Dominique and Jean-Paul, two cheerful touring cyclists from Normandy, are traveling along the Via Francigena. Kamil from Morocco, who set off from Tangier 50 days ago, is happy to find someone who talks in his language. The two high school graduates from Hamburg on a road trip are surprised to see that there are no cars parked next to the three tents.
It feels completely natural for us to eat at the same table and chat in the communal kitchen. We exchange our route plans. The owner is there too. Her house is still under construction. She is from Brindisi, rounding out our diverse group. By morning, it is clear: we will skip Pisa and Firenze—those overcrowded tourist hotspots—and follow the Francigena toward Carrara and on to Lucca.
You can see the quarries near Carrara gleaming white from a distance. Soon we pass the processing plants with their large marble blocks.
We continue on to Lucca via Massa. The Giro’s individual time trial will take place in Massa in two days. But we will not be there.
Lucca, a city with a beautiful city wall. It is fully preserved, four kilometers long, and very wide. As a result, it feels like a large park. People go for walks, exercise, and enjoy the sun from early morning until late evening, when not a single ray of sunlight reaches the old town anymore.
On EuroVelo (EV) 7 (the Sun Route), we are crossing the Apennines. What a climb! But there is no getting around it. We have to get to the other side. We reach our campground at Lago di Suviana. Supposedly it is closed, even though it looks very inviting. We start by having a beer at the bar next door. Something is bound to work out. But the owners show no mercy. They does not take us in. Luckily, there is another small campground just around the corner. There we meet Morten, who is cycling his way to Florence, as well as a handful of other touring cyclists. The next morning, well-rested, we head toward Bologna, mostly downhill. The EV 7, brand-new here, is a real disaster and definitely not recommended. The surface is rough, with gradients of over 20% both uphill and downhill, and right next to it is a smooth, paved road with little traffic. The planner has probably never ridden a bike himself.
Passing through Bologna, we continue cycling to Lendinara, a small town in the Po Valley 100 kilometers south of Venice.
We visit the Rinaldis. Daniela and Franco’s family consists of 23 people (6 children, 10 grandchildren, and their partners), most of whom were born in Lendinara, live there, or have married into the community. We stay for two nights and get to experience how these people from three generations live and work together. Four of them—Michela, Chiara, Emanuele, and Marco—run the family business that Franco founded 40 years ago. They make items such as fountains, planters, and sundials for the home and garden.
Daniela and Franco show us around Lendinara and the surrounding area for a whole day. We start with breakfast at Mamma Mia. A walk through the town follows. They are taking us in numerous sights, churches, and we visit monasteries. Later, we go to Montagnana, the town with the best-preserved city walls and delicious prosciutto. Now we know where Daniela and Franco set up their market stall when they sell their artwork. We continue on to Este, the town on the edge of the Euganean Hills.
Churches and towers, stories, religion, history, culture, the economy, and nature, as well as Saint Elizabeth as the link between Lendinara and Marburg. Daniela knows the area really well and tells us all about it. We add our own insights about how things are here in Germany.
Parents, children, and grandchildren come and go at the Rinaldis’ house. Daniela invites everyone to dinner. Four of her children work at the adjacent business. They are a great team. They seem to get along well. They gather here for lunch, eating, drinking, talking, and laughing. The atmosphere is very relaxed and casual. We notice little sign of fatigue from what must have been a strenuous workday.
These two days have been so eventful that they feel much longer. Grazie mille to all of you for opening your home to us without even knowing us! Grazie mille for your hospitality! We would love to come back—next time with Angela and Philipp.