Bob on BAC Umbria - Rome to Assisi 2009

View from the Road

When we got up, the sun was shining but there was lots of fog in the valley below us. When we were ready to ride, it was clear, sunny and in the high 60’s. Our route went southeast and then turned north. I was riding with Mark and Alice from Ft Worth. We made a good trio with our Bike Fridays. We were the forerunners of a new route that was suggested by the hotel manager. He said that he did this route a couple of times per week and it was less hilly and had less traffic then our original route. He was right. We saw very few cars and the only climbs we had were gradual. The road surface was pretty bad, though. Kind of like California roads.

Carport Refuge

At 14 km into the ride, we heard thunder and saw some very dark clouds moving our way. We stopped at a small church that was closed and took shelter under a carport roof. Pretty soon Dick and Phyllis joined us. Before it started raining, I took a photo of some peacocks across the road near the rifle range where someone was practicing. It was kind of unnerving listening to the peacocks shrieking after the rifle was fired.

We were in our shelter for 1 1/2 hours while the wind blew and the rain poured. I eased out as the rain stopped. I was soon followed by Mark and Alice and then by Dick and Phyllis. I led our group to a bar (cafe) in Bastardo where I had a panino of cheese and prosciutto on toasted focaccia bread. Pretty good! Soon, our shelter group arrived in pairs. Half of the others saw our bicycles parked at Bar Ginger and stopped. It was a good day for the bar.

Hotel degli Affreschi

After eating, Mark, Alice and I got on our bikes and cruised into Montefalco. Our Hotel degli Affreschi is within the fortified walls of the old city. It is a small, family-run hotel with no elevator. I am on the third floor in the monk’s cell. It’s a very small room but it is comfortable and clean. Hot water even reaches the third floor.

After cleaning up, I walked up to the main piazza and looked into a few shops including a gelatoria where I sampled chocolate and coffee gelato. After resting for a short time in my room, I helped set up Happy Hour (and cleaned up afterwards). We rotate this task each day. Then we had a route wrap for tomorrow (it’s a loop from here). I had dinner at a close-by pizzaria where I finally got some thin-crust pizza. I ate with Tom and Julie and Jack and Judy. The pizza was good but not as good as in Naples or Sicily. We had a lively conversation at dinner especially after the after-dinner drinks of grappa, limoncello and a local liqueur.