First of all long live the tutorials on YouTube! With the help of google I fixed my brakes and now they work like a charm and have never worked so good, just a small squeak which I fixed on the run. Departure from the beautiful Brunnerof hotel in Chiusa and always along the cycle path that descends along the Isarco I take the road to Bolzano.
Photo 2: Castle/Monastery of Sabiona in Chiusa Photo 3: Trostburg Castle in Ponte Gardena
The most striking thing is the amount of castles that you meet along the way, not all of which are easy to photograph as the valley is recessed and they are beautiful at the top.
I thought Chiusa was a village that exists only because there is a toll booth, but it’s actually very nice. The Saturday market is very lively. The uphill and downhill alleys, with the characteristic Tyrolean-style buildings, are today animated beyond belief by tourists and locals. Obviously, the castle stands out above the village.
Photo 4: the center of Chiusa
Today I can dart downhill, always paying attention to the acacias and their thorns, and I haven’t made yesterday’s mistake, I’ve fed properly, in the sense that I’m full. First stop after 22 km, a nice slice of rhubarb and raspberry focaccia with a nice coke. Another 12 km and arrival in Bolzano. The doubt is whether to stop here for lunch, but the city is so full of tourists and locals that I wonder if we are actually in low season. I complete a tour of the alleys where I can hardly move with the bicycle by hand. The streets where the Saturday market takes place are very lively. The goods are displayed in a perfect way, highlighting the colors of flowers, fruit and vegetables. I photograph some palaces and the cathedral.
Photo 5: Bolzano Cathedral Photo 6: The center of Bolzano Photo 7: Flower displays at the Bolzano market Photo 8: Neptune fountain in Bolzano
Now I take the road towards Trento following the course of the Adige river which, proceeding towards the valley, slows down more and more and this is an indication that my descent too is practically coming to an end. I can’t help but notice the care, beauty and efficiency of the cycle paths I’m riding along, with all the parks and flowerbeds that accompany the route for at least ten kilometres.
Photo 9: Cycle path near Bolzano Photo 10: The church you meet in Bolzano on the Autobrennero seen from the side opposite the highway (white truck)
At half past one, crossing a bridge, I see a restaurant which is obviously called the Al Ponte restaurant or rather zur brücke in German. I feel the need for carbohydrates and I order myself a very tasty pasta. I take the road again with a completely changed climate. Threatening clouds appear overhead, rain is forecast. The rain doesn’t scare me, if it’s not too strong I’m equipped. What annoys the most right now is the wind, it’s very strong and naturally against it. I look at the weather to understand what strength it can have, but I really don’t think the weather app was right, it speaks of 10 km per hour, but the gusts that arrive are so strong that anyone who proceeds in the opposite direction to my march goes north uphill, spreading their shoulders, like a sail, they push forward without having to pedal and laughing amazed at the fact. Imagine how much I have to push for these 55 km that separate me from Trento. In truth, as I had also read, from a few kilometers after Bolzano to Trento, the route isn’t interesting at all, long stretches along the river without ever passing through a town that always remain under the mountains where state road 12 of il Brenner. The only town I try to cross looking for an ice cream shop, which I can’t find, is San Michele all’Adige. Here, looking for directions for a detour, I stop and drink a drop of water at one stop. A car drives past me and yells, “Kraut Get off my balls” .The appropriate answer was not long in coming, a pity that he didn’t hear the correct curse that Hermes, a character in my novel “Diomira”, would have done too, since he had already turned the corner. After 105 km and 6 and a half hours of pedaling, I arrive in Trento just in time to see me in the last hour of the Giro d’Italia. Uphill cyclists are a little faster than me :).
Photo 11:Typical house in the center of Trento Photo 12: Noble palace in the center of Trento
I am tired? And no! I do another 6km around Trento, but I can’t get into the Buonconsiglio castle, they close at 6pm. I take some photos from the outside and from above, identifying the courtyard where Cesare Battisti’s execution took place in the 1916 during First Mondial War. I enter the center of Trento and enjoy photographing the beautiful buildings that line the elegant streets of the city. I immediately notice an enormous difference in terms of architecture between Bolzano and Trento, obviously speaking as a layman. Bolzano is very Central European, the buildings are enormously reminiscent of those of the various Austrian cities, while in Trento I find an architecture, again in my opinion and as a layman I repeat, Venetian mountain, which denotes the obvious differences between the two provinces.
Photo 13: Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento Photo 14: Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento. The courtyard of executions. Photo 15: Small public garden of Trento
But all this does not justify the fact that he called me Kraut just because I went around on my bike with bags. There are few Italians who go on holiday by bicycle, I am one of those few. It is a way of going on holiday for Germans, Austrians and other northern peoples. This character doesn’t deserve to be Italian, the real Italian is hospitable, peaceful and always ready for a smile and a dialogue, but we all know that ignorance is an evil that afflicts all of humanity. Back to the hotel for dinner and even now yes, to rest. Tomorrow direction Peschiera del Garda.
Qui il video della giornata
@ErmesT @DeniGu @davidhyno @PattyBlack @TravellerG @Mukul_Anand @renata1 @Stephanie_OWL
Und dies vermutlich auf italienisch, so dass der “Herr” sogleich seinen Fehler bemerkt haben muss