Sud Tyrol Roll Day 7 (15)

 Day 7: Final Ride

Today's ride is our big climbing day with 1400' over about 14 mi. The ride is 28 mi. but all the climbing is front loaded.  It includes a 20% grade-think Eastman Hill in Lebanon.  The description of the ride unfortunately scared Molly off, and she decided to sit this one out (after doing the ride, wise decision on her part).

Before we set out, we had a big breakfast that we shared with the birds.

Short break before the hill climb in the small town of Dro.

Top of the world.  Had to do a little hike-a-bike, but overall we did admirably.

After the climb, we were treated to a visit to a family winery for a tour and lunch with wine tasting.  We elected to skip most of the wine since I was the designated driver ( and neither of us are big wine drinkers anyway.

The winery was in the family for generations and their specialty was a liqueur type wine, Passito, made from dried out grapes, ie. raisins. After about 8 months of drying, the grapes are exceptionlly sweet, but each grape only yields a drop of liquid. On top of that, they age it a minimum of 10 years before consumption. Not sure, but I'm guessing Passito is very expensive.

We did get to sample it as part of our wine tasting. We had a tiny taste, but avoided enough to effect our ability to safely descend.

The ride down back to Riva del Garda was beautiful

The last part on local bike trails in town with hundreds of tourists walking, riding e-bikes, and teaching their kids to ride in this chaos was no fun.  We were happy to get back and turn in our bike.  

Today was some kind of record.  Jeri in the pool 2 days in a row! You can imagine how hot it was for this weather phenomenon.

Speaking of weather phenomena, just when we got into the pool, we heard thunder and saw menacing rain clouds ove the adjacent mountains. Rain was evident at the higher peaks.  So we decided to bail on the pool and went back to the room.  Minutes later, the sun was back out and the weather was again beautiful.  We decided that this was an opportunity to pack for tomorrow and enjoy the AC.

Tonight we had a farewell dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Riva del Garda, Al Volt. It was a 20 minute walk along the shore of Lake Garda, giving us an opportunity of catching Molly and Dave together.

I even got a photo I think I can use for my photoshopping.

Suzanne and Jeri did some windowshopping on the way to the restaurant.

The main square i Riva del Garda was bustling with diners and tourists.

Dave noticed a Plaque on the side of a building that turned out to be a memorial to the Jewish Ghetto that lasted here from 1496 to the end of the 1700's.

Jeri and I are generally not all that fond of very fancy foods, but this restaurant was amazing.  Options for dinner included a small butternut squash soup that was almost as good (but not quite) as Jeri's, then either a fish ragout with pasta or pasta with cheese and truffles (I'l have to take Rich's, and Molly's word for it that it was excellent), followed by a local fish, or beef cheeks in a wine sauce, both of which were great.  But the "piece de resistance" was dessert.  The waitstaff delivered multiple bowls of "fruit" filled with sherbet the flavor of the outside.  We had peach, banana, kumquat, walnut, pear, strawberry and plum. They were all outstanding. This was followed by a chocolate lava cake, and limoncello. It was now about 10pm, way past my witching hour. 

We strolled back to the hotel, hoping we could find it in the dark.

Tomorrow, farewells.

Sud Tyrol Roll Day 6 (14)

 Day 6: Riding to Lake Garda

We have been incredibly lucky with the weather. Blue skies and warm

Warm enough taht Molly actually removed her jacket.  We had no idea that she had such lovely arms!

We actually had our first climb of the tour, the Passo San Giovanni.

We stopped for lunch at a cyclist friendly restaurant where we got our first glimpse of Lake Garda.

Lake Garda — Lago di Garda — is Italy’s largest lake, sitting where Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino meet. It was carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age, and it’s long and narrow: about 51 km / 32 miles long, with mountains pinching the dramatic northern end and softer, sunnier resort towns spreading around the south. It is reminiscent of the Norwegian fjords, but hotter and sunnier.

After a hot 35 mi. ride, the hotel pool was very inviting, even for Jeri.

Our hotel sat on the shore of Lake Garda, and the dramatic scenery was begging photos.

Molly was absent, so I will photoshop her in later.  Check back.

Our guide, Sylvie, gave us an Italian lesson before dinner, and we then ate at one of the restaurants at the hotel that specialized in Pizza.  It was the best we've had on the trip.

Tomorrow, our last cycling day with some real hills!

Sud Tyrol Roll Day 5 (13)

Day 5 Bolzano to Trento 

Jeri and I got out this morning early to test her shoulder. We did a short ride in town and it seemed to be okay. She was game to give it a try.  The ride today was the longest, taking us from Bolzano south to Trento.  We were leaving the primarily German speaking region and heading to real Italy.

The ride was the flattest 42 miles we have ever ridden with about 200 feet of elevation gain.  Even so, riding in 90+ degree heat was pretty tiring.  Our hotel in Trento had hot tubs on the balconies.  A little hydrotherapy for Jeri's shoulder was a nice treat.

Before dinner we had a walking tour of Trento. I hadn't realized how much German we had learned until now being in Italian speaking Tyrol. I felt like a fish out of water.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Trento was ruled for centuries by prince-bishops — church leaders who also held political power. Their most visible symbol is Castello del Buonconsiglio, a fortress-palace that developed from the 13th century and served as the seat of Trento’s prince-bishops until the bishopric was suppressed in 1803. 

Trento's biggest claim to world history is the Council of Trent, held in three phases from 1545 to 1563. It was the Catholic Church’s major response to the Protestant Reformation and became a defining event of the Counter-Reformation.

The Piazza Duomo is the heart of the city. It has the Cathedral of San Vigilio, 

the Neptune Fountain, the Palazzo Pretorio, 

and views of frescoed Renaissance façades around the square. 

After our walking tour, we had dinner at a local rib house, though the ribs were definitely not your typical baby backs in the US.

Tomorrow we are off to Lake Garda.