The other day (now catching up on a post from a week ago), I rode with my buddies and had another great day, complete with an after lunch digestive and rain on the last 2 km. Very windy but otherwise just fine.
We left the hilltop convent riding down am extremely steep road past these ancient wash baths.
Then a few hours of riding over hills and through valleys. The countryside is beautiful and very green. Every hill has a town or church on it. This place looked so remote, I think it was abandoned. But who knows…?!
This farm sells mozzarella and other cheeses made from sheep’s milk.
Further along was a beautiful abbey. Lovely in the sunshine.
We went through some small towns.
Many had political posters up since the European elections were soon. The black poster is for the Forza Nuova right-wing party and says “Break the chains of Brussels” and the red poster is for a party called The Left and says “Europe needs a revolution.”
(Well, the results are in by now and the party who favors exiting the EU is stronger than before!)
It was tricky finding a place for lunch, but we saw there was a small restaurant about an hour and a half further along. I called them to check that they’d be open when we got there. Yes. Whew… We rode with an improved focus until we saw the sign. The place was in the middle of nowhere and yet had lots of tables and plenty of guests, including other cyclists. This photo shows Woody, Jan, and Jim.
We had a delicious meal, with wine and coffee, and when we were all done, the hosts brought out a trio of after-dinner drinks to go with the tiramisu: limoncello, grappa, and a bitter. The bitter was very tasty!
The final miles were rainy and windy but I still stopped to take a photo of this pole. It’s hard to see but it’s covered in blue ribbons. Apparently a son was born to this family and they are pretty happy about it: That’s a full-sized motorcycle up at the top of the pole!!!
And, just to put things in perspective, we finished the day with a banquet.
Fabulous!! xoxo from msrh
It was lovely!