Bologna was one of my favorite cities the first time I visited Italy. This time, not so much. The seed was planted when I was chatting with a woman in Ravenna who said to me "Bologna is an armpit of a city". Strong words!
While I still like Bologna overall, I see her point. The city is filthy in some areas but there are some very nice areas as well. It does have a great energy though, which is what drew me to it in the first place. It has an incredible art museum called Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna with some impressive religious paintings. There also aren't that many tourists here, which makes it appealing. One of the things that put me off on Florence two years ago was the amount of tourists there (said the tourist).
I'm staying at a great hotel here, the people are very friendly. I told the women at the front desk the coca cola story and they said it's just as cheap as in the U.S. at the supermarket. I just saw a "supermarket" (it's more like a big bodega) and they're right. Also, bottled water is absurdly cheap. I got two 1.5 litre bottles for 58 cent Euro. They usually cost like €2-€3 each in Tobacco shops and cafes! In retrospect I could have done a better job on saving money this trip. I still have some time left so I can put some of the things I've learned to good use. I don't want to frontrun my final summary post of "lessons learned on the trip" so I'll just stop right here.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Day 11: Ravenna to Bologna (48 miles)
Man, is it getting hot. I think it hit 95 degrees today. Riding in the heat is a bear. I left early in order to avoid the hottest part of the day but even at 9am the air is roasting.
I stopped in a little town called Massa Lombarda for a drink on the way to Bologna. The people were so friendly there. I had a five minute conversation with a woman in Italian. She was asking about my journey, etc... and I was able to hold my own.
I think I'm starting to take the next step in my knowledge of Italian. I'm beginning to understand the structure of the language and can construct sentences and phrases on my own. But just like in life, if you get too confident with your language skills you are bound to get knocked down a peg quickly. So I'm taking things slow and staying humble.
When I was in Ravenna I ran into two guys from Austria who were touring Italy. I told them how much I paid for a room (€50) and they laughed at me. They stop in random small towns along their route and pay like €15 a night each. If my Italian improves enough, on my next trip I may just wing it on hotels and use the same strategy. If you can avoid staying and eating in the big cities you can probably cut your trip costs in half or even up to 75%.
I stopped in a little town called Massa Lombarda for a drink on the way to Bologna. The people were so friendly there. I had a five minute conversation with a woman in Italian. She was asking about my journey, etc... and I was able to hold my own.
I think I'm starting to take the next step in my knowledge of Italian. I'm beginning to understand the structure of the language and can construct sentences and phrases on my own. But just like in life, if you get too confident with your language skills you are bound to get knocked down a peg quickly. So I'm taking things slow and staying humble.
When I was in Ravenna I ran into two guys from Austria who were touring Italy. I told them how much I paid for a room (€50) and they laughed at me. They stop in random small towns along their route and pay like €15 a night each. If my Italian improves enough, on my next trip I may just wing it on hotels and use the same strategy. If you can avoid staying and eating in the big cities you can probably cut your trip costs in half or even up to 75%.
Day 10: Ravenna Rocks
I'm in love with the town of Ravenna. It's not a town that you really hear all that much about. It's kind of an under the radar sea-side town to the south of Venice and east of Bologna. And truth be told, there's really not that much to say about it. It's famous for its murals and definitely has some historical significance. But it's not necessarily a place you would target if you went to Italy.
Yet there's just something about it. It has a great vibe. It's the perfect size -not too big, but just big enough. The people are friendly, happy and welcoming. The food is very good and cheap. And there are some beautiful and tranquil hidden areas if you take the time to look.
But I may not be alone in my admiration for Ravenna. The travel guide I have says that most people go to Ravenna just to see its murals but realize it's a pleasing medely of shops, restaurants and piazzas. Additionally, when I arrived in Bologna (yes I know I'm jumping ahead a bit), a tourist was asking a local what his favorite city in all of Northern Italy was - he answered "Ravenna!".
Let's keep Ravenna our little secret though, okay?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna
Yet there's just something about it. It has a great vibe. It's the perfect size -not too big, but just big enough. The people are friendly, happy and welcoming. The food is very good and cheap. And there are some beautiful and tranquil hidden areas if you take the time to look.
But I may not be alone in my admiration for Ravenna. The travel guide I have says that most people go to Ravenna just to see its murals but realize it's a pleasing medely of shops, restaurants and piazzas. Additionally, when I arrived in Bologna (yes I know I'm jumping ahead a bit), a tourist was asking a local what his favorite city in all of Northern Italy was - he answered "Ravenna!".
