Italian Tour with Stefano Dalfiume of Appennino Bikes
A few years ago Raymond, Paul and Julie did a race in Italy called the Rally di Romagna MTB. One of the organisers was Stefano and a friendship was formed. Stefano was keen to expand into the touring market and had been scouring northern Italy for various routes. He had devised a trip from Florence to Gubbio and asked us along to try it out. So on Wednesday 18th June we made our way, with mountain bikes in tow, to Gatwick to catch a flight to Bologna.
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bag
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Stefano meets us at the airport with a van and whisks us off to his home town of Imola where we are staying the night at an apartment/B&B belonging to his friend, Cecelia. We assemble our bikes which have survived the flight and then go sightseeing. Imola is famous for me for only one thing – Formula One! For years it played host to the San Marino Grand Prix but unfortunately cemented its place in history as the site of Ayron Senna’s death during the race on 1st May 1994. The last GP was raced there in 2006 but the circuit is still in use for motorbike races although it looks a little jaded compared to its heyday. A monument has been built to Senna in the park enclosed by the circuit, at the corner where he crashed and I would be lying if I didn’t say that a visit here was one of my main reasons for doing the trip! We duly visit the shrine, resplendent in mementos to mark the 20th anniversary of Senna’s death. It was moving to see all the tributes not only to Senna but also to Roland Ratzenburger who died during qualifying the previous day
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| The shrine to Senna |
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| dungeon |
After this, Stefano takes us to a walled village called Dozza. Dozza is renowned for its festival of the painted wall where, every two years, international artists paint on the building walls. At its centre is a fortified castle which holds in its cellars an impressive collection of wines and balsamic vinegars. Julie is a bit of a gastrofreak and duly tastes the wares.
From here it’s back to Imola for pizza and a wander through the street markets that are in full flow. One stall has a stunning display of bikes of all ages, one fresh from its TdeF campaign in 1936!
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| Some very old bikes |
Tomorrow our tour begins. We will be self supported so all that we need for the next 5 days has to come with us. We have spent many weeks debating how much we should take or can carry comfortably in our rucksacks or on our bikes. Paul invested in a large saddle bag which he found didn’t fit his oversized seat post so he too was resigned to a bag on his back. Everything else we leave at the B&B. We cycle a short distance to the train station and catch a train to Florence via Faenza.
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| Ponte Vecchio |
This is a 2 hour trip through scenic villages and countryside. We disembark at Florence, a station with an inordinate number of nuns running around, and proceed on a tour of the town. We traverse the Ponte Vecchio over the river Arno, admire the statues in the square and visit Dante’s house. Once back at the station the tour begins........
Day One: Florence – Vecchio 39.3km 3hr57m 1360m
elevation 25’av temp
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| Florence in the background |
We leave Florence on a minor road that winds up and up and soon we are far away from the hustle and bustle. We stop at a spring in Fiesole to top up with water, then buy pizza slices to fuel us for the continuing climb. We turn off the road onto a smaller lane with hardly any traffic and as this begins to level we take to the hills and join a forest track that continues upwards, the trees become sparser and the track rolls into grassland and gets more rocky and technical. We reach a clearing and stop for lunch. The trail is narrow and rocky, it traverses the ridge then descends steeply. I think we all find this difficult as we are unused to carrying heavy rucksacks which alter our centres of gravity, points of balance and even our braking as the bags have their own momentum and regularly hit us on the back of our heads. We eventually regain the minor lane and as Paul stops to re-inflate his tyre Julie peruses an information sign that tells of local flora, fauna and burraie - ancient stone shacks that were used to produce butter in the hills.
