Bob Lambert -- Reston Runners Ride Across the Spine of Italy: Adriatic to the Mediterranean, September 2005
In mid September, five Reston Runners, Joe Fleig, Mary Ellen Saville, Ed and Karen Hass, and Bob Lambert, joined with twelve members of the Bicycle Adventure Club to begin the first of three groups of riders who were intent upon crossing the spine of Italy, from coast to coast. Starting in Capo Conero, near Ancona on the Adriatic Coast, our destination was Capalbio on the Mediterranean.
Little was really known about the area we were to ride through other than we would be climbing the Apennine Mountains passing through Italy’s three regions, Le Marche, Umbria, and Tuscany. Most in our group brought their own bicycles, while five of us rented hybrid cycles from support company, Viadelsole. The first day of serious riding from Capo Conero to Abbazia di Fiastra, a real working Cistercian Abbey and cloister surrounded by a National Park, was described as “biking on winding roads with a soft hilly landscape with nice villages.” Somehow the steep grades and tough up hills, which some of us walked, were left out of the route description/cue sheet.
After the first day, we realized that the biking was serious, and when the route descriptions talked about going uphill, they meant steep grades. The next days were spent mostly climbing in the mountains with some great down hills that were gratefully accepted as pay back for the hard work of the ascents.
Many of our stops for touring, lunch, or just a short visit were like a step back in time. In places such as Norcia, Montefortino, and Spoleto, we walked the cobbled streets, peered through ancient archways, visited medieval churches and piazzas, and gazed at a Roman aqueduct or amphitheater. We often felt transported to another age where history was somehow condensed. A roman forum and temple is now part of a medieval fortress and/or Christian Church so that history has just piled on itself as the new civilization replaced the old, somehow keeping some of what was there earlier by incorporating it into the new structure.
The long and challenging days of riding were mostly followed by long evenings of good local wines, a multi course dinner and dessert, followed by a digestif of grappa and lemoncello.
Some memorable stops mid ride of the adventure were visits to the headquarters of our support company, Viadesole, for a cooking class; to Assisi, a pilgrimage destination, with its double churches, one on top of the other; to the beautiful Lake Trasimeno with its wonderful views and restaurants; to Sienna, where a whole day was spent on foot exploring and relaxing in the restaurants and in Piazza di Campo; and to the restored home described in Under a Tuscan Sun.
Near the end of our trip, we still had some difficult days of biking to face, but were rewarded by some time relaxing in a hot springs and waterfalls, followed by a visit to local Etruscan tombs carved into the soft stone of the area. The last days were also filled with challenges as we road from Sorano perched high on a mountain visited Ptigiliano on built into another mountain side with its ancient Jewish ghetto, and then descended into the Mediterranean Coast of Tuscany where we had two final nights in Capalbio. Along the Tuscan coast we explored the national park with its bathing beaches, and many port towns that are combination tourist destinations and real working fishing villages.
Many in our group said the rides were more difficult than anticipated, but all agreed that the beauty of the Italian country side and the unique towns perched on the hill tops plus the good food and wines made the whole journey a worthwhile adventure!