Europe Day 2: 50 Miles

Viterbo, Italy to Radicofani, Italy

The ride out of Viterbo was much easier than getting out of Rome and after a few miles I was back on SR2 heading north. Today’s ride consisted of 3 large climbs with 2 nice downhills in between. The weather was perfect; mid-60s and no rain in the forecast. I couldn’t have asked for a better day which was a nice reward for riding through the rain yesterday.

The first town on today’s route was Montefiascone. As the name implies, it was on top of a rather large hill. The climb reminded me of my first few days riding through Colorado. There was a good amount of elevation gain, but the grade never went above 5%. Riding something like this is slow, but not unenjoyable and there is always the payoff of a nice downhill after a long climb.

After the 4 mile climb, I started a long downhill with a view of Lago di Bolsena on my left. At mile 21 I arrived in the town of Bolsena which sits right on the lake. A detour off my route took me to the lake where I stopped at Oasi for lunch. I was drawn to Oasi because of their sign for a €7 lunch deal that consisted of a hamburger, coke and gelato. I’ve basically been eating pasta, pizza, and panino since I arrived in Italy, so I was excited for a more American style meal. The town of Bolsena was beautiful and I’m sure it’s not a town many Americans would think to visit on a trip to Italy. I could have sat in the sun and enjoyed the water all day, but by 1:30 it was time to get moving again.

I had 4 flat miles leaving Bolsena and then hit my second climb of the day heading into the town of Acquapendente. This climb was only 3 miles but provided a 7 mile downhill on the other side. During this stretch I saw many people walking in the opposite direction. The Via Francigena route is much more popular than I realized. I understand the enjoyment of hiking something like the Appalachian Trail, but these people seem to be walking on roads for long stretches. I’d rather be covering that ground at 10 mph on a bicycle instead of 3 mph on foot. The 7 mile downhill that I had just enjoyed was likely a 2 to 3 hour endeavor for the people I saw walking in the opposite direction.

Immediately after the downhill from Acquapendente I started a 14 mile climb to my destination of Radicofani. Luckily the first 10 miles of that climb were relatively easy, sticking around 1% grade. With 4 miles to go I turned off SR2 and on to SR24 where the real climbing began. My elevation at the turnoff was 1,200 feet and 4 miles later I arrived in Radicofani at 2,400 feet. It was a tough way to end the day but left me with a sense of accomplishment as I pulled up to the house I’m staying at.

When I arrived at Casa San Francesa I was greeted by a couple who spoke absolutely no English. As I’ve gotten further from Rome I have had more and more communication issues. I booked my stay through Booking.com and figured if someone knew how to post on that website, they would at least be able to speak some English. My reservation was for a 2 bedroom house, but I was shown to the 1 bedroom apartment attached to the side of the house. I couldn’t communicate the mix up properly, but the 1 bedroom was fine. I certainly don’t need 2 bedrooms and a kitchen, I just wish Booking.com had listed the 1 bedroom as an option so I could have selected it and paid less. The room cost just $38, so it was still relatively cheap.

After showering and editing some photos I headed into town for dinner. The walk from the house to the restaurant was only half a mile, but I gained another 300 feet of elevation in the process. I didn’t bring my camera with me to the restaurant, so I’ll have to get a photo tomorrow of the view from town and the castle which sits an additional few hundred feet above. The castle was used by Ghino di Tacco, an outlaw during the 13^th century. The Via Francegina route has been around for over 1,000 years and Ghino would rob those traveling on the path while using the well fortified city of Radicofani as a base. When robbing travelers, he always left them with enough to survive and provided them a banquet before sending them on their way. He also let poor people and students pass unharmed. He is known as a “Thief and a Gentleman”.

I arrived at the restaurant and had a table reserved for me. I do recall hearing “sette” being said multiple times to me by the couple who run the guest house. I guess they were telling me they would call the restaurant for a 7:00 pm reservation. I sat down and for the first time today heard English being spoken. There were lots of Via Francigena travelers, which made sense given it was the only restaurant in town. I had tagliatelle, steak, salad, and 0.25 liters of red wine. It was way too much food, but delicious. The total bill came to €24 which wasn’t bad. There is no tipping at restaurants in Italy, but they usually charge for water and sometimes a “coperto” which is like a cover fee to sit down at the restaurant. The 0.25 liters of wine was only €1.50 and I’ve found this is the perfect amount of wine after a long day. After finishing my meal I headed back down to the guest house where I ended my day.

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Musings:

• Italian drivers do not like to wave. I have a habit of waving at drivers when going through intersections as a safety precaution to make sure they are aware of me. I’ve continued to do this in Italy but have not received a single wave back. I’m not sure what this is about.
• I would kill for an American diner right now. I really enjoy a fresh croissant or pastry to start the day and have fully embraced a cappuccino in the morning. It just isn’t as filling and doesn’t sustain me for cycling like french toast, bacon, potatoes and eggs would. I may have to start doubling or tripling up on breakfast pastries to start my day.