Week 2

Monday 7 May

Florence to Castoglione del Lago (via Siena)
7 hours 13.1 Av. 91 kms Total 524 kms

Got up at 06:00 and were on the road by 07:30. Getting out of Florence was easy enough but the traffic was a bit hectic.
This morning there was a heavy fog and visibility was down to 100m. We got on the R222 to Siena and the first hill started.
The only problem this morning was the heavy fog so we didn't see very much for the first couple of hours. After the first climb it began to warm up and we took a long break to shed some of the warm clothes we had on.
When the fog lifted we were treated to some very beautiful Tuscan scenery all the way to Greve in Chianti. We stopped in Greve for some supplies and continued on to this very long hill, it wasn't steep but, it was beginning to warm up by now and it seemed to last a very long time. After the short and steep decent to the river Pesa we started yet another hill, this one was much steeper and longer, and in the midday sun it was very tiring. We rode through some very beautiful woodland but we were very happy when we reached the plateau at Pietrafitta.  We continued on the R222 to Castellina in Chianti were we stopped for one of the best gelatos in Italy, it tasted as though angels were walking over our tongues.
Right after Castellina we were treated to a very long decent, and the views were truly stunning. We had a smaller climb to Quercegrossa and than a straight forward ride to Siena.
After some looking around we finally found the campsite at Siena but it was closed for repairs, very nice as they didn't bother to say anything on their web page.
Anyway after some serious brainstorming we decided to take the train from Siena and head for Chiusi where there might be a campground there and if not, we could still ride a further 18kms to Lake Trasimeno were we were sure to find many more campsites. While on the train we met this really nice conductor named Roberto who helped us with our plan and gave us many pointers about Chiusi and Lake Trasimeno, so Roberto again we say many thanks ;-)
When we arrived in Chiusi we didn't think much of it, a bit too much industry, so we decided to ride on to the lake. It was a flat and almost a dead straight road, but the traffic was low as it was getting late by now so we made good time.
The first camping we found was basic, but very nice and cheap at 11.40 euro, shower included.
The R222 from Florence to Siena was one of the most beautiful rides we have taken so far, difficult at times but in many places the views were breathtaking, we recommend this route for anyone near this area.
www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Florence-to-Siena

     
1-  One of the very nice vistas from the area near Greve in Chianti.
2-  Another vista from the village Castellina in Chianti.
3-  A panorama of Siena
4-  A picture of Castiglione del Lago. This picture is taken facing west on the S454, we traveled on this road from left to right.

Tuesday 8 May

Castiglione del Lago to Assisi
4 hours 15.1 Av. 60 kms Total 584 kms

We woke up at 07:00 but were not in the mood to get up. Finally at around 09:00 we got out of the tent to a very beautiful morning. After a nice cup of coffee we decided not to waste a beautiful day sitting and doing nothing so we decided to pack up and head for Perugia. It was not a long ride and according to our map there was supposed to be a camping there.
So off we went heading North along the lake towards Terontola than hugging the coastline headed for Passignano.
The ride was smooth a little bit of traffic but flat and easy going.
When we got to the other side of the lake from Castiglione we took the road to Magione and on to Perugia.
Up until Magione the ride was nice and peaceful but than after Magione it got very busy and hectic. A lot of trucks and industry all along this road, not very nice at all.
In Perugia we found out that there was no camping and the nearest place was Assisi at around 25 kms over some hills.
We were getting very tired of this by now, Italy was not only expensive but the campsites (inland) were few and far in-between. So again we took the train from Perugia to Assisi where I knew there was a camping in the area.
As soon as we got off the train there was a sign right across the station pointing to a camping about 2kms away.
Not the one high up in the hills.
When we got there we were surprised to see this real nice camping, super clean, very good ground (meaning grass), mini market and the beer was a reasonable price. We also found out they had a mini bus going to Assisi  three times a day, great. So we decided to take a rest day tomorrow and check out Assisi.
www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Castiglione-to-Assisi

   
1- Lake Trasimeno from near Castiglione del Lago.
2- The other side of the lake in Passignano.
3- A photo of the country side taken from Perugia.

