Waking up to a blue sky is always a blessing and even more so when you are on the road like myself, bike touring for a week on the beautiful Adige Valley in the north of Italy, back in September of 2022.
As I was saying in my previous post, yesterday evening I arrived a bit late to this nice guesthouse I found by luck on Booking called Agriturismo Salizzoni.
The owner was very kind and welcomed me inside where I was surprised to see this big internal yard, we had a little chat regarding my travel itinerary and origins and he even offered me a glass of his own Marzemino red wine, the emblem of the area, which was such a nice surprise for me and just perfect after 80 km of cycling.
Yesterday evening as I was getting closer to Calliano I saw this castle in the distance not far away from the village and today after a good night rest, breakfast and an extra cup of coffee I felt very energised and decided it's worth a visit since it is only 3 km away.
What initially seemed like a good ideea, when the uphill battle begun I was not so sure anymore. It was really steep and with a loaded rented bike like mine the tension on the bike parts was very high which can lead to some critical mechanical component failure and unwanted complications, also manual pushing a loaded bike uphill is not fun either but luckily nothing bad happened and I eventually made it to the top.
Unfortunately I arrived at the gate on a Monday and it was closed but the panorama of the Adige Valley from the higher grounds was worth all the effort of getting there. What do you think?
Now it's time to say goodbye to Calliano and continue our trip upstream on the beautiful Adige Valley to Trento.
Found this nice terrace and a table in the shade just outside the Cathedral main entrance, so I had plenty of time to admire it's romanesque architecture over a refreshing glass of beer and a pizza of course.
I spent a lovely couple of hours in Trento on this beautiful afternoon, now it's time to continue our trip upstream the Adige Valley to Bolzano.
What can I say, this is next level, bravo Italia!
Tried finding a camping a bit earlier, was still after 6 PM and I was surprised to find out that most campings in the area were full and after cycling 70 km, trust me you don't want to go another 10-20 km more or pay extra for a room, but rather have a shower and enjoy your dinner.
So, what I discovered bike touring in Italy is that during high season (mid may to mid september) it's better to call campings in advance, around noon or earlier to make a reservation otherwise it's very possible you will not find a tent pitch available in the camping when you arrive in the evening. These days with a smartphone and Google Maps it's easy to find campings in advance based on your desired daily distance span and I think it's a good ideea to call and book your spot and then just cycle stress free all day knowing your destination and time left available to get there. Also for most people having a hot shower at the end of the day is important not to mention about that cold beer afterwards and the dinner, I know cause I am one of them.
Now after some time of doing bike touring I think it's better to cycle less and have more time to rest at the end of the day and also stop when I feel like during the day to see that touristic attraction I will probably encounter on my way and really enjoy the trip, than constantly pushing to cover more distance, not eating properly and arriving late in the evening. Bike touring should not be stressful, it's all about the journey not the destination. When I am not on a schedule like in the rest of the year, now I have time to be more present in that place I just arrived for the first time in my life and for most places probably the only time I'll be there considering how vast the EuroVelo network is.
Bed is ready, took a shower and headed for dinner on a terrace nearby.
Until next time,
©Discover EuroVelo
All photos were taken with my iPhone 11 and Sony DSC-HX60V camera.
EuroVelo, the European Cycle Route Network are registered marks of ECF asbl.
I have no affiliation with EuroVelo or other organisations mentioned here, I am just a traveller sharing his bike touring trips, views and opinions.
EuroVelo is a network of 17 long distance cycle routes connecting and uniting the whole European continent totaling over 90,000 km of cycling itineraries.