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| The art of bag carrying |
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| fruity |
We take a gravel track that climbs up through the fields and trees and eventually come across one of these burraie so stop to take photos. More climbing then we drop back onto tarmac and a steep, fast descent. It has been very hot and we are running low on water but on one of the steep hair-pinned bends on the road we meet two men tending their garden. Stefano asks if we could trouble them for some water and they kindly take us into their basement kitchen and fill up our water bottles. We thank them and continue our speedy descent. We join the main road and head towards Vicchio turning onto a narrow bridge where Stefano misses his gears and Raymond jumps us to the take the sign. We finish at the village square where a sound check is taking place for a band playing later this evening. There is a fabulous fruit shop and the apricots and cherries are in season, cheap, plentiful and perfectly ripe. Tonight’s hotel has been double booked so we’re staying in a pretty B&B just down the road.
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| wishy washy |
Paul is on clothes washing duties and we hang them from the window ledges whilst we go back to the hotel for our meal – pasta and roasted aubergines. The food is quite arty much to Julie’s delight. I think Stefano is quite bemused that we just see food as fuel rather than art
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| basta pasta |
Day Two: Vicchio – Campigna 44.1km 4hr23m 1922m 22’av temp
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| Breakfast in Vicchio |
After a good night’s sleep we breakfast at the hotel and find that Julie has a front puncture. Once repaired, we’re on our way, soon leaving the road for a gravel track climbing through farmland. Like yesterday, Paul is feeling fit and stretches his legs off the front. We are keeping a more sedate pace behind enjoying the scenery, the gravel roads are quite fast and undulate through fields and forest gradually gaining altitude until we descend again on a fast broken tarmac lane to meet the main road.
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| San Gordenzo |
This follows the river (where Paul spots a kingfisher) into the village of San Godenzo. Stefano says that we have made very good time so can afford to make a diversion to visit the abbey set back in a large square. It is very impressive with a large altar and some fabulous paintings. These are hanging in darkness but Paul pays the outrageous sum of 50cents which illuminates them for 30seconds – truly magnificent.
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| Tuscany |
We top up with water at the obligatory village tap and head out of town past the cemetery – as in Spain people are interred within large walls festooned with flowers. We are on a country lane which undulates but generally climbs, Raymond, still suffering after a recent cold is finding this hard going and we keep a comfortable pace on the broken tarmac and gravel track. We eventually reach the village of Il Castagno D’Andrea where we stop for lunch. We find a tiny supermarket with delicious bread sold buy a young lad who looks uncannily like Ivan Basso, and sit on a bench outside a small church to eat. The views out across the hills and valleys are amazing and we are high enough to share our vista with the local observatory perched on the next promontory. Despite our altitude, the climbing continues! The gravel road climbs endlessly in the sun and Raymond drops further and further behind. I try to keep him well fed and sing to entertain him. We enter the National Park on a forest track, there are picnic tables dotted all around and a local man tells us that we have to be quiet in the park! Once out of earshot I resume the singing, this is so excruciating that after a few miles Raymond begins to rallyJ Once at the summit it’s all downhill so Stefano advises us to put jackets on to stop us chilling down. Paul spots what he thinks is a wolf thankfully he keeps that to himself!
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| Fast down |
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| Maura e Raymond |
The road down is indeed very fast and cold but we soon veer off-road to fast, swooping and bermed pine-clad forest trails with the odd loose rocky bit thrown in, whoops and giggles all around. Once back on the road it’s just a short drop into Campigna, yet again Raymond manages to spot the sign and takes it from under our noses. Our lodgings for tonight is a chalet in the middle of the woods with walls covered in photos of the local wildlife taken by the owner – scarily these include...... several wolves! Tonight we feast on green beans, salad and pasta with local porcini mushrooms.
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| The lodge |
Day Three: Campigna – Chiusi del Verna 52.4km 4hr59m 1725m 19’av temp
Today will be the toughest day. We wake to blue skies and hope to leave a bit earlier but Julie’s front tyre has again gone flat. As we are getting ready two forestry commission guys arrive for work in grey uniforms and big boots – they walk past checking Julie out as they go by which gets her quivering
J Maura has made us sandwiches to take with us as there will be little opportunity to buy anything - we will be off-road for the majority of the day.
