Aventures Bicyclétales ...

country overview, map and followed itinerary, the journal with the best pictures, the highlight, what I liked / didn't like, useful information.
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Country overview (as of April 2009)

• Capital city : Rome.
• Area : 301,308 km2 (= 0.4 x France).
• Population : ~ 58.7 million inhabitants (= 0.9 x France).
• Density : 195 inhabitants / km2. 

• Language : Italian.
• Religion : Catholicism (88%).
• Human Development Index (HDI) : 0.945, the 19th country out of 177. What is HDI ?

• Government : Parliamentary Republic.
• President : Giorgio Napolitano (since May 2006).
• President of the council of ministers : Silvio Berlusconi (since May 2008).

• Growth rate in 2007 : 1.3%.
• Currency : Euro.
• Main imports : oil, electric & mechanic machines, iron and steel.
• Main exports : industrial equipment, vehicles, plastic and steel products.

Italy map and followed itinerary (in green)



The travel journal in Italy with the best pictures :

• From the Slovenian border to Pordenone,
• Crossing Northern Italy via Castelfranco, Ponte di Barbarano, Brescello, Parma and Berceto,
• Genova "la Superba",
• The last few kilometers before France.

Wednesday the 20th of May : it’s 5.00 PM, we are climbing the « Passo di Tanamea » (851 m). One turn on the right, goodbye Slovenia … and one turn on the left, good evening Italy ! There is no flag and no immigration officer, but just two signs posted on the roadside … this is what we call the European integration !

We soon reach the top of the pass, and we start looking for “the” spot to camp tonight. We find it, in the middle of the forest, away from the wind and on an east-west path for sunlight tonight and tomorrow morning. It’s perfect. We assemble our tents … we prepare our picnic … and, and … we hear what really sounds like the growl of a bear. It stops, but restarts ; it becomes louder and find a worrying echo from the other side of the mountain. We look at each other and wonder : how to handle a couple of bears barehanded ? Since we are not too confident about our fighting skills, we decide to store our food far away from the tents (which would otherwise bring the bears straight to us) and on the way back, we check a few climbable trees … just in case.

Camping rough is always an adventure …


Thursday the 21st of May : 8.00 AM, rise and shine … we got no bear visits during the night, but I found a scorpion in my tent !! A small scorpion, about 3 cm long, but still a scorpion. Europe can be really wild.



After releasing the scorpion (which I captured during the night in a water bottle), we ride towards Tarcento (at the foot of the mountains) and Pordenone (our stop tonight).

Below : the Moretti villa of Tarcento (19th Century) … on Castle road.



A little further we come across the Tagliamento River, which flows down into the Gulf of Venice.




Friday the 22nd May : Pordenone is a nice little city with a rich historical center …



… and around 4.00 PM, Grégroire starts packing his bicycle, his trailer and his luggage in his big blue bag. The train leaves at 4.52 PM for Lille via Austria, Germany and Strasbourg.



Greg just left and the sky suddenly turns dark. Below : the main pedestrian street of Pordenone in the heart of the historical center …




Saturday the 23rd of May : this morning, this is quite a change, I leave alone from Pordenone … but not for long, because today I am supposed to meet Leo in Gazzo Padovano !

On the way I come across a « Walking Bus » station … and a « Walking Bus » under training.



A walking bus is a group of schoolchildren who, chaperoned by two adults (a "Driver" leads and a "conductor" follows) walk to school, in much the same way a school bus would drive them to school. Like a traditional bus, walking buses have a fixed route with designated "bus stops" and "pick up times" in which they pick up children. Walking buses encourage physical activity, raise concern for the environment and reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and speed near schools.

Further along the road, I reach Castelfranco Veneto, a pleasant fortified town …





4.30 PM, I arrive in Gazzo Padovano where I meet with Leo and Francesco, two Italian cyclo-adventurers from the Veneto province, who welcome me with a nice bottle of Prosecco.



Leo also gives me a Veneto flag and a small sign on which we can read « la Bicicletta non inquina » … which means « a bicycle does not pollute ». Leo and Francesco then escort me with their bicycles to Ponte di Barbarano, about 30 km away, where Leo invited me for a couple of days.


Sunday the 24th of May : it’s rest time at Leo’s house in Ponte di Barbarano ... where I am given the opportunity to enjoy Leo’s wife Christel cooking skills together with some amazing Italian wines. My sincerest gratitude goes to both of them for their warm welcome.