Let's keep Ravenna our little secret though, okay?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Days 6, 7, 8 and 9
Hello. I'm sorry I've been away so long. I'm taking an online math teaching course and needed to dedicate most of my time to it. Here's a recap of the past few days.
Day 6: Pinarello for a Day
Treviso is the headquarters of famed bicycle company Pinarello. It's a small and surprisingly not well known brand in Italy - but in the United States people love Pinarello's high end status and beautiful style/craftmanship.
I started the day by visiting the company's retail store, which is located in the middle of the city.
I was fortunate enough to meet Giovanni Pinarello, who started the company building bicycles in the late 1940s at the age of 15. Giovanni is a very nice but definitely old man who doesn't speak much English and keeps repeating the same stories about his cycling career in Italian.
I spoke with one of the Pinarello daughters about getting a tour of their factory. Luckily they were able to give me a quick view of things. Normally they require advanced notice but I explained I send an e-mail but never heard back. The factory is very impressive.
The carbon frames are made in Asia (mainly because they don't have access to high end carbon fiber here) and the painting and assembly are both done by hand in Italy.
I met Fausto Pinarello (current President of the company) and Miguel Indurain's head mechanic (who still works at Pinarello) and got a good shot of them working on a bike.
Day 7: Treviso to Chioggia (51 miles)
Today was a relatively easy 51 miles. Once again I did a lot of pre-work on the route and it paid off big time. I discovered one of my favorite cycling roads in Italy, via Brenta. It sprouted off SP53 near Corte along the river and was like 10 miles of cycling heaven:
I pulled off the road to grab a drink in Rosara, a small town, and the townspeople were shocked to see an American. One guy said I was the first American he ever met and he wanted to name the main street "via Jeff" in honor of my visit. He didn't speak any English but said his daughter did so he brought me to his house to have a chat with her. It was all a pretty cool experience.
As I was entering Chioggia, I noticed I had no choice but to take a pretty big highway into the town because it's basically surrounded by water and there's only one way in. I was sitting at the entrance to the highway ramp stressing about having to ride on it and looking around to see if there was another way. Just as I was about to bailout and head back to find an alternate route, an Austrian man and woman both riding hybrid bikes with no helmets cruised past me onto the highway. I felt like a wuss. I followed them onto the highway with my tail in between my legs.
Day 8: Making Friends in Chioggia
I had a great day off in Chioggia. It's a beautiful town right on the Adriatic Sea, just south of Venice. It's much less touristy and just a short boat ride to Venice if you want to visit for the day.
I needed to sit in the hotel lobby in order to access the internet connection for my online class. It was a blessing in disguise as I made friends with the hotel owner, Fausto. He put me in touch with two friends, Beppe and Paolo, to show me around town. We went to some "locals only" restaurants and bars. One of the guys, Beppe, was a local math teacher -- pretty funny stuff. I exchanged e-mails so hopefully we'll keep in touch. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with them.
Day 9: Chioggia to Ravenna (75 miles)
Today was a surprisingly difficult ride. While there was a highway that went directly to Ravenna and would take about 60 miles, I decided I wanted to go by smaller roads to avoid traffic. While i found some absolutely gorgeous cycling roads, it may have not been the best decision in retrospect.
Here's why. Today I ran into heat and headwinds, two of the three H's that are a cyclist's worst nightmare (the other being hills). The roads I took were through farmland so there were no trees to block the sun and wind. On the previous 75 mile ride I did, I probably drank a total of 4 or 5 total water bottles. On this ride I think I drank 15-20 water bottles. I was going through water like it was water. Miles 50-60 were a huge struggle. The temperature was over 90 degrees, the wind was blowing fierce and the sun was beating down on me. I could barely crack 12 mph. For the last 15 miles I no choice but to take the bigger highway into Ravenna. When I arrived there I realized I probably should have taken it the whole way. Why, you ask? Because there were TREES on it. The trees block the wind and sun. It felt 20 degrees cooler and I could ride like 17 mph. The scenery on the smaller roads was so beautiful, it might have been worth the effort:
Plus, I found a great little market in the town of Mezzogoro and bought some fantastic meats and cheeses for lunch. I can't even put into words how good the grapes were!
Day 6: Pinarello for a Day
Treviso is the headquarters of famed bicycle company Pinarello. It's a small and surprisingly not well known brand in Italy - but in the United States people love Pinarello's high end status and beautiful style/craftmanship.
I started the day by visiting the company's retail store, which is located in the middle of the city.
I was fortunate enough to meet Giovanni Pinarello, who started the company building bicycles in the late 1940s at the age of 15. Giovanni is a very nice but definitely old man who doesn't speak much English and keeps repeating the same stories about his cycling career in Italian.
