It’s not like there’s much to do at six in the morning in Sasso Marconi, maybe I could visit the quarries that are next to the hotel and which are used as a garage for guests’ cars. They are very high quarries as can also be found on our Berici Hills. I don’t know what kind of stone they can be. So I stay in my room and at seven, on time, breakfast arrives in my room. I am very surprised because breakfast is served to me by a very elegant young lady. Luckily I’m dressed appropriately, in long pants and a polo shirt, as if I felt I didn’t have to dress like a cyclist or, even worse, wait for breakfast in my underwear. 8:30 departure, but with a mandatory stop at the pharmacy.
Photo 2: The Ca’ di Gali hotel with its parking inside a quarry Photo 3: Marzabotto shrine with photos of the martyrs of Nazi-fascism of 1944
The causes are too many eaten this week and my intestines are in turmoil so a can of imodium and a can of digestive for lactose. I have to be good and order fewer milk desserts, and now let’s face the Porrettana which everyone tells me is quite busy, but for the natives at the moment only in the direction of Bologna, therefore contrary to what I have to do. In truth, the traffic didn’t seem very different to me, either on one side or the other. A few traffic lights for work, with alternate transit, really puts me to the test because, having a truck behind me, I create a queue and therefore I have to run as fast as possible so as not to create further inconvenience for the drivers, obviously all in the points where the climb is harder . In Marzabotto I stop to pay homage to the Sanctuary where the dead of the Nazi-fascist massacres carried out in Monte Sole, in Marzabotto and in many other hamlets of this tormented valley are buried and remembered. Almost 800 dead, some of whom are unnamed because they come from countries outside the area.
Photo 4: Rocchetta Mattei Photo 5: Rocchetta Mattei
I find a detour that allows me to avoid taking the state road 64 passing through the natural park of the river Reno. It is a dirt road and in some sections the gravel is made up of stones from the railway embankment, which creates more problems for me than the traffic on the state road. After a few kilometres, at the first crossroads, I take the state road again and go up. I arrive at a crossroads where the navigator tells me to take a side road and like a good soldier I obey the navigator. It is the old state road that is indicated as blocked but, asking a native, I am assured that the road is passable, paying attention to the potholes. In fact, further on I pass through a landslide area where it is evident that the mountain had completely covered the state road and therefore once the landslide had been removed, a dirt road remained for at least 300 metres. At the exit I see a sign that makes me decide to detour further: Rocchetta Mattei. I saw this construction, presented by Fai during a day dedicated to little-known monuments. Although by many it is considered a bit of an oddity by its owner and builder. About 160 years ago, Mr. Mattei wanted to build a castle or rather a fortress with minarets and towers with domes on top of a hill, preserving the appearance of a medieval building. The interiors are equally famous for their Arabian style. At the time of my passage it is closed and not at all easy to photograph. I climb a hill in search of a place that can convey the unusual beauty of this building.
Photo 6: Porretta terme Photo 7: One of the murals in memory of the Porretta Terme Music Festival Photo 8: Super dish of handmade tortellini (I make them by hand too eh eh!!)
The old Porrettana road continues and I practically manage to get to the center of Porretta Terme without having to take the new highway again, except for a very short stretch of about a hundred metres. It’s almost four hours of pedaling and almost 60 km, hunger makes itself felt but I recommend to my will to give up eating sweets. I order the homemade tortellini with meat sauce with the certainty that the pastry is handmade every day by a sfoglina. (woman who works the pasta by hand) I must say that the pasta is particularly good and definitely not machine made. So far the climb has been moderate, rather than a climb it has been a succession of bumps, so every climb has corresponded to a descent and in sixty km the gain has been only two hundred metres.
Photo 9: Pistoia. Church of San Giovanni Fuorcivitas Photo 10: Pistoia. The Cathedral of San Zeno Photo 11: Pistoia. Piazza Duomo with the Municipality
Now the climb has stretches that aren’t hard but long, my head is down, I don’t have much time to look around, I just want to get to the top. Every 5 km I stop for a drink. At the third stop I see a queue forming at the traffic light before a tunnel. I get closer and realize that it’s longer than a kilometre, so with only one alternate lane I’ll never have time to pass and, moreover, I would create a significant obstacle for those behind, completely blocking all traffic. I approach some workers and ask for permission to cross the tunnel on the roadway under renovation. Permission granted advising me to go slowly because there are open excavations. Front and rear lights on the bicycle. As I go through the tunnel, after half way, I feel the road going downhill and I have to start braking. I stop at the workers on the other side of the tunnel and ask if that was the pass and they tell me that in 10 km I would enter Pistoia. The descent towards Pistoia is not as gentle as the climb on the Bologna side, on the contrary, it is really hard on the hands, perhaps it is much harder on the hands on the descent than on the legs on the other side. Halfway through the descent, I feel that the brakes are starting to no longer respond as they should. I stop and register the one in front, now I feel safer. The city of Pistoia didn’t impress me much for the quality of the roads and the quality of the suburbs. With some difficulty I find a hotel, actually a bit dated. But that’s okay, absolutely fine. Quick shower and off to the center in search of a hardware store and a restaurant.
Photo 12: Pistoia. The Baptistery in Piazza Duomo., in the Gothic style with white marble and green serpentine. Octagonal in shape like many Tuscan and medieval baptisteries, in memory of the eighth day of Easter, the day of Christ, the day of eternal life. Photo 13: The interior of the Municipality of Pistoia. The inner courtyard with many ancient and modern works of art. Photo 14: Pistoia. From inside the Municipality towards Piazza del Duomo.
I was literally amazed walking through Pistoia, a marvel. I never imagined I would find myself in front of such architectural works of art. A medieval city with characteristic churches with white and green stones in the Florentine Gothic style. The 11th-century Town Hall has stunning internal arcades and brims with ancient and modern artwork in the courtyards and gardens. In short, this city really impressed me and I hope to be able to visit its interiors again and not just the exteriors. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to take a mini vacation, it is clearly not Florence but it can easily be compared with other cities in Tuscany. Tomorrow I haven’t decided the destination yet, maybe after a good night’s sleep I’ll decide what to do knowing that the destination in the next few days will be Viterbo, but the route remains to be decided. Today 95km.
Photo 15: Pistoia, the measurements that merchants needed during the market.
The movie
. All the best 
Prima o poi lo organizziamo un cooking meetup, Deni ci fa i falafel, Paolo i tortellini e Patty si occupa del dolce, manca solo la data e la location e siamo a posto 
. Dalle nostre parti si dice: mettere le mani in avanti.
ich gebe zu, als wir unsere Radtour nach Bremerhaven gemacht haben, sind wir morgens bereits in Fahrrad-Bekleidung zum Frühstück gegangen… Nur abends, nach der Tour waren wir zunächst duschen und haben uns dann herausgeputzt für das Abendessen. 
. L’importante è sempre usare un po’ di farina come antiaderente sia sulla sfoglia che sulla pasta ottenuta perché non si attacchino tra di loro e ogni tanto fare prendere loro aria girandole. Cuocere 4 minuti se ancora fresche oppure 7/8 minuti se seccate. Mettere il sugo che più piace e buon appetito. Se non ti è chiaro la prossima volta che le faccio ti faccio un video (muto) 