Days 15, 16, and 17

On day 15, I rode 21 miles from Sant'Andrea Bagni to Salsomaggiore Terme. It was the first time I didn't need to ask directions on a ride! I spent day 16 exploring Salsomaggiore, which is a beautiful spa town about 70 miles southeast of Milan. It was my second time in the town but the first time I really got to spend time there (the first time I visited two years ago it was for a pass-through/overnight). Salsomaggiore really is one of the prettier towns I've seen here in Italy. It's surrounded by incredible natural beauty. However, Salsomaggiore is a pretty heavy tourist town and it highlights one of the pitfalls of Italy (and everywhere else for that matter). If you are a tourist in a touristy town, they won't treat you very warmly. There were times I didn't feel all that comfortable in Salsomaggiore -- not from a safety standpoint -- just in terms of feeling like an outsider.

Today, on Day 17, I had a pretty unique experience. I was scheduled to ride from Salsomaggiore to Milan, which is about 70 miles. When I arrived in the town of Vicenza, which is roughly 40 miles from Milan, I noticed that the bridge which crosses a big river was closed. After speaking with a few people I figured out there's only one other bridge nearby but it's on a superhighway and not be ridden by bike. I was told by a local that I needed to take the train. I went to the ticket office at the station and explained that I needed to bring my bike on the train to Milan. Luckily, a train left in about an hour.

When I arrived at the platform, I noticed a big collection of bikes with touring packs. I started speaking with the people who were riding the bikes. Turns out there was a big cycling convention/trip a few miles from the train station. The people spoke very little English but we were able to communicate well. I told them I needed to get to Linate airport and in typical Italian style they went above and beyond in helping me. One guy got out his iphone and showed me the route from the train station in Milan. Another person said they would get off at the stop with me and take me halfway to the airport. He pointed me in the right direction and I got there no problem. I never expected to take the train while I was here but it was a cool experience to chat with these people in Italian and to have them help me so much.

When I arrived at the airport, I was relieved to get my bike packed away (I left it at the airport and will pick it up just before me flight). The trip was an incredible experience overall but riding alone definitely takes its toll mentally dealing with trucks and cars whizzing past you all day. For the next two days, I'm just a plain vanilla tourist in Milan. I'm flying home on Tuesday. I'll post a recap of the trip in a few days.