Arrivederci Italy...

for now. We will be back in a couple of weeks, to Venice.

So a summary for beautiful Italy. We arrived Sunday 20th April to Ancona and left from Bari on Wednesday 7th May, a total of 17 days. We cycled mostly in Tuscany and Umbria. We mostly camped in campgrounds, except for 2 hostels, one B &B and one night freedom camping.

BEST PIZZA
Our first night in Italy at Ristorante La Rupe, near Pesaro...

BEST GELATO
Why, at the best gelato in the world place of course, in San Gimignano

MOST AWE-INSPIRING PLACE
Rome. Beautiful buildings like St Peters Basilica. Incredible ruins. interesting fountains. Vatican; amazing paintings everywhere, including Michelangeloes 3D looking ones (my neck got sore from looking up at ceiling). Exhilirating cycling along busy cobbled roads - something to see everywhere!

BEST DAYS CYCLING
Part of the 'Hill town trek' route, in Tuscany. From montacino to Siena. We arrived at Montalcino after a night freedom camping, a nice walled town which isn't too touristy and found a great bakery - bought some delicious bread rolls. The scenery on the rest of the ride was amazing. hilly, ridges with typical Tuscan scenery on both sides; green rolling hills, olive trees, stone buildings... just pretty. We stopped at another cool old town, Asciano where we lazed in the sun in a square and had a very generous serving of Gelato.
Only not so good part of the ride was actually getting into Siena; road signs lead us around in circles or onto motorway...

OTHER CYCLE HIGHLIGHTS
cycling down into Assisi, seeing the stoned walls and churches perched on a hill. poppys and olive trees in foreground
amazing gorges between Urbino and Gubbio
Trulli land

MOST CHALLENGING DAYS CYCLING
probably the day we cycled from Cortona to Montacino (Tuscany). did 3 hill town climbs, all high climbs and then almost up to Montacino another hilltop town. Did about 90km and ended up freedom night camping. weather was beaut. and amazing views from pretty medievel hilltop towns...

MOST EMBARASSING MOMENT
falling off bike in crowded Pienza streets...