4 hours on the sea were quite nice- I'm not sure what it is about being on a boat but I love it, even though I've never been much of a beach/water guy. This trip lacked the pleasant company of the French girl from the first ferry, but you can't have everything.
 |
| docking in Livorno, Italy |
I had a really good feeling about Italy as soon as I rode through the city center of Livorno. As my camping buddies in Porto promised, the Italians seemed friendlier and more inclined to speak some English than their French counterparts. People on old beater townie bikes everywhere and in general a nice feeling in the air. Of all the countries I'd planned to visit, I think I've been most excited for Italy although I'm not sure exactly why. I've always admired their design and fashion sensibilities and of course their food.
I followed the coast south where Tuscany meets the sea. It didn't take long to find some impressive, and perfectly placed, artwork:
I got a little spoiled by the beaches of Corsica, I suppose, as here on the mainland it is quite packed with people and not nearly as inviting.
As the route trended inland, things began to remind me of the "boring Burgundy" region south of Paris: substitute heat for rain, it's more or less the same with rolling hills, vineyards, scraggly olive orchards and little towns. In the past month I haven't become a wine connoisseur or wealthy enough to splurge on regional artisan dinners, so my interest was waning quickly.
After all my nights at bizarre and annoying campgrounds in France and Corsica, I'd made a pledge to try my hardest to find free places to camp along my way in Italy. As I'd hoped, there is more open space around here and it hasn't been hard to duck out sight for the night. This was a particularly peculiar spot- underneath an old masonry train overpass in hobo fashion. The sounds of the occasional passing passenger trains was unique and pleasant, unlike that of rambunctious kids on playgrounds, upset babies and their temper tantrums and the occasional television set.
I'd learned a few things from my Burgundy experience, one being that there's no reason to spend boring days in the saddle when there's a good network of passenger trains that will save me a lot of time and tedium. The next morning I rode the last 12mi into the city of Grosseto and bought a ticket fort the next train into Rome. Smart move for a variety of reasons: saved a day and half of hot, repetitive countryside as well as the congestion of Rome's sprawling metro area. By early afternoon I was dropped off right in the center of Rome; a wise decision had been made.
No comments:
Post a Comment