Almost Perfect - Bologna to Firenze - August 30th

The Appenine Mountains between Bolgna and Firenze loomed larger in my mind the nearer I got and I had to cross them to meet up with Sally. I needn't have worried as the day could not have gone better.

At the train station ticket kiosk the lovely girls helped plan my route to get me up the steepest part of the mountain. She even said that she'd come with me if  I could hang around until her shift finished in a few hours.

In central Bolgna a toddler and his mother stopped to admire Bike and then I cycled south to Sasso where the market was open to buy tasty produce for a later lunch. All the stall holders were helpful and friendly.

Then up the valley to Vado where the train was due 15 minutes after I arrived and took me up the mountain to Monteplano, through a 15km tunnel that confirmed the wisdom of my route. Back on Bike for a 35km ride down to Prato, stopping at a riverside park for lunch. The local cheese, white and curdy with a bit of bite, like a soft Cheshire was delicious, the nectarines dripped juice and the tomatoes where flaming red.

Finally, a hard 20km ride on to Firenze and into the Tourist Office to get a city map. Then it all fell apart. If only I had asked to confirm my directions. It would have saved the needless 5km ride out to the south of town, a phone call and then 5km back again. But then I did get a gentle ride through the centre and along the Anno River with the setting evening sun highlighting the incomparable architecture. And on to the peaceful youth hostel set in its own grounds. All was well with the world again.