May 10, 2023
To Parma
It was a very rainy night and it continued to be wet well into the morning. However, by 11am the rain had stopped and the roads were drying. We decided to stay with our Plan A and do the short 30km ride to Stradella and then take a train to Parma. This routing supported our strategy of avoiding the busy SS roads (Strade Statali, abbreviated SS, is the Italian national network of state highways) by finding smaller roads nearby or, when this is not possible or practical, using the train system.
Our B&B accommodation was very nice. Our host dropped the ‘breakfast’ part of the B&B title during the Covid years and no longer wants to organize breakfast before she starts her day job as a teacher. We cannot blame her! The B&B have organized a deal with a nearby restaurant for a breakfast at an attractive price of 5 euros. We did not take them up on the offer instead made do with the left over pizza from last night and the unlimited expressos from the Nespresso machine located in fully equipped breakfast area. Scott started his day with a triple and then added a double for good measure. He was well caffeinated before our ride.
We left Pavia a little after 11 o’clock and settled into a routing of back country roads that led us to a long bridge crossing the Po River. Fortunately our timing was good and we were only passed by two semis while on the narrow, aging bridge deck. Reaching the other side, we again joined a local road through the town of Portalbera and then a short 3 kms to the Stradella train station.
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It was too bad that we just missed a train to the connection point of Piacenza by about 20 minutes and the next departure was over two hours away. However, after organizing our tickets at the station we rode into Stradella and settled into the Goldenblack American Bar for our usual daily coffee order and a pastry to share. Scott just had a single this time.
We returned to the station well before departure time and sun came out as we waited for our train on the platform. It was not a very busy station but the train was again modern with a level entry door, bike racks and high speed. The travel to our connection point took about 30 minutes and with a 20 minute connection time, we were on our way to Parma. It was just a short 30 minute ride to Parma, where it was drizzling lightly. Fortunately, we only had a 2 km ride to our hotel where we will be staying for the next two nights.
For dinner, after extensive research, we selected a well respected restaurant that specializes in the local Parma cuisine. We ran from the hotel front door just 200 metres to the Gallo D'Oro and were pleased to get a table without a reservation. We ordered the torta fritta and each had different tortelli (traditional Parma pasta -a pumpkin and a spinach and ricotta) dish that we shared. It was an excellent simple, well prepared meal. We left the restaurant very full and even skipped the desert. We marveled at the big appetites of the diners around us.
Reaching our hotel, Pat noticed she had left her purse at the table and we quickly returned to rescue it before anyone had noticed. It was nice to be so close by! Tomorrow looks much drier and we will explore Parma by foot and bike.
Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 154 km (96 miles)
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11 months ago
Really good coffee being one of our (many) favorite things about being in Italy and France, we were quite disappointed in what seems to be a trend in hotels toward prefab substitutes.
11 months ago