Chance Encounters

​We left Spoleto to ride the bike path across the mostly flat valley towards our lodging for the next week in Spello. 


It was a cool morning and there was almost no other bikers or walkers out and about.  Several miles into the ride a lone road biker is heading towards us.  We only know a dozen or so people in the entire country of Italy by name and astonishingly this rider is one of them!  It is our olive oil guy, Settimio !  He is as surprised as we are! 


We talk for awhile and he asks us to call him upon our return to the area so that we can get together for a meal or drink.  He and his family have been very kind and welcoming to us and believe me when I say that his family produces some fine olive oil.   We had the good fortune to see it being pressed last fall and were able to buy a few liters to take home to share with family and friends.  Check it out at oliocrispini.com.    

Then we make a slight detour to Bevagna and have a lunch at our favorite pizza spot there.


Upon our arrival to Spello, one of the first people we encounter is an elderly man named Giovanni.  We met him last August when we first got here.  I think he may be a permanent fixture on the main square!

Then we head up to wait for the host for our Airbnb and we then run into a couple that we met a couple of years ago.  They live in Denver but have a home here in Spello as well.  So in the past few days we have seen almost everyone we know in Italy.  

We have stayed in Spello many times and this apartment is on a different side of town with a really lovely view of the valley below.  




Our first full day in Spello we opt to tour into the hills in the direction of Foligno on some roads we have never been on.  There was a cacophony of bird song and vibrant new green growth amid all the wildflowers.  





We made a stop at our beloved Clementi’s bike shop.  We said hello to the two Simone’s and to Max who greeted us warmly.  We purchased some brake pads and lube oil and made our way to the historic center for a memorable lunch.  


It was a great first day in Spello and it really felt like a homecoming of sorts.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Solitude and Destruction - Pioraco to Visso to Norcia

Image
​The roads from Pioraco and for most of the day to Visso are very quiet and remote.   We are deep into the earthquake prone part of Italy and the powerful earthquake of 2016 which this day happens to be the anniversary of reveals the magnitude of what the residents of this area have lost.   The ride out of Pioraco involved a lot of gravel and broken pavement roads and nary a car to be seen with the exception of a farm vehicle or two.   A long gravelly climb puts us at this atmospheric spot with an ancient church and watering trough.    The other side of the mountain takes us into deep forest with the occasional verdant green farm field.  We check into our bnb which seems oddly new and wooden or so it seems in this land of stone and antiquity!  The town appears to be a newly built town to house the displaced residents and businesses of Visso which were totally destroyed in the earthquake.  It feels a little strange but also you can feel the sense o...
Read more

Another Croatian Seaside Port- Rovinj to Pula

Image
​We reluctantly say goodbye to picture perfect Rovinj.  After leaving the city limits we reach a pedestrian cycling only path that clings to the sea.  The Adriatic Sea is so inviting and the path is lined with what looks like some kind of red pine giving us cool shade for many miles.  Most of the day is right on the sea’s edge with a few deviations slightly inland.   We take a dirt road that is very pleasant with a few puddles from yesterday’s deluge.  We come across a rider who tells us it is too muddy to continue.  He looks at Diane and I and says , I don’t want to insult you but I think the path ahead is too muddy.  It is probably alright for you ( then looking at Al and Jim) but you (looking at the females again) might lose your balance in the mud and fall.  We chat a bit further and waiver on whether to push onward into potential danger or to turn back and find another route.  We agree let’s try it. It turned out to be nothing and we had...
Read more

Another Voice Heard from Castelluccio

Image
​ Hello, this is Doug and I'm writing in the hope that Betsy will "publish" this as a guest entry to her blog. If you've been reading the blog you will know that Shawn and I have been traveling with Betsy and Jim on this amazing trip for the past 5 weeks. Today is our last day together, and I want to tell everyone how great it's been to be here. Tomorrow, Shawn and I part ways with our dear companions to ride to Spoleto where we will catch a train to Rome. There, we reverse the process from the start … go to Jim and Betsy's rented storage bin (EasyBox) disassemble and pack the bikes, get a ride to the airport … then fly home. What could possibly go wrong? One thing that stands out about this month-long trip is how little has gone wrong! Yes we've been VERY fortunate with the weather (although today's hailstorm was not ideal), but besides that the smooth flow of things has been because of our tour guides. The routes that Jim has been planning (literally...
Read more