“I’ve seen things, you people wouldn’t believe”:blades of light on the Tyrrhenian horizon, winds howling on the structures of the Olympic hotel at 40 per hour coming from the Southern quadrant, continuous non-acid rain, rhythmic and thunderous sea crashes! And it’s only 7 in the morning, I feel like not leaving, but what will those at home say about a defeat? Or rather, how could I look at myself in the mirror if I had to abandon the undertaking because of four drops of rain? And how many mental masturbations, Paolo!!! So I set off, I put the hood on the front bag to avoid the disaster of the May rain, but that was really a water bomb. Luckily, when I put the first pedal stroke, it stops raining and a ray of sunshine illuminates the road. But the wind is there and it is strong, completely against it. After 5 km a downpour suddenly arrives. Luckily I find myself near a fuel station. I quickly go inside and get into a sheltered position. Shower avoided. It lasts about 10 minutes, I start pedaling again and I notice that on my right a track, certainly of a cycle path that has existed for a long time, allows me to have a much more peaceful and relaxed pace sheltered from traffic. In truth, every now and then there is a sign that says that the cycle path is not passable, but in reality I only find a very small stretch of about twenty meters that is not passable. Another piece of luck is that as there are continuous bathing establishments on the right, the hedges or fences or the woods significantly reduce the strength of the wind which at the moment is coming from the south west. I’m headed south-east and therefore can pedal with much less effort. Things change when I arrive in the open field, where no protection protects me.
After more than 10 km of cycle path I reach the deviation that leads towards Paestum. I couldn’t miss visiting this archaeological site even if it means about ten kilometers more. First I cross the bridge over the Sele river, the bridge over the mouth. I stop to take a photo of the river that flows into the sea. The Sele is clean enough, enough to allow the existence of the otter, which until a few years ago was the only case in Italy, a few kilometers from the mouth. I notice the sea in the background, a hundred meters away, but instead of running towards the sea the water rises against the current pushed by the force of today’s waves. I arrive in Paestum and I can’t help but take some selfies with the temples and theaters in the background. For an exhaustive report I refer you to one of my articles from some time ago.Paestum 2500 years of history Clearly I didn’t go in, first because the day was terrible, second because I had already visited it together with Cri and I was able to admire it on a splendid day of summer sun. I see a little girl opening a beer bottle with the corner of the park gate and dropping the cap and not caring. “Hey, hey” she turns around and I say “the bottle cap!” She takes it back apologizing under the gaze of everyone present, but due to the loud grunge music in my ears I can’t understand if they are Italians or not, the important thing is the lesson. I continue towards Agropoli, where the climb will begin that will take me towards my evening destination. Seeing so many paths to take, I placed my trust in maps even further and I can’t help but regret it. Maps sends me on a road but before continuing I have it certified by an operator of the excavator who is working along the road. First he tells me no, then yes because he remembers that there is an asphalt road that goes up to the pass, but it is very steep. “I’ll push” I continue and take the road indicated by both the little man and the maps. The howling and barking of the dogs invite me not to continue, they try to scare me, but I continue undaunted. I have to go down, the slope, as I was warned, is enormous, certainly more than 20%, in fact I quickly climb above the countryside level.
The navigator continues to beep every time I take it, telling me that I’ve taken the wrong turn, I don’t understand anything anymore! At a certain point I take a road and the navigator tells me to continue. Return to the starting point. Maps lets me enter the highway where bicycles are strictly prohibited, yet more proof that this app should be canceled. I follow the entire route on the screen, identifying a completely asphalted road. I was lucky because the road, at a certain point, had completely collapsed and was closed to traffic, but it had a passage of 50 cm of residual asphalt. I managed to pass and see the saddle from where I can take state road 18, which accompanied me to Paestum and which all in all is my north star. When I turn onto the main road a new downpour. This time with no shelter at hand, I throw myself under an olive tree. Heavy rain that lasts less than a minute, then the cloud disperses. I climb the hill and begin the descent passing through towns that were certainly once animated by the continuous traffic of vehicles passing along that road. It’s still called a state road now, but it’s actually less of a local road. In about twenty kilometers I only encountered three cars and all in the opposite direction. Everyone uses the very fast motorway, a variant of state road 18, which passes low in the valley and has tunnels that cannot be traveled by bicycle. I’m hungry but, as already said, you can’t find anything in these villages. I find a bar but it’s closed. I continue downhill until I reach a town where many roads intersect and there is a bar. I go in to eat a big sandwich with schnitzel and chips. When I take the first bite, a new downpour bounces its drops off the roof of the bar’s veranda, but I’m safe. I book for the night on a hotel website. I will sleep at the port of Marina di Casal Velino. I have confirmation, I’m good to go. I cover the last 10 km, with ups and downs that reach the sea. I arrive at the hotel but no one is there. I phone and they basically tell me that it’s an error that the site shouldn’t have worked and that they’re already closed, great! I phone some hotels but no one answers, they are all closed. Luckily I see a hotel in Ascea, La Porta Rosa, it’s another 5 km, but the important thing is to have found a place to sleep. I see the tower of the Ascea archaeological park on the hill, I can’t visit it, just a photo from afar. With great satisfaction I discovered that the price of the hotel is 41 euros, a 4 star, which is honestly very nice. But what immediately earns it 5 stars is the sparkling mineral water in the San Pellegrino minibar!
It was a very hard day, I understand it from the fact that I took very few photos and only one video, and all with the smartphone, I didn’t use the camera or even the Gopro, I didn’t have time to think. A nice meal all with pomegranate from start to finish and then a nice rest, that’s what we need.
the movie with a great rock rhythm
1 the mouth of the Sele river
2 Paestum UNESCO archaeological site. Temple of Athena 500 BC
3 Paestum UNESCO archaeological site. Temple of Athena 500 BC
4 Paestum UNESCO archaeological site. Temple of Hera 550 B.C. and behind the temple of Neptune
5 Paestum UNESCO archaeological site. Temple of Hera 550 B.C.
6 Paestum UNESCO archaeological site. Temple of Neptune 460 B.C.
7 Agropoli
8 One of the many landslides encountered along the way
9 Rutino
10 archaeological site of Velia, with Paestum Unesco site
11 archaeological site of Velia, with Paestum Unesco site, by night
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