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| a sign |
We start on a road climb where we befriend another local guy on an mtb. At the crest he goes on as we turn right onto a forest track, this starts as it means to go on with short, very steep, reasonably technical climbs some of which we end up walking. Raymond has found his legs overnight and both he and Paul are having a good go at the technical sections. Once we've gained the top we have the most spectacular views with vertiginous drops off to our left. We ride along the ridge until Stefano points out a spot to leave our bikes whilst we climb a steep bank to the viewpoint. From here it is alleged that, on a clear day, one is able to see both the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas.
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| I can see the sea |
We have encountered very few people en route but just as we are about to leave our bikes two mtb’ers going in the opposite direction appear. Stefano stays behind to guard our steeds as we clamber to the top to take in the view. Back on track we continue along the ridge then enjoy a fabulous descent on single-track through the woods, steep but swooping and bermed trails get us all smiling. Our technical skills are returning as we've now adapted to the weight and size of our rucksacks.
We return to the road and reach a hermitage, allegedly the sanctuary of the man who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. The small shop/apothecary is run and stocked by the monks.
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| Due Cippolini |
Here we meet two cheery mtb’ers from Luca, we call them the two Cipollini brothers and take photos. We follow the road up through the forest until we turn off onto another trail. As we are making good time Stefano decides to take us on the longer route which involves a long steep climb. As we attack the first slope there are two walkers who stand aside to let us pass, however we are soon off and walking and they are hot on our heels. The hike-a-bike section is some 800m long and gives our calf muscles a good work-out. We eventually get to the top and gain our reward, more fabulous steep bermed singletrack. Stefano goes ahead to take photos, I reach him standing on the apex of a tight left turn on an steep off-cambered track, he’s yelling something and gesticulating wildly in both directions whilst standing right in the middle of the track, I turn in tightly to avoid him but my front wheel washes out and, almost at a standstill, I thump into the ground, gouging my thigh on my brake lever. It bleeds profusely needing a plaster and I am livid. The adrenalin works a treat though as I ride even better afterward scorching down the next descent. This has a fallen tree half way down and I need to duck to get under.
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| Poggio |
Behind us comes Julie, she’s so little that she didn’t think twice about ducking to clear the obstacle, but her rucksack –equal in size to her, has other ideas and gets firmly wedged under the tree bringing her to a complete halt. Unable to unclip her feet she is left dangling on the trail. Paul, being a true gent, makes sure he gets a photo before going to her aid
J At the bottom of a gravel track we stop and eat our sandwiches next to a derelict farmhouse then a road climb takes us to the next off-road climb, a mixture of sharp technical climbs with tracks through fields then a rocky descent on which
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| Sarnies |
Stefano takes more photos whilst standing in the middle of the trail. Another long road climb follows which takes us to the village of Chuisi del Verna. On the approach, high on the hill, is another hermitage, once frequented by St Francis of Assisi. Stefano suggests dropping our stuff at the hotel and riding the 3km up to the church but it’s nearly 6pm and we’ve spent at least 1 ½ hours stopping to take photos so we’re too tired for any more culture and continue straight to the hotel. In the courtyard we find a road bike cycling club from Ravenna, they are all dressed in club leisure wear – sooo Italian chic!! On a quick wander through the village Raymond and I pass a flock of nuns carrying goods to local houses.
Day Four: Chiusi del Verna – Monte Santa Maria Tiberina 61.3km 4hr36m 1541m 23'av temp
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| flat out |
We repair Julie’s perennial front flat and cheer the Ravenna guys, in full matching kit, on their Grand Depart.
We take the road out of town and quickly turn on to a forestry track, this is quite broken up in parts as the winter has been harsh and landslides have occurred.
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| to Ravenna |
They are also busy logging so fallen branches litter the paths. The trail undulates and then kicks steeply, we pass the loggers lorry then join a flinty open track climbing through grassland to the viewpoint at Sasso della regina, we stop for our first photo shoot – a quiet revolution is underway as Stefano seems more concerned with us taking photos than we are about taking them and we are finding all the stopping frustrating, so we endeavour to keep rolling at all times.