Wednesday 9  May

Assisi
Rest day

We got up this morning in time to catch the first mini bus to the fort city of Assisi. We met this real nice Dutch couple, Henk and Els. They are also cycle tourists and are going on a long tour in July, but this time they were with their car.
After hearing what happened to our camera they sent us the beautiful pictures below. If you guys are ever in our neighborhood, the beers are on us ;-)
Leaving with the first bus was a very good idea, as there weren't too many tourists. But around 10:30 the buses came rolling in and the whole place got flooded with them. And it's still off season.
We walked around and did the tourist thing visited the most famous of the churches, checked out the shops, (which were selling all the religious trinkets you could think off), and finally the new houses which were being rebuilt from the large earthquake they had here a few years ago. This looked a bit strange, as most were new, but were built to look old.
One think that I would like to mention was that in the main cathedral they had these electronic candles with a money slot in front, so when you wanted to light a candle for a loved one, you drop in the money and one of the candles lights up LOL
Henk and I tried to wondered if there was a timer in this contraption, like does one get the same amount of time for 50cent as 2euro's, this was the most tackiest thing I have every seen, I couldn't stop laughing.
Also around every corner there was a donation box, and when you tried to return the small map of the church and leave, even the security guards wanted to get money off of us.
Back at camp we saw these three German cyclists come and rented one of the tents from the camping. Soon afterwards two of them came by and started to chat. They had flown to Palermo and were cycling back home to Frankfurt.
They just kept bragging on how many kms they did per day and how many meters they had climbed. But I guess when you get three guys riding together it might become a competition.
We though about what we were going to do and came to the decision to change our route yet again. We are getting tired of the lack of camping's in central Italy so we decided to head for the coast as soon as possible. We found out that there was a train leaving from Foligno about 25kms from Assisi to Ancona at 13:35 the next day so that became our plan.
From Ancona we knew there was a camping in the hills a few kms south of the city.

     
1- Picture of Assisi from the near our camping.
2- The courtyard of the main cathedral.
3- A frontal view of the cathedral.
4- A countryside view from Assisi.
5- Henk and Els.

Thursday 10 May

Assisi to Numana
4 hours 20 min. 13.3 Av. 59 kms Total 643 kms.

Got up at 06:30 and were on the road by 07:45. It was a bit confusing getting out of this town, but after a few wrong turns we were on our way to Foligno. The roads were in a poor state and the going tough, but we managed to find Foligno in about 2 hours.
After waiting for a few hours at the station, we had a good but boring train ride to Ancona and as soon as we got out of the train station we made our way to the port from were we could find the coastal road to the hills.
As soon as we started the climb out of the port we noticed 2 large ferries getting ready to leave so it took us about 2 min. to try and catch one to Igoumenitsa, thinking that it would be better to see a bit more of Greece and less of Italy, but we were unlucky. We missed the first by 10 min. and the second went to Patra not Igoumenitsa. I asked at the ticket counter when was the next ferry to Igoumenitsa and they told me tomorrow 13:30 and arriving at 06:00.
Okay we thought, we get to the nearest camp for tonight and catch the ferry tomorrow.
So we got back on our bikes and headed south to the nearest camping, but what a surprise awaited us, this real steep hill, had to be at least 12%, and it took a lot out of us to get over it.  We rode along this forested hills to the nearest camp, but found it to be about 300m straight down, so crap again we didn't want to have such a steep climb early in the morning so we continued on to where the next campground would be, right after the hills, a further 11kms.
The scenery was very beautiful from the hills, and we really enjoyed this ride.
We found the first decent camping at Numara, again poor ground and overpriced, no place to eat and no mini market but we knew it would be only for a night and tomorrow we would get the ferry to Greece.
So again the noodles came to our rescue.
www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Ancona-to-Porto-Recanati

   
1- The port of Ancona with the ferry ticket office bottom left.
2- Looking North from near Mt.Conero.
3- Looking North at Mt.Conero from Numana.

Friday 11 May

Mumana to Igoumenitsa
42 min. 12.1 Av. 8.8 kms Total 652 kms

Woke up at 06:00 and were on the road by 07:45. The ride to Porto Recanati was uneventful and we found the train station easy enough. The train to Ancona did not leave for a couple of hours so we went and got some coffee by the sea than later on the way back to the station got some supplies.
After the 30min. train ride we got off at the train station in Ancona and made our way to the port were we got on the Supperfast line ferry for Greece.
The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent laying back and drinking several large beers while watching the sea roll by, life can be good at times ;-)

1- Our ride to Greece.

