The Apennines

The proposed route

We’re on our latest adventure, biking across the mountain range that runs North - South down the spine of Italy, the Apennines. And this year we’re trying something totally new - no reservations! While we have a vague route planned, we decided we wanted total flexibility to adjust on the fly depending on weather and road conditions. It’s a big leap for someone like me who loves to have everything planned in advance and struggles with change. But Dennis has promised me we will never have to spend the night in a field…

It’s been a slow start, meandering from Trento to Verona then Modena before we started the climb into the mountains of the Apennines. These are all classically beautiful Italian cities that have the same checkered history of most cities under the Roman Empire - power struggles and court intrigue, followed by invading conquerers and new kings, repeating throughout the course of centuries. In the background there is always a cathedral being built so as to let everyone know who the real boss is. 

There was a music event going on in Trento, with live music throughout the old city - from opera (top) to Broadway (middle) to classic rock. Nice way to wander the city after dinner!

Our first 2 rides were through the valley of the Adige River, which is lined with vineyards and, amazingly, dedicated bike trails. The grapes were just being harvested so there was a delicious smell of fermenting fruit as we rode.

We rode 125 miles through wine country - turns out drinking the wine is far more interesting than riding through it.

 

This is what everyone comes to Verona for - Juliet’s balcony (look way in the back). And it wasn’t even built until 1932, when the movie came out and premiered here. A marketing gimmick! On our walking tour, we learned that there really were Montague and Capulet families in Verona. And all families had feuds and most likely members of opposing families fell in love. And certainly poison was a popular strategy. But that’s where the veracity ends. The story of Romeo and Juliet was actually written by 3 other authors centuries before the Bard made it famous, so… score one for the “Shakespeare was a plagiarist” faction.

There are better things to do in Verona besides potentially getting covid from huge crowds at the line to see the balcony - excellent food, beautiful buildings, and lots of ancient alleys to wander.

This is the cathedral in Modena, most noteworthy for the dangerous way the tower is leaning. At first we thought we were imagining it. Oddly, no one seems overly concerned by the angle and pace of the slide, and they’re quite matter of fact when discussing it. Wanting to compete with Pisa perhaps?

We did a lot of this in Modena. The Enzo Ferrari museum was way outside of town, and balsamic vinegar tasting wasn’t nearly as appealing as wine drinking. There was also a philosophy festival (?!) going on, but I can’t even understand the subject when it’s in English. 

Hooray, up to the mountains! The tourist hordes are gone, the roads are quieter, the bike rides are more interesting, the scenery is more expansive, the accommodations are authentic and family run, the food is locally grown and home made. (I learned a new expression - “the food is from Km 0”, meaning grown on site or very close by. Great name for a restaurant!) Cities are fun from time to time, but this is where my heart really sings. 

We have a lot of picnics along our routes since it’s hard to bike on a full stomach after a restaurant meal. We stopped at a little alimentari shop, where the happiest, nicest, kookiest lady made us these enormous sandwiches (I wish I’d filmed her running sing-song commentary, chirping each ingredient, as she made them.) Dennis first decided he’d only eat half. Then he decided he’d save a quarter. When it was completely gone, he said he wasn’t sure whether he should feel proud or ashamed of himself. He still beat me up the final big climb to our B and B.

We stayed in an old mill house where the woman’s family has lived since 1737. Been remodeled a few times!

The reward of the long climb to our accommodation is the never ending views 

The mill owner’s friend cooks dinners for her guests, prepared and eaten at her home. She’s Bolognesa, where we learned food represents everything important in life - family, culture, history, and love. It was an amazing meal and a really special experience.