There wasn’t a lot of choice for breakfast, and the hotel certainly wasn’t used to feeding eight hungry Norwegian cyclists – so the options were soon limited.
Today’s stage has caused me a bit of a headache. The official stage is 29km and a massive 1500m in elevation. I hadn’t experienced 2nd day tiredness yesterday, as I often do when walking on day 2, so I was worried whether it would hit me today – in which case 1500m elevation would be a mouthful. I’d learnt from a fellow walker yesterday, that the track was a bit mixed, and that she and an Italian couple had found it very hard, as many of the paths were covered with loose rocks. The cyclists stage, all on road, is 31km and 1000m in elevation.
I decided to mix the two, taking the first 9kms along the road, thus bypassing the first ascent and descent on the official climb, then follow the official route up over mount Cuccheho at 994m, with 500m elevation over 3km, and then taking a mix of the road and official path over the Cisa pass, and on towards Berceto.
The weather was looking promising after last nights rain and the sun was shining as I left the hotel. A clothes and hardware market was being set up outside the hotel, and on the main square there was a food and flower market. I visited the cathedral before walking along the narrow streets out to the city gate.
The first couple of kilometers were along the not so busy SS62. As I joined the local backroad (42) there was a lot of activity and many big lorries collecting trees that had been felled. Thereafter there was hardly a car on the road. I was making a gradual climb to Groppoli with green hills on either side and a river following the valley below. I could also see the mount I wasn’t climbing by taking this cycling alternative.
Just before Groppoli a bar was open and I stopped for a coffee and cola, to the non-stop noise of their barking dog. I left quickly, continued to climb, and soon reached the junction of the official route.
Over the next 3kms, I climbed from 464m to 962m on a path consisting of very loose stone. I was happy I was going up and not down. I took a 5 minute break for every 150m, to catch my breath and bring my pulse down. The views were spectacular as I neared the top. I took a longer break, lying in the sun, enjoying the quietness and the view.
I continued upwards, passing an oversized bench, strategically placed to take in the surrounding countryside. I walked for another 45 minutes, before finding a smaller bench to enjoy my lunch – an apple. Again, the views were spectacular, also of the motorway way below, passing through the mountains via tunnels.
I was back on the SS62. The official path was close to the road, but as the road was extremely quiet, I decided to stick to the road.
I neared today’s highest point, 1061m above sea level at the Cisa Pass and sanctuary. Everything was closed, but the views were great. I officially left Tuscany and entered a new region, Emilia Romagna.
With 10km still to go, the official route included another climb, whilst the road was mostly downhill. With a guilty conscience about taking the easy choice, I followed the road towards the very small village of Tugo. I met Enrico, an Italian, also taking the road in the opposite direction, so I wasn’t alone making the easy choice.
In Tugo I was back on the official route, following a small path taking me further downhill towards Berceto, with beautiful views of the Apennine mountains.
The place I am staying is 2km off route, at a bed and breakfast, run by the wife of an English bloke who moved to Italy the day after Brexit. What I hadn’t considered was that the B&B was at the bottom of a 150m descent, giving me a 150m climb tomorrow morning. The lady running the agriturismo has kindly offered to drive me up the hill tomorrow.
I was the only person staying tonight, and I had a very pleasant home made dinner of local salami, ham and cheese with home made bread, pasta for the main course and a jam tart for desert.