Summer 2020 - #3

3rd to 6th September 2020

Brentonico 

Ended up here for eight days! Only cost was 1.50 euros for eight hours of electricity to recharge the bike battery! Discovered some chestnut orchards when walking to Castigone, one afternoon. Never seen anything like that before. Some looked extremely ancient.

7th September 2020 

Casola Valsenio

Headed south across the endlessly flat Po Valley to spend the night at a small sosta a few kilometres into the Apennine foothills west of Ravena. Nice spot with free electricity: but ruined by noise from kids, scooters and footballers until about 10pm.

8th September 2020

Santa Maria Nuovo

South along the Adriatic Coast and into the Province of le Marche. An area l briefly visited a couple of years ago that l wanted to spend some more time in. So, into the hills to the west of Ancona for the night at Santa Maria Nuova. Intensely hot until about 1700. Then headed of on the bike coz the electric was free to recharge the battery! Obviously, the parking, waste disposal and drinking was free as well. There are a number of sostas like that around here - to be investigated over the next week or so. Wish the UK catered for motorhomes like this! 

9th September 2020 

Staffollo

A few kilometres further west to another hilltop village, Staffollo. With a single main street through the old part of the town. Great sosta, with free EHU, surrounded by vineyards and greenery  Spoilt,again, later by noisy teeangers racing 50cc scooters and picnicking until about midnight. Seems to be endemic in parts of ltaly. 

10th to 12th September 2020 

Pievebovigliana

West into the Apennines towards Perugia to stop off at the sosta in Pievebovigliana. Stayed here in October 2016 for a night. Wanted to come back and do some cycling in the hills. Ten days after l left, in 2016, the area was subject to a number if earthquakes. Over a fairly wide area, say 40km by 20km, cracked and abandoned houses, churches and village centres. Many churches supported by external steel framing. Have seen groups of up to 100 small prefabricated houses for the displaced population. After four years little signs if rebuilding. Half of the sosta was occupied by portacabins for the Post Office, a bank and the Police Station. Some good cycling routes. Very hot during the afternoons. 

13th September 2020

Castelangello sul Nera

After a few days cycling around Pievebovigliana moved on to another village in the same general area, still in the zone impacted by the 2016 earthquakes. The centre was completely deserted closed off, as was that in Viso about 8km away. Felt uncomfortable in a 'disaster area' and decided to move on after a night. Three and even four wheeled Piaggio vans are ubiquitous in this area!

14th to 16th September 2020

Torrito di Siena

A hop across to the west side of the Apennines into Tuscany to stop at the small sosta at Torrita di Siena for a few nights. Had stopped over here a couple of times previously but never explored the area. Some important Renaissance towns within a 20km cycle ride - Montepulciano and Pienza. Preferred a smaller less tourist ridden village of Montefollonico.

17th to 21st September 2020

Lusignano

Tuscany and Umbria are two places where the guide books ring true - slightly dilapidated, but lived-in and engagingly attractive hillside towns everywhere, together with vineyards, olive groves and some wooded hills. Still in Tuscany a few days at Lusignano where there was a huge fully serviced field provided as yet another free sosta for vans just below the town.

22nd to 23rd September

Lisiana Niccone

On the border of Tuscany and Umbria, in the hills to the east of Lago di Trasimeno, a couple of nights at the small village of Lisiana in the upper Tiber valley surrounded by wooded hills. Memo to self - when going for a bike ride make sure you route the satnav on roadways/cycleways/gravel roads - i accidently used the hiking setting and set a cycling route up an incredibly steep footpath that was totally water scoured to rock in many places, it took an hour and a half to progress a kilometre in plan and about 400m uphill! Thought that the crop in many of the fields was tobacco and discovered that it is quite an important crop in Italy. Spent two nights totally alone at the free serviced sosta with a pleasant view across the valley to a castle, Rocco del Pierle,which I walked up to it one afternoon between the thunderstorms which have been around for a few days.

24th to 26th September 2020

Citta della Pieve

Parked for a few days below yet another walled lively, hilltop town! Sadly the weather has become quite autumnal for a few days, tomorrow the max temperature is forecast as 13C!! Fortunately, temperatures should climb into the low twenties from next Tuesday, Heavy rain, thunderstorms and a cold front today! Fortunately, a free 6amp electrical supply is enough to run the fan heater at 1kW and the van cozy. May head for a coastal campsite for a couple of weeks on Tuesday.