Across Italy

At Tour d’Afrique we often take the road less travelled.  That would apply to our first stretch of days after Venice as well.  Heading away from the coast we found ourselves making a line… a line with a turn every kilometer or so… towards the Po River.  An area that does not have line-ups of tourists but still of course has a beauty all it’s own.

Of note is that it’s been incredibly hot here!  With temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius it was a challenge for everyone to stay hydrated and not overheat.  This section of Italy does not provide a lot of shade options either, lots of cornfields and not a lot of trees.  The towns along the way could provide some shade, but not a lot of other options as most Italians disappear between 1:00pm and 5:00pm into the world of Siesta.   That said riding along the Po River bike path, with almost no vehicular traffic was a nice change of pace, and most riders were able to get to camp by 2:00pm and beat the worst of the afternoon sun.

The real treat of this stretch was from Bobbio to our current rest day location in Genoa.  The “classic” Italy that one imagines; beautiful coastal mountains dotted with small villages and tiny roads to cycle on winding their way up and down the rocky slopes.  It was a lot of climbing but even more descending as our riders plummeted down to the Adriatic.

Now is the time to indulge in Italian cuisine and taste some of the infinite Italian wines on offer.  Apparently Frank Sinatra’s favorite restaurant was here in Genoa, though I can’t say I went there… we’ll have to trust Frank that it’s amazing