July 19, 2024
After a late start and hours of steep, remote, and sweaty climbing, I realized I was not going to reach my intended destination. (Leo the Dog was at it again, planting mountains in my path.) Luckily, I washed up on the cobblestones of the sweetest village ever.
As climbs go, these were as good as they come: shaded, safe, and with breathtaking views. The descents were also pretty rad, including one along a highway where several folks honked and gave me thumbs-ups. By now y'all know I am a sucker for such approbation.
But my knees were starting to complain, and the heat was more than I wanted to bear. So around 5 pm I started searching my map for a nearby town and found this one, built around an ancient stone church and clinging to the side of a mountain.
My accommodation is a room in a family's home, with storybook views and a sweet mom who made a big to-do over my cycling. The village's lone cafe is helmed by a 20-year-old classical trumpeter named Bruno, whose parents do the cooking and little sister Anna helps with serving. The town's children are practicing their English on me while the adults, and I believe it is most of them, gather to chat and eat.
I am completely charmed.
Distance: 32.07 miles
Climbing: 3,940 feet
Total: 4,246 miles
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