Saturday 12 May

Igoumenitsa to Parga
4 hours 25 min. 11.7 Av. 52 kms Total 704 kms

The night was long on the boat and I could only manage a couple hours of sleep. I think Monique fared better.
The boat docked around 06:00 and we made our way out of the port when it was just getting light.
There was this hill we had to get over while getting out of Igoumenitsa but no problem in the cool of the morning. After the nice downhill to Plataria we stopped at this gas station to get some supplies and while talking to the gas station attendant he told me the best route to Parga was going through Syvoat and Perdika.
We followed his advice and after a very long climb out of Perdika we were treated to some very beautiful vistas of the coastline just before Syvota. And the downhill was just fantastic with even better views, this is a must see area if you're in the neighborhood.
Syvota we found to be a real gem. Tucked away between green hills it is very clean and cheap, with a few little green islands near by. We stopped by the port and had a nice omelet before continuing on the coastal road to Perdika.
By now the sun had gotten quite high and it was warming up quick. The road went inland for a bit and the climbing began.
It was a very long and hard climb, and the rising temperature did not help. We soon found ourselves stopping more often near any shade we could find to drink more water.
The road continued going up for quite a long time and just when we were getting very hot and tired we spotted this little fountain on the side of the hill by the road and it had cool water coming out. We didn't trust to drink it but it was perfect for cooling down.
As beautiful as this ride was, it was the toughest 52kms we've done in a long time.
The camping at Parga was still a dump but its cheap and a few meters from the town, there is another about 2kms away but I've stayed here in 2005, and it would be good for a night or two.
I could not find (yet) any online maps with elevation profiles for Greece. I'll keep looking and when I find one I'll post.

   
1- Igoumenitsa is on the left of that ridge and Plataria is on the right. This picture is taken from the hill soon after Plataria.
2- This picture was taken from the top of the hill heading towards Syvota, to the left of the picture.
3- Syvota, with the surrounding landscape we cycled through. We came from the top left of the picture.

Sunday 13 May

Woke up this morning to find our camera, 2 mobile phones and Monique's wallet missing. The tent zippers were slightly open, our handlebar bags, that were by our feet were open and the stuff missing.
Apparently someone reached in our tent after 03:00 and felt around, and removed just what they needed to make some quick money. The biggest loss off coarse was the camera with over 450 pictures, that alone was worth a hell of a lot more than the 100 euro camera, we felt sick every time we thought about it.
After we told the camp owner she too felt bad but it was hard to believe anyone at the time.
After thinking about it we decided to pack up, pass by the police station, make a report for the insurance and leave this place. We weren't thinking right, we were really stunned by what had happened. We never thought that anyone would steal from a couple of cycling tourists, they never carry anything of great value.
While we were packing the old woman (owner) called me over to the side of her house by this vegetable patch and she pointed to Monique's wallet, open with all her cards and receipts laying all over the ground, minus the cash. We were also glad they didn't touch the passports. Apparently they only wanted items for a quick return.
The owner said we could stay for free as long as we wanted but we weren't in the mood.
When we got to the police station, we were reminded that it was Sunday and no way to get anyone to come in and make the report, we had to wait for Monday. That really sucked, so we went to get some breakfast so we could think more clearly.
After breakfast we decided to hang around another day, make the report than we could leave on Monday.
We were assured by the police that whoever did this was not from Parga, most likely Albanians or Gypsies, and it was a hit and run, they would definitely not return the following night.
We decided to continue our trip, but not to get another camera for the rest of the tour. 
All together, lost material value was about 300 euros.
Even with the police's assurances we didn't get much sleep that night.

   
1- Parga and surrounding hillsides. We came from over the top middle hill on the far side.
2- This picture was taken from the highest peak in the area. It shows the route we took to Parga along the line of houses. Parga is middle right of picture.
3- A closer view of Parga. Even after what happened, it is still a very nice place to visit, as long as you use your valuables for a pillow.