In an unusual turn of events, today's weather forecast turns out to be spot on, exactly as predicted yesterday and fitting precisely to our needs for the day. How often does that happen?
Our plan for the day is to walk over to Terramia for our 12:30 lunch reservation and then afterwards return to our room until we're ready for our walk and ride we have planned for the afternoon. Last night the morning rains were predicted to end between noon and 12:30, followed by clearing skies for the rest of the day. And that's exactly what happened. At noon we looked out the door and saw that it was solidly overcast and still raining hard enough that we assumed we'd need coats; but when we left at 12:20 the first blue patches were opening up above and the showers had diminished to a light mist. Perfect!
We're only the second table to be seated when we arrive just after the restaurant opens for lunch, but by the time we leave it's nearly packed. We enjoy a fine meal, starting with shared appetizer plates of grilled vegetables and polenta with pancetta and Gorgonzola sauce and finishing with Rachael's grilled fish and my tagliatelle with sausage and pumpkin sauce. A fine meal that would have been perfect with a nice NA IPA to accompany it, if one was available.
Three o'clock comes, and we're off. We leave at the same time, because this is one of those odd places where you need a key to get out as well as in and there's only one set between us. Today Rachael's taking the keys because she's less likely to have something come up that will keep her out later than planned. She promises to be back by 7, well before dark, which works for me.
I won't say too much about my ride, other than it was excellent the whole way and surprised me by including even more climbing than the one of a few days ago. And even with the short, unmarked and unexpected 15-17% spike at the end I managed to stay in the saddle the whole way. Bit by bit I'm gradually getting some climbing strength back in these old legs again.
Much of the ride was on quiet roads through wine country, with the rows of vines backdropped by dramatic clouds still draped over the hupills on the horizon. The big surprise for the ride though was Crecchio, a medieval village recognized as one of the most beautiful villages of Italy that I hadn't even noticed when planning the route. I was passing through it only because it looked like a natural focal point for the day's route.
Here's an overview of Crecchio, from the Italia.it website:
Clustered around an ancient Norman watchtower,Crecchio is a little village in the province of Chieti, recognised as one of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages,which has retained its mediaeval appearance. Crecchio's strategic importance has given the town an enviable historical, cultural and artistic heritage which revolves around the Ducal Castle, set between two rivers.
It was gradually extended over the following centuries, losing its defensive purpose and taking on a new life as a residence and refuge for monarchs, princes and celebrities. Today, it is home to the Museum of Byzantine and Early Medieval Abruzzo, which narrates the life of the Byzantine people in Abruzzo, the war against the Goths, and the story of this coastal area between the late 6th and early 7th centuries. It has a permanent exhibition entitled "Etruscans in Abruzzo".
In the streets of the village, you can find the Churches of St Mary Piedi and the Holy Saviour and the Sanctuary of St Elisabeth: three little gems of history, art and faith.
The only disappointment for the day was that I choked myself for several hours with the Canon strapped around my neck but never had occasion to fire it. I did see another pair of kites in the distance, and what I'm pretty sure was a Eurasian Jay exhibiting its standard behavior: flying quickly across the road and staying visible just long enough to flash its unmistakable blue and tan coloration before disappearing into the canopy. There's still plenty of time left in the tour to get a better look at both species, so I won't stretch to add them to the tally yet.
Much of the day's ride looked like this, either dropping down into a gap between ridges or climbing out the other side. With one surprising exception none of the climbs presented much difficulty, staying comfortably in the 6-10% range.
I was quite startled to round the bend on this climb and see this suddenly appear. My bike route bends and passes through the short tunnel at its base.
Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraI'm thinking that too, if I get the right day for it. That, or Izouard. And I don't need to make it to the top for it to be worth the time. At the first of June the summit might still be snowbound anyway. Reply to this comment 2 days ago
I make it back to our apartment at just past seven, happy to see that Rachael has gotten there first, back from her twelve mile hike that went generally in the direction of the start of my ride. She claims it was a good walk, if not an especially dramatic one, and actually has more to say about the frozen yogurt that she stopped for when she returned to town since she couldn’t find a gelato on the back. She ask for pistachio and ended up with a little dish overflowing with frozen yogurt and lots of pistachio sauce. She couldn’t eat it while she was hustling back to the room to get there before me which made for challenging navigation. That, and the shin splints she has from two aggressive, fast-paced walks in a row. I think she'll appreciate our full day off on the day after tomorrow when we leave the south and catch the train from Pescara to Ventimiglia near the French border.
