After a very nice pestou pasta last night cooked by the taciturn but helpful and excellent chef of the modigliani locanda and bar and sleeping well despite the auto sunroof and mild rain we set off to find another ‘otel and thereby accomplish a 57 k empty bike circuit around the Po delta.
Not to be. Back to the notably unfriendly tourist info castello and then away itching to ride to the first town on the prementioned circuit. Misguided we end up on a highway looping backwards and forwards in an effort to find the Burana canale. A return to the station and a friendly bike shop person enabled us out of town and onto the canal and thence Po Destre (right hand bank) bike path. To our great relief this path elevated and lined by poplars dispelled any industrialised gloom.
The path was long predictable and culminated in a very welcome and tree shaded lunch spot. The owner was voluble with good inglese and bestowed an excellent two taste pasta with hot toast “shoes” to mop it all up with. Then she made our day easy by describing her preference for Mantova over Modena, At a mere pip of 97ks we are now on our way to see the Mantegna at Mantova which has long been a dream of mine. There are bike paths most of the route besides fiume Po or Mincini. Which makes it easy to find one’s way and the gradient suitable for our overloaded bikes.
Today I lost my humour with Ferrara an otherwise pretty medieval and walled place with a preponderance of bicycles only to regain it on the riverside paths which abound in these parts. Pavarotti helped my cycling partner to enjoy the lovely clouded Italian countryside.
The rain set in as we left the Ferrara county and a small green B and B sign welcomed us off a wet stretch of path and into a horse stud agritourismo. We have a wonderful room with shower and Sheila assures me our little cash will pay for everything…..
I always can muck out stables if need be……
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