geeteetravels

Today we rode from Peschiera to the spit of land that juts into Lake Garda on the southern end. At the end of the point there is the town of Sirmione where you find a large area of spectacular Roman ruins called grotta di catullo as well as a 13th century castle. It’s also a place overrun with tourists (including us) and especially today as there was a triathlon going on. It was another blistering hot day (glad we were not part of the race) that ended with thunderstorms but we made it back to the hotel before it started.
The hotel we are staying in is more of a restaurant really with 5 rooms upstairs that they let. We had both of our evening meals there because the food was quite good and not full of tourists but locals. That’s usually a good sign.

Looking back to the main land from Sirmione

It's bloody hot especially in the Castello

Swallowtail ramparts are a stylish touch to the castello

The smart ones were out in the water today

Great little restaurant and staff with a few rooms; ideal place for us

After a nice rest day in Riva we rode around the remainder of the lake today stopping in Peschiera. It was a picturesque ride along the shores passing through many towns and resorts, seeing many sunbathers, sailors, boaters, ducks and swans. We could also see where we rode through all the tunnels a few days earlier from the other side of the lake. It was a very hot and humid day, water just poured out of us so when we arrived at our hotel we headed right to the lake for a refreshing swim.

The tunnel/vertical road we climbed a few days ago

Girl scout with the reflective sash

As we are staying 3 nights in Riva del Garda we decided to do a loop north out of Riva into the valley. We did a steep climb up to Drena (without the bags so somewhat easier) where there was a castle to see. The road we took was perfectly paved, more like a path through the forest than a road. Only one or two cars passed us, we practically had it to ourselves. After Drena we stopped at Lake Cavedine and watched the windsurfers before heading back to Riva.

Castello di Drena

I love the handmade brick insets in the switchbacks for traction

Big time selfie

A lovely small lake for windsurfing

The ride today was one of the best yet. We rode along the shores of the lake, through many tunnels (up to 2.4 kms long) and a side trip up the James Bond road. This is a road used to film the beginning of the movie “Quantum of Solace”. It’s a steep switchback type road that winds it’s way up the side of a sheer cliff to a small town with several areas that hang out over the mountain to give you an amazing view of the entire area. The road itself is also very fun to ride with natural tunnels, waterfalls, forest and streams. Definitely a highlight. After the climb we had a free ride down into Riva.

A lot of tunnels so we are well lit and reflective

It’s getting a bit tight, luckily very little traffic

A lot of vertical and very little horizontal

The view paid in full by the climb

A large limonata above Limone sul Garda

It was a manageable ride today with a bit of climbing before descending down to Lake Garda. We took a ferry across the lake to Toscolano Moderna, a lakeside resort town, not too much to see, but picturesque and relaxed.
One notable thing about this area is that they are able to grow lemons here with care and the help of lemon houses which support and protect the trees. It’s apparently the most northernmost place where citrus fruit is grown.

Cominciamo! We begin!

Arriviamo al Lago di Garda; We made it to the lake

Looking down to the ferry point - Torre del Banaco

The ferry gave us a short cut across the lake

Aperitivo time in Toscolano Moderna; watch out for the Aperol spritz

Our first day of the trip was spent worrying about our bikes and luggage as they didn’t arrive with us. Luckily they weren’t far behind, getting to the hotel the next day with enough time to assemble them before leaving the following morning. It would definitely put a damper on our holiday if there were no bikes.
In Verona we enjoyed seeing the Roman coliseum which is regularly used for concerts and operas. We plan to see La Traviatta there when we return in a few weeks. We also visited an exhibit there about Maria Callas. We got rained on a bit in Verona but it cleared up nicely for the start of the riding.

A 3 euro umbrella does the job

When in doubt take the train

More amphitheatre

Frescoes of many varieties abound in Verona

After a nice breakfast again at SuiTetti we set off on our last day of cycling feeling like the past few weeks flew by. Our route was very straight forward back to Brindisi so we decided to go back to the sea instead as we had plenty of time, only about 60 kms. It was nice to see the blue water again. We also saw another old church along the way, built in the 17th century so Baroque but looking rather Romanesque. I am no expert but I have seen a lot of churches, basilcas and duomos in my travels.  Close by the sea,George was interested to see a large power generating plant which was coal fired. As we rode along we crossed the huge conveyor system which transported coal from the port in Brindisi, probably about 10km away!  Curiously the plant did not appear to be in operatinon whise we were there.
We eventually found our way back to the B&B and with regret began packing up the bike.  After packing up we went out for a last bit of sightseeing and a gelato. For supper it was back to the same restaurant we went to the first night; Siamo Fritti (we are fried), a fish place. It wasn’t my first choice (Tara’s) due to allergy limitations but we managed to get fed anyway.
Tomorrow we fly back to London then home the following day. 😢

Where shall we go next?

Porta Romana in Brindisi

Transmission lines coming into a large coal-fired generation station.

The end of the line outside the B&B in Brindisi

Again we are staying right in the old city in a lovely B&B called SuiTetti which means on the roof in Italian as they have a nice terrace on the top level. But if you string the letters together in English it’s suitetti or small suite? Cute name anyway. It’s been recently renovated and they are still working on it, very nice place and they serve a great breakfast with cereal, fruit and yogurt. I felt full for a change.
We spent the day exploring the sights of Lecce: city gates, piazzas, churches, castles, even bike shops. Lecce is known for cartapesta or paper mache sculpture and there was a display about this. You also see many studio/shops of this nature.
We looked around for a particular gelateria but couldn’t find it so settled for another that was delicious anyway. Italy is full of gelaterie! We also found a caffé ghiaccio con latte di mandorle (iced coffee and almond milk) a specialty here, very tasty.

Home on the roof top.

The core of a paper mache statue is straw and wire.

These guys are putting down new cobble stone, the same way as forever.

Strange monty pythonesque sculptures holding up the Chiesa di Santa Croce.

Lecce Cathedral with a 5 story tower.

We took the circuitous route to Lecce today to see the best scenery. It was a fairly hot day again, maybe 30 or so, but tolerable with the breeze. From Otranto we headed north up the coast to some more beachy areas. There was another old tower, Torre d’Orso, and the town of San Foca where we saw an amazing open market.
Then we rode inland to Galatina and through various little cities on the way, all with beautiful old centers and many cathedrals of course. The churches are an interesting comment about the art and history of an area so we like to see them for that reason, not because we are religious. There has been much wealth poured into all these buildings which maybe could have been spent to help the poor, but it has also been a huge source of employment.
We found dinner in a restaurant that served food typical of this area which is simple and hearty or cucina povera (poor people’s food); pasta, fish, vegetables, cheese. There’s more variety here than on the water where most food is seafood. Tara had ciceri e tria which is chickpeas and pasta with onions and tomatoes and some of the pasta is fried rather than boiled. Delightfully filling.
After dinner we strolled past the Roman amphitheatre and the basilica in the old city. The atmosphere is inviting with all the people, beautiful sights and comfortable temperatures, something we don’t often get at home.

From farm to "Ape" (3 wheeled truck) to table, subito.

Cases upon cases of these lovelies.

Hot church stop

Space is limited

The Roman amphitheater only discovered in 1903.