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| logging on |
A technical rocky descent leads to another climb and a spiked gate on which we hang our heads. We continue past huge stacks of logs, steep wooded climbs and steep rocky descents until we reach the summit and a water stop camouflaged as a boulder.
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| Perluigi |
Here we meet Per Luigi, a local cyclist out on a ride. He lives in nearby Anghiari where we are stopping for lunch and offers to take us a different way into town. We follow him onto a road, through a field and pass through an archway in a wall.....into the courtyard of Carmelite monastery! A monk is busy preparing lunch and we stop to take a peek at the church and I light a votive candle.
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| pops and grim |
At Anghiari the town is bustling, a wedding is in progress and people and cars throng the tiny streets some covered with thousands of petals. Flags hang from all windows to celebrate the anniversary of a battle and the views from the top are incredible. We thank Per Luigi and find a cafe for lunch where we bump in to some roadies from Kent! We head out of town on a steep road and at the top look back to see it heading in a dead straight line towards the next village way in the distance. We now face three climbs and descents on quiet roads, each a little bit steeper and more hairpinned than the next and pass from Tuscany into Umbria. The final climb takes us to the hilltop fortress village of Monte Santa Maria Tiberina. We climb up have a look around then drop back down to our secluded lodgings complete with swimming pool and a menagerie of cats, horses, a dog and a duck. We have a feast for tea and see fireflies as we go to bed.
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| Pacha |
Day Five: Mont Santa Maria Tiberina – Gubbio 61.3km 3hr51m 1128m 29’av temp
Our last day, we sort a couple of mechanicals:- Julie’s compulsory front flat and both her and my brakes pads then set off downhill on a rough track to join a flat tarmac road and the kms fly by.
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| repadding |
At the next village we join the towpath which follows the river Tevere and has the railway line running alongside and runs next to fields of tobacco. The next village is the last point at which to get food, we find a supermarket and stock up. Raymond has picked up a puncture and as we change it, an incredibly old man, in an incredibly old and battered Cinquecento, pulls up for his morning coffee. A quiet road climbs to join flinty tracks and rutted overgrown fields until we reach the fortified village of Montone, here we have ice-creams and half our lunch as it is still quite early. The road descent is fast but means a steep long climb back up on a gravel stony farm track. A deserted farmhouse at the halfway point provides us with a water tap and Julie gets showered down by Raymond. More flinty steep uphills and we’re back on tarmac with fabulous views of the countryside. The road is flat now and the roadside is swathed in sweet smelling broom, a final swooping descent flows and we hit the main road towards Gubbio only 8km away. At this point I wonder when we are going to stop for lunch then we are met by Luca – a friend of Stefano’s – who leads us by a quiet back road into the town. We pass by some Roman ruins and stop in a park to eat the food we’ve carried all the way from the start!
This is followed by a celebratory ice cream and we meet up with Cecilia and Fabio who are driving us back to Imola in the van. This is a good 2-3 hour trip and involves one incident of stereotypical Italian driving when Fabio overshoots a contraflow and swerves into the hard shoulder.
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| Gubbio |
Back in Imola we shower and head out for supper but being a Monday nearly everything is closed. We find a little pizzeria and then, after a bit of blind navigating, find our way back to Cecelia’s apartment.
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| the benevolent Luca |
The following morning Julie is whisked off to buy kilos of local cheese and ham while we pack our bikes and Stefano returns us to Bologna airport for our flight home. The tour has been an interesting experience. Initially I was horrified at the thought of having to carry everything with us but it was amazing how quickly we all adapted our riding to accommodate for the extra weight and balance on the bikes. My only frustration was how much time we spent stopping and starting, I think Stefano was expecting to take a certain time and if we were getting ahead of ourselves would initiate a photo stop or diversion to get us back on track, we are not used to this, tending to just keep going as we would in the many endurance races that we’ve taken part in. But this was a tour not a race and a different concept for us to deal with. Stefano is a good guide, he knows the area intimately and is passionate about his country and its culture. If you fancy a few days in the gorgeous Appenines look up Appennino bikes and give it a go.