I spoke with one of the Pinarello daughters about getting a tour of their factory. Luckily they were able to give me a quick view of things. Normally they require advanced notice but I explained I send an e-mail but never heard back. The factory is very impressive.
The carbon frames are made in Asia (mainly because they don't have access to high end carbon fiber here) and the painting and assembly are both done by hand in Italy.
I met Fausto Pinarello (current President of the company) and Miguel Indurain's head mechanic (who still works at Pinarello) and got a good shot of them working on a bike.
Day 7: Treviso to Chioggia (51 miles)
Today was a relatively easy 51 miles. Once again I did a lot of pre-work on the route and it paid off big time. I discovered one of my favorite cycling roads in Italy, via Brenta. It sprouted off SP53 near Corte along the river and was like 10 miles of cycling heaven:
I pulled off the road to grab a drink in Rosara, a small town, and the townspeople were shocked to see an American. One guy said I was the first American he ever met and he wanted to name the main street "via Jeff" in honor of my visit. He didn't speak any English but said his daughter did so he brought me to his house to have a chat with her. It was all a pretty cool experience.
As I was entering Chioggia, I noticed I had no choice but to take a pretty big highway into the town because it's basically surrounded by water and there's only one way in. I was sitting at the entrance to the highway ramp stressing about having to ride on it and looking around to see if there was another way. Just as I was about to bailout and head back to find an alternate route, an Austrian man and woman both riding hybrid bikes with no helmets cruised past me onto the highway. I felt like a wuss. I followed them onto the highway with my tail in between my legs.
Day 8: Making Friends in Chioggia
I had a great day off in Chioggia. It's a beautiful town right on the Adriatic Sea, just south of Venice. It's much less touristy and just a short boat ride to Venice if you want to visit for the day.
I needed to sit in the hotel lobby in order to access the internet connection for my online class. It was a blessing in disguise as I made friends with the hotel owner, Fausto. He put me in touch with two friends, Beppe and Paolo, to show me around town. We went to some "locals only" restaurants and bars. One of the guys, Beppe, was a local math teacher -- pretty funny stuff. I exchanged e-mails so hopefully we'll keep in touch. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with them.
Day 9: Chioggia to Ravenna (75 miles)
Today was a surprisingly difficult ride. While there was a highway that went directly to Ravenna and would take about 60 miles, I decided I wanted to go by smaller roads to avoid traffic. While i found some absolutely gorgeous cycling roads, it may have not been the best decision in retrospect.
Here's why. Today I ran into heat and headwinds, two of the three H's that are a cyclist's worst nightmare (the other being hills). The roads I took were through farmland so there were no trees to block the sun and wind. On the previous 75 mile ride I did, I probably drank a total of 4 or 5 total water bottles. On this ride I think I drank 15-20 water bottles. I was going through water like it was water. Miles 50-60 were a huge struggle. The temperature was over 90 degrees, the wind was blowing fierce and the sun was beating down on me. I could barely crack 12 mph. For the last 15 miles I no choice but to take the bigger highway into Ravenna. When I arrived there I realized I probably should have taken it the whole way. Why, you ask? Because there were TREES on it. The trees block the wind and sun. It felt 20 degrees cooler and I could ride like 17 mph. The scenery on the smaller roads was so beautiful, it might have been worth the effort:
Plus, I found a great little market in the town of Mezzogoro and bought some fantastic meats and cheeses for lunch. I can't even put into words how good the grapes were!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day 5: Verona to Treviso (87 miles)
Today was a long riding day that reinforced a lot of touring/cycling rules.
I wasn't expecting the ride to be 87 miles but I needed to make some detours in order to find strade secondaria per Treviso (secondary roads to Treviso). This is my first rule of touring. The smaller the road, the better. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well following this rule today. I ended up on the autostrada or something similar I believe. When this happens you definitely get a contact high and start ripping it on your bike (exceeding 20mph) but it's a treacherous game because cars and trucks are passing you at likely 60-70mph. All we cyclists need really is a shoulder to cry on (pardon the double meaning) but still it's very stressful to be on those types of roads. When a guy in a truck screamed at me something to the effect of "mafabafaguoloio"...I realized it's a road I shouldn't be on. The challenge in touring is finding the small roads because maps just don't show them. And Italians, god bless them, they know about as much direction as they can see in front of themselves.
Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to ride through the center of each town because it will then put you on the smaller roads to the next town, and so on. The problem is you get sucked into the ease of the bigger roads, which have less traffic circles and chances of getting lost.
