount our light systems, but after riding up to the portal, I could see daylight a stone's throw away, and we proceeded without special equipment! Shortly afterward, we again had a descent and arrived in the mountain valley, Valle Peligna, between two large mountain masses. The riding from then on was mostly flat and rolling with some very pleasant roads.
Sulmona is a wonderful town and the last I will revisit from my previous tour in this part of Italy. It is everything I remembered it to be, including the long, slow climb into the town center. We arrived in time to tour the historic center and watch the sun set on the nearby mountains. And to enjoy the evening promenade by the locals up and down the main street, often holding hands.
Our arrival in the town square was made more pleasant by our falling in with some Italian tourist who wanted to know if I was Lance Armstrong. That got everyone laughing!