Monday the 25th of May : I am riding towards Parma and the Po valley this morning. Leo told me before leaving : the Silk Road is over, now starts the Ham Road … and it’s true ! Each village seems to have its own prosciutto.

Below : the fortified town of Montagnana …



… and at the beginning of the afternoon, I finally reach the Po River … and lose the left pedal. The bearing of the pedal is dead, several balls are missing, the seal is torn … and all I can do is to keep the parts together by pressing with my foot from the outside. It’s not great, but I can ride about 60 km to the next bicycle shop.



Below : the Palazzo Ducale of Mantova, and on the left its fortified section (or Castello San Giorgio) ...



... the Duomo di Mantova, the main church in town ...



... and back along the Po River.




Tuesday the 26th of May : I continue to ride towards Parma and on the way I make a stop in the small town of Brescello, which became famous in the 50’s when Don Camillo movies where shot here.



Above with Don Camillo (Fernandel) and below the communist mayor Peppone (Gino Cervi).



Below : Parma ... a cycling city with plenty of cycling lanes and bicycles.



I make only a brief stop in Parma, and I continue further towards Genova and the Mediterannean coast, which are both on the other side of a couple of mountains.

Tonight I camp on the side of a hill, the place is quiet : hares (real ones) run around, falcons watch them from above and a few deers graze further up. It’s nice, really nice.






Wednesday the 27th of May : I fold my camping gears and leave before the weather becomes too warm …



… today is another climbing day : up and down, down and up again with the Passo del Bocco in sight at 956 m.

Below : the medieval city and the castle of Compiano …



… the stream of Taro which I followed for a while …



… and the village of Santa Maria Del Taro.




Thursday the 28th of May, how to turn an easy 60 km flat ride into a hellish 90 km steep ride ! First part of the day is “down, down, down, down, down” all the way to the sea level, for about 20 km. 



Nice and easy, but right after instead of following the coast, I choose a road inland and end up climbing 10% slopes for a few hours once, then down, and then twice after taking by mistake the « strada panoramico », a very scenic but awfully steep secondary road.



Anyway, I finally make it to Genova … and here is the Piazza de Ferrari in the city center.




Friday the 29th of May : Genova is an extravagant city, and it's sometimes called la Superba ("the Superb one") because of its glorious past. The old town constitutes an intriguing mix of narrow pedestrian streets, squares (piazzas), smaller squares (piazzettas), massive churches, theaters and palaces.



 

Below : Genova's too many scooters are the main annoyance in the city ... noise and smell are painful to cope with.



Genova is also the second busiest seaport of the Mediterranean coast after Marseille in France, and it’s the birthplace of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506).




Saturday the 30th of May : France is only 200 km away … and today I am riding along the Aurelia, next to the sea. It was supposed to be an “easy” day, but well, it seems there won’t be any such day before I finally reach France. The Aurelia is closed between Capo Noli and Finale Ligure, so I end up climbing in the mountains for a couple of hours again. Business as usual …

Tonight I sleep in Imperia ... France is now only 50 km away ...



... and tomorrow begins the end of my journey ...


Sunday the 31st of May : I have an appointment in Vintimiglia at noon with Schmoll … Schmoll is a friend I met in Thailand a long time ago, he lives now near Nice. This appointment next to the French-Italian border was so obvious for both of us that we scheduled it when I was still in Thailand. It was far, it was so uncertain back then, but today here we are …

Between Imperia and San Remo, pleasant surprise, the former railway has been converted into a cycling lane … and on Sunday morning, it’s busy !!





Humm ... hummm ... France is on the left !




11.45 AM, Vintimilglia, next to the bridge over La Roya River : I stop my bicycle, look on the left, nobody, look on the right, and here he is, Schmoll and his yellow bicycle. We are both 15 minutes early … he rode 60 km to come here, I rode 19,500 km, and we meet as planned …

... to be continued in France.




The highlight in Italy

French and Italian people have a reputation of confrontational relationships, as it is often the case with neighboring countries … and bad jokes abound from both sides of the border. However, after having spent 10 days in the northern part of the country, there is no doubt about it, Italians are great people : welcoming, warm-hearted and generous … it’s really a pleasure to interact and discuss with them.




What I liked / didn't like in Italy

I liked	I did not like
the friendliness and the positive energy of the Italians	noisy scooters
chitchatting with other cyclists on the road	mosquitoes and all the too many biting bugs
buildings and cities with fabulous architecture	abusive cost of accommodation
wildlife in the mountains	electric plugs with three pins in line
food and wines	-
Italian language	-
the numerous cycling lanes	-

Useful information about Italy :