The day began with a great breakfast at Hotel Elizabeth including fresh fruit, omelets, toast and coffee. It was a great change from the norm. We liked the valet service our host provided - bringing our bikes to the front of the hotel from their overnight storage. We discussed our destination and route today with him. He offered a couple of ideas to get to La Spezia and one was the one that the Garmin Operator Dude had already planned. He cautioned that that route had the biggest hill but it did go by the small village of Montemarcello.
The first 25 kilometres of the ride were straight and flat and the cycling was a bit dull. We rode along the main road that passed through several communities in front of multiple hotels, each with a long narrow fenced off compound that stretched from the road to the sea. From the front they all look a bit similar and I guess the magic happens beyond the gate.
It is Festa della Repubblica in Italy today and there are many cyclists on the road but it is a wide road and there is lots of room for everyone. It was easy riding and I wondered if the roadies were just riding up and back along the flat road or if they would be heading for the rugged, coastal hill climbs?
Our timing was perfect as when reached the Ponte Della Colombiera, which crosses the Magra River just as it reaches the Tyrrhenian Sea, the bridge was being repaired and single lane alternating traffic was in effect. On the far side of the bridge the traffic was lined up for blocks waiting to get to the beaches as we were riding happily in the opposite direction. We turned left and began our short climb to the village of Amegla where we stopped to have a snack before riding to the top of the headland.
Moving day for us too! It really is a woman in a hatchback holding onto a BBQ between her legs as the car is moving down the street. How else do you get the BBQ home?
Up to Amegla, another pretty town built hundreds of years ago on top of a hill. It really is a bit mind boggling that all this heavy construction could be completed without today`s machinery.
That was our route up down there. If you look carefully, the two small dots on the road are a couple of other riders. The area is inside the Montemarcello – Magra Regional Park.
In the village of Montemarcello. Pat is walking toward the town square past the Chiesa San Pietro Apostollo dating back to 1474. The town square had a restaurant set up for lunch traffic but not really a spot for a coffee.
After leaving the beautiful village of Montemarcello, it was mostly downhill until we reached the coast. There were several peek-a-boo views to stop at along the way and admire the sea below. It did not take long to roll down the hill and the communities along the way became busier and roads a bit more congested. We missed a turn and decided to reevaluate our route. The new plan was to stick with a highway that went through a couple of tunnels before we were sort of spit out at the industrial shipyards of La Spezia. Not at all glamourous but we were thankful that today was a holiday! We practically had the road to ourselves in this industrial zone. The riding was easy right into the main tourist centre of town.
Lerici I think. It is starting to get busier now. La Spezia is still over in the next bay and over a hill that we fortunately missed by inadvertently taking the "tunnels" route.
We struggled a bit to find our hotel. It is not really a hotel or a B&B. Often there is accommodation available in renovated buildings where your only communication with the host is via Whatsapp. You never see anyone. All codes, keys and instructions are sent electronically. For our stay in La Spezia, 5 Terre Inn, this was the case. The place was clean and tidy and had everything you must have but nothing that made it special.
La Spezia is a larger tourist centre and we stayed in the historic centre. The streets were really busy on this holiday Friday and it was quite a lively place. After dinner we walked around the area before heading back to our room to prepare for our 9:15 ferry departure to Vernazza tomorrow.
These ferries take people from La Spezia to the Cinque Terre - five characteristic ancient fishing villages located in Liguria.