The second rule that was reinforced this ride is what I like to call the "law of twenties". Each 20 mile increment in cycling becomes progressively more difficult. For example: 20-40 miles is pretty easy; 40-60 miles becomes challenging; 60-80 starts to put definite pressure on your muscles and limbs; and 80-100 miles it feels like body parts are going to start to fall off. Combine the physical feeling of being on mile 80 with the mental feeling of being lost and rain falling from the sky and you can imagine how I felt toward the end of the ride. Luckily, the rain stopped and I found my way pretty quickly. Things can change in an instant when you are on your bike (and in life).
My Italian is progressing but it's definitely two steps forward and one back. At this stage I would say that I'm pretty proficiet at asking and answering most things. However, if someone tries to break into a conversation, I'm toast. Had a pretty funny encounter today with a waitress at a restaurant. When she gave me my bill, I saw that my 0.5 litre glass of coke was €5! I just wanted to point out an interesting tidbit of how much more expensive coke is in Italy. But unfortunately, I got way ahead of myself because there's no way for me to communicate any type of tone to the conversation. At this stage, it's similar to trying to communicate tone by e-mail or IM. I practiced what I was going to say in my head. This was going to be a tall order trying to put two relatively difficult sentences together in my head. I fired away (ps, this may not be written correctly bc the study guide I'm using is listen-only so I'm not sure how to spell certain words!):
ME: Mi scuzzi (excuse me)
HER: Si (yes)
ME: Le posso dire cualcozza? (Can I tell you something)
HER: Si (yes)
ME (pointing at my check): Nelle Stati Uniti, due litre de coke solo costa un euro!
(In the United States, two litres of coke only costs one euro!)
HER (with a perturbed look): Well, siamo en Italia (Well, we are in Italy).
ZING!!! She obviously thought I was complaining. But doing my best Larry David impression, I was determined to explain to her that I only told her because it was an interesting fact. This was going to be difficult.
ME: Allora, Senora, solo digolo era tropo caro perque interesante (I only say it's expensive because it is interesting).
She smiled and said "va bene", which means "it's okay" but I have no idea if she actually understood what I was trying to say!
I wasn't expecting the ride to be 87 miles but I needed to make some detours in order to find strade secondaria per Treviso (secondary roads to Treviso). This is my first rule of touring. The smaller the road, the better. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well following this rule today. I ended up on the autostrada or something similar I believe. When this happens you definitely get a contact high and start ripping it on your bike (exceeding 20mph) but it's a treacherous game because cars and trucks are passing you at likely 60-70mph. All we cyclists need really is a shoulder to cry on (pardon the double meaning) but still it's very stressful to be on those types of roads. When a guy in a truck screamed at me something to the effect of "mafabafaguoloio"...I realized it's a road I shouldn't be on. The challenge in touring is finding the small roads because maps just don't show them. And Italians, god bless them, they know about as much direction as they can see in front of themselves.
Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to ride through the center of each town because it will then put you on the smaller roads to the next town, and so on. The problem is you get sucked into the ease of the bigger roads, which have less traffic circles and chances of getting lost.
The second rule that was reinforced this ride is what I like to call the "law of twenties". Each 20 mile increment in cycling becomes progressively more difficult. For example: 20-40 miles is pretty easy; 40-60 miles becomes challenging; 60-80 starts to put definite pressure on your muscles and limbs; and 80-100 miles it feels like body parts are going to start to fall off. Combine the physical feeling of being on mile 80 with the mental feeling of being lost and rain falling from the sky and you can imagine how I felt toward the end of the ride. Luckily, the rain stopped and I found my way pretty quickly. Things can change in an instant when you are on your bike (and in life).
My Italian is progressing but it's definitely two steps forward and one back. At this stage I would say that I'm pretty proficiet at asking and answering most things. However, if someone tries to break into a conversation, I'm toast. Had a pretty funny encounter today with a waitress at a restaurant. When she gave me my bill, I saw that my 0.5 litre glass of coke was €5! I just wanted to point out an interesting tidbit of how much more expensive coke is in Italy. But unfortunately, I got way ahead of myself because there's no way for me to communicate any type of tone to the conversation. At this stage, it's similar to trying to communicate tone by e-mail or IM. I practiced what I was going to say in my head. This was going to be a tall order trying to put two relatively difficult sentences together in my head. I fired away (ps, this may not be written correctly bc the study guide I'm using is listen-only so I'm not sure how to spell certain words!):
ME: Mi scuzzi (excuse me)
HER: Si (yes)
ME: Le posso dire cualcozza? (Can I tell you something)
HER: Si (yes)
ME (pointing at my check): Nelle Stati Uniti, due litre de coke solo costa un euro!
