Sunday 25 June 2023
Alex writes: Today was all about the Strada Statale 2 (SS 2), a road through the Val d'Orcia linking Tuscany and Lazio, and the obvious road to take for our journey south. During planning there had been concern this road would be unpleasant/busy, and our GPX for the day spent much time wiggling off the road to reduce the time spent on it. As it turned out, though, the SS 2 was quiet (on Sunday anyway) wide, well-surfaced, and afforded great views – so we spent most of the day on it, with occasional excursions to hilltop villages for gelato or pizza.
Although none of us are particularly religious, this adventure has involved plenty of mortification of the flesh and today was no exception, as the route provided a sequence of long draggy climbs in searing heat which topped 40°C. By the end of the day we were all pretty cooked, and became decidedly overcooked when we discovered that our remote villa was some way out of town over a series of extremely steep and gnarly tracks. None of us wanted to get back on a bike that day; we were very hungry though. John phoned our host hoping she could tell us of a restaurant in town with a takeaway service. There was none, on a Sunday. But she could pick some stuff up herself and bring it over. And so our own Angel of Deliverance appeared a little later bearing beers and pizzas. To say we were grateful would be an understatement.
Word of the day: hospitality
>>> Next: Day 17 to Roma!