When in Rome ….
( by Bill Tomlin, Australia )
All roads lead to Rome, they say. We had reached Tagliacozzo and the road chosen to get to Rome took us through some beautiful scenery, and green lush countryside, which for an Australian was wonderful to see. The long afternoon ride was broken up by a cappuccino at Castelchiodota, sitting at a café with the local men playing their cards and arguing. The afternoon was hot, around 38 deg, and the final 10 kms to the camping ground took us past a number of local prostitutes – very friendly with a wave and a smile as we sped past. I think cyclists are a curiosity to them.
The two rest days in Rome went past very quickly. Aside from the washing and cleaning of bikes, there was far too much to do in just two days. With Phillip and Kim, I visited the Colosseum, Palatino and Forum, a gelato shop or two, and some other famous sites. However, it was the second rest day which became special. An early start to the day saw a number of us get to the Vatican museums before the large crowds and tour buses. For me, the goal was to see the Sistine Chapel again. It was a long time ago that I first saw it and in the intervening years the paintings have been cleaned. The Sistine Chapel is still magnificent, but to see Michelangelo’s paintings in their vivid colours was spectacular. It was easy sitting there for about 40 minutes soaking up the splendour of the Chapel and its walls and ceiling.
Next I wandered to St Peter’s and after getting through the security check into St Peter’s Square (a sad indictment of society today) it was apparent that something special was about to occur. Tens of thousands of people packed the square and the big screens showed the Pope being driven through the crowds. I soon worked out where he was in the crowd and discovered that he was heading my way. After about 5 minutes the popemobile, with Pope Benedictine standing at the back waving to the masses approached. I was lucky to have a clear view through my camera lens as he drew nearer and snapped some photos. The Pope passed about 2-3 metres in front of me, and although my German is rusty, I think he said to his aide “there’s Bill from the Bike-Dreams cycling tour of Italy” and he waved to me … I think that’s what he said, but I could wrong!! I’m sure he will have an entry on his blog though.
So, twice I’ve been to Rome, visits separated by decades and both times I’ve been to the Vatican, and both times I’ve seen the Pope. What else does one do in Rome? Imagine how exciting it would be if I were Catholic! I still reckon Pope Benectine is talking about the day he saw the Bike-Dreams person …
Tuscan
landscapes
Everyone had enjoyed the two rest days in Rome. For some it was the first time, some came back after decades of years and others had been in Rome several times. The eternal city always intrigues and almost every street corner is worth to stop. The drawback is that the number of tourists seems to increase every time you come back. But what are we ? Exactly : also tourists ( but on bicycles ). Everyone returned to camp with different stories, but we were all a bit jealous of Bill : he saw the Pope standing in his Popemobil within a distance of 2 meters!! Bill visited Rome tens of years ago in his student time; and indeed, he saw the Pope at that time as well. 100 per cent score!!!
After two days of wandering around in Rome - many times more weary than 100 kilometres cycling, especially if the temperatures reaches 30+ degrees – it was time to hit the road again. The campsite was 14 kilometres from the city centre and located in the north. We cycled a few kilometres “en groupe” and left Rome soon behind us. All roads lead out of Rome… The route was rolling once more and passed a few lakes. The heat of Rome was gone, thick clouds were filling the sky and the temperature dropped more than 10 degrees. It stayed dry for the most of us till lunch, but afterwards… Yes… Indeed, the rain came down in buckets. We found our way over slippery downhills and through the busy town of Viterbo to the campsite at the beautiful Lake Bolsena. Beautiful when it’s dry and sunny. Now it was raining. And when the rain stopped, the wind came. The wind gained force above the lake, like a mistral, and we needed all manpower to secure the tents, party tents and other belongings. The rain and the wind were gone before the seven o’clock dinner. Lake Bolsena showed us her pretty side afterwards when we were enjoying the view with a glass of wine.
The weather was similar the next day : heavy rain in the morning and dry in the late afternoon. The stage was short with a distance of 75 kilometres, so that everyone arrived in Castel del Piano with wet cycling clothes. We noticed along the road that we entered an other part of Italy : Tuscany. The Tuscan roads are not filled with ugly billboards, all kind of coloured houses, trash and other stuff that disturb the landscape. Tuscany is world famous for its beautiful scenery with rolling hills, cypresses and grain fields. The local authorities do everything to keep the landscape intact and let not influence it by ugly commercial billboards ( like big M’s ). The landscape is not extremely spectacular, but the Tuscan countryside is just the superlative of simple Beauty ( with capital “B” ). Everything is in harmony : the colours, the fields, the farms, the trees, the bushes, everything. And as an extra : well paved roads over rolling hills. An eldorado for cyclists; but unfortunately also for fast motorists.
We could enjoy the full charm of Tuscany one day later when we cycled 108 kilometres from Castel del Piano to Sovicille. The sun was shining and everyone was in a good mood. I cycled together with Liani, Jorgen and Theresa as last and let sink in the beauty of the surroundings. The campsite was located 12 kilometres west of Siena; the little brother of Florence. Its probably one of the nicest cities in Italy and it wouldn’t be a shame not to bring a visit. When everyone had had a shower, pitched the tent and got Kirsten’s soup, we drove with the two vans and Defender to Siena. Everyone strolled around in the old town of Siena with its little streets, magnificent cathedral and the pretty Piazza del Campo. We had all a pizza together before we drove back to the campsite. Most people were “late” in bed; it was just after ten o’clock.
One “short” day of cycling till the rest day in Florence. It was only 80 kilometres over gentle hills filled with hundreds of vineyards. The world famous Chianti wines are produced in this area between Siena and Florence. It was Sunday and the roads were also packed with motorists and many other cyclists. I can’t blame them, because the views were once more fabulous.
The campsite in Florence is close to the city centre ( I am typing this story when I overlook the dome of Florence ) and not for everyone easy to find. Marco drove around in the van for an hour, because there were two streets with the same name. Yes, that’s a problem when you name a street after Michelangelo. Probably you can end up in tens of places in Florence when you type into your gps “Michelangelo”. The city is full of Michelangelo and other artisans with century’s old statues, paintings, sculptures and other kind of art. The city deserves a rest day. It’s not the art, it’s more to wash the wet cycling clothes.
Write to you later in Venice.