(In the United States, two litres of coke only costs one euro!)
HER (with a perturbed look): Well, siamo en Italia (Well, we are in Italy).
ZING!!! She obviously thought I was complaining. But doing my best Larry David impression, I was determined to explain to her that I only told her because it was an interesting fact. This was going to be difficult.
ME: Allora, Senora, solo digolo era tropo caro perque interesante (I only say it's expensive because it is interesting).
She smiled and said "va bene", which means "it's okay" but I have no idea if she actually understood what I was trying to say!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Day 4: My Verona
Spent the day checking out Verona today. It's an interesting city with impressive architecture and a very storied history. I'm a bit tired right now so here's the Wiki link if you feel like reading up on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona
I liked Verona a lot but can't say I fell in love with it. If you've ever done a search to buy an apartment or house, you know that vibe you get when you first walk in the door and say "this is it". I think it's kind of the same situation for Italian cities -- it's all about the feeling they give you when you roam the streets and interact with the people. So far my favorite cities have been Lucca, Bologna and Ravenna. I'm returning to two of them this trip so it'll be interesting to see if I still feel the same way about them.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Treviso, which is the headquarters of Pinarello -- perhaps the most revered cycling company in the world. Maybe if I have a few too many wines I'll be coming home with a new custom bicycle frame?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona
I liked Verona a lot but can't say I fell in love with it. If you've ever done a search to buy an apartment or house, you know that vibe you get when you first walk in the door and say "this is it". I think it's kind of the same situation for Italian cities -- it's all about the feeling they give you when you roam the streets and interact with the people. So far my favorite cities have been Lucca, Bologna and Ravenna. I'm returning to two of them this trip so it'll be interesting to see if I still feel the same way about them.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Treviso, which is the headquarters of Pinarello -- perhaps the most revered cycling company in the world. Maybe if I have a few too many wines I'll be coming home with a new custom bicycle frame?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Day 3: Bergamo to Verona (75 miles)
Today was simply a classic Italian touring day - the kind of day you dream about.
Last night was probably a good omen for today. When I was at dinner, I met two guys from Spain, Josè and Salvatorè, that were in Bergamo for a shoe convention. They invited me outside for a Cuban cigar and some grappa and we chatted about life. The only downside to meeting them was they were speaking some Spanish to me (I studied Spanish in high school and college so I know it a bit). But it was confusing now to speak Spanish because it's so similar to Italian. Up until that point I was able to keep Spanish and Italian pretty much compartmentalized but unfortunately now I think the seal has been broken.
Given my experience on Friday riding from Milan to Bergamo without a map, I did a lot of work on today's route last night. I identified smaller roads to take etc...and it paid off big time. The weather was beautiful and the roads had only a few cars. As I was leaving Brescia (which was about 30 miles into my 75 mile ride), a cyclist rode up beside me and we stared chatting. He took me on a hidden bike only route to Largo di Garda. He taught me some new Italian words and we exchanged e-mails so we could learn each other's language. Riding with him was an awesome experience. Here's a picture of us right before we descended to the lake behind us:
I guess it's just human nature, but I'm sitting here laughing at the fact that I had such a great day and my post is so short. I was so excited to write about all the details but I'm just going to keep it short and sheet. Oggi era un giorno molto buono (today was a very good day).
Last night was probably a good omen for today. When I was at dinner, I met two guys from Spain, Josè and Salvatorè, that were in Bergamo for a shoe convention. They invited me outside for a Cuban cigar and some grappa and we chatted about life. The only downside to meeting them was they were speaking some Spanish to me (I studied Spanish in high school and college so I know it a bit). But it was confusing now to speak Spanish because it's so similar to Italian. Up until that point I was able to keep Spanish and Italian pretty much compartmentalized but unfortunately now I think the seal has been broken.
Given my experience on Friday riding from Milan to Bergamo without a map, I did a lot of work on today's route last night. I identified smaller roads to take etc...and it paid off big time. The weather was beautiful and the roads had only a few cars. As I was leaving Brescia (which was about 30 miles into my 75 mile ride), a cyclist rode up beside me and we stared chatting. He took me on a hidden bike only route to Largo di Garda. He taught me some new Italian words and we exchanged e-mails so we could learn each other's language. Riding with him was an awesome experience. Here's a picture of us right before we descended to the lake behind us:
I guess it's just human nature, but I'm sitting here laughing at the fact that I had such a great day and my post is so short. I was so excited to write about all the details but I'm just going to keep it short and sheet. Oggi era un giorno molto buono (today was a very good day).
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