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DAY
19: Firenze - Montepulciano
Time
to say farewell to Florence and peddle on for PEACE.
The
touscan countryside proves to be very tough (although the beautiful
landscape provides pleasure to the eyes). The day drags on as we
struggle up the many hills and scream with joy and laughter coming
down them. We are invited by the mayor of Siena for lunch today,
so we peddle hard to insure we dont let him down (and of course
our stomaches).
We
arrive at the beautiful Touscan town of Siena shortly after 2:30
and are emotionly touched by the spectacular welcome we are given.
As we cycle through the narrow streets into the centre, hundreds
and hundreds of people clap and cheer us in as we cycle straight
into the courtyard of the townhall.
My what a welcome!
The
mayor congratulates us and kindly provides us with pasta for lunch.
After lunch we are joined by 4 other day cyclists from Siena who
guide us to our destination. Eventually we clock up just over 170
kilometres as we approach the famous town on a very high mount known
as the beautiful 'Montepulciano'.
The
day is not yet over. The deputy mayor of Montepulciano invites us
for a most fantastic buffet dinner. Then we are escorted to our
accomodation in the convent of Montepulciano.
DAY 20: Montepulciano - Viterbo (Vitorchiano)
Today
starts off to be a reasonably easier day than yesterday as we stroll
towards Viterbo. We are shocked after lunch as torrential rain storms
completely destroy our chances of arriving early on time.
We
are forced to shelter in an empty barm in the middle of knowwhere
until the heavy rain stops and we are able to at least have suitable
visibility of the cyclist
ahead of us.
We
eventually peddle on and arrive quite late at around 8pm to a spectacular
petite town in the area of Vitorchiano. The mayor of Vitorchiano
generously puts us up in a small traditional hotel and invites us
for breakfast the following morning.
DAY 21: Vitorchiano - Roma
The
mayor sees us off after making a speech at the 'sala consiliare',
and kindly provides us with gifts. Everyone is fired up today since
we are going to be arriving at one of the largest cities in the
world... ROME!
We
cycle at a good pace and enjoy lunch at a large lake on the North
Western boundary of the district of Rome. We arrive at the Olympic
Stadium (Stadio Olympico) at around 6pm and are taken to our hostel.
We
all enjoy dinner at a fantastic restaurant that night where we meet
more people involved in the organisation of 'The Peace Cycle'.
DAY 22: REST DAY IN ROMA
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| inside
the convent of the beautiful town of montepulciano |
Catching
up on lost hours of sleep, doing our washing and bike repairs is
all we get time for today (and sight seeing in between).
We
meet up for dinner at a fantastic Naples Pizzeria that night organised
by an Italian organiser originaly from Naples (the home of the BEST
pizzas in Italy). I wasnt surprised by this fact because in my opinion,
the pizza I had was by far the best pizza I have ever tasted in
Italy!
DAY
23: Roma - Frosinone (Collepardo)
We
set off at 7am sharp and head through the city of rome on an amazingly
quite sunday morning. After an hour or so we manage to navigate
out onto the country roads towards our next destination and wave
goodbye to the capital city of Italia.
We
reach Frosinone soon after 4pm and are then shocked when we realise
that our accomodation is at a camp site in the village of Collepardo
near the top of a huge 700metre high mountain. After an amazing
struggle, we all arrive in one group.
DAY 24: Collepardo - Cassino
This
morning hosts a very enjoyable 10 kilometre decent into Frosinone,
then we peddle hard on flat plains. We amaze ourselves and peddle
so quick, that we arrive in Cassino before 4pm.
We
spend the rest of the day catching up on sleep and bike and vehicle
repairs. Some members of the group were able to climb MonteCassino
to visit the famous church at the peak of MonteCassino.
DAY 25: Cassino - Campobasso
Today's
ride is deceivingly tough. Slight inclines are all we are faced
with today, however they stretch for the whole 130 kilometre journey.
We
stumble into Campobasso at around 6pm where press await our arrival.
We later make our way to the offices of 'Il Tempo', a national Italian
newspaper, where we peacefully raise awareness and make a presence.
The attention we received was fantastic.
DAY 26: Campobasso - Foggia
We
awake to more fantastic news, that we made front page of Il Tempo,
in colour! The news motivates us to a good start. Heading towards
the city of Foggia, we are followed by numerous TV crews, such as
'Rai Uno'. En route, we stumble across a lonely kitten that appears
to only be a couple of weeks old right on the edge of a dangerous
main road. We decide to take care of it and name it 'Pace' (thats
Italian for 'Peace').
We
cruise into Foggia at around 5pm where more press and TV crews await
our arrival. Absolutely fantastic! We are later invited to dinner
and a concert (dedicated to 'The Peace Cycle') organised by the
town council, where traditional music is played. A fantastic evening
never to be forgotten.
The
publicity of The Peace Cycle is really spreading in Italy. We later
learn that we appeared on national TV that evening over a 2 minute
slot! More memorable days to add into our diaries for sure.
DAY 27: Foggia - Bari
After
an enjoyable evening that ended at midnight, we all still decide
to leave very early this morning, since we are aware that the mayor
of Bari cordially invites us to dinner.
More
press await us as we enter the vicinity of Bari district. We finally
reach the coast. The distinct smell of sea water is noticed as we
stroll through the grand city of Bari.
After
an amazing reception with the mayor and a fantastic dinner also,
we head for our accomodation at the university halls of residence,
where we meet some very welcoming students who show us around and
show great interest in 'The Peace Cycle' project.
DAY 28: Bari - Brindisi
Group
spirit today is at its peak as we begin our last long cycling journey
in Italy. The sun is shining and we cycle along a scenic route along
the coast.
After
a long cycle on flat terrain, we stroll into the Town of 'Mesagne',
where the town council host a reception for us. We enjoy dinner
together at the hotel we are staying at on their behalf, where supporting
groups from around Italy come together to say a big farewell to
'The Peace Cycle' in Italy. Many thanks for their grand support.
"See you next year!" we reply to them.
DAY 29: REST DAY IN BRINDISI - Ferry to Greece
We
arrange to transport our luggage and equipment to Costa Marena port
in Brindisi, where we spend the afternoon relaxing for the last
few hours of our stay in Italy. We wave goodbye to some helpers
and supporters at Costa Marena at around 8pm and then board the
ferry soon afterwards, and sadly wave ARIVEDERCI to Italia as we
drift away into the night.
It
is really difficult to comprehend that we have made it through this
far. The group has been through some ups and downs but tonight,
everyone feels so proud of each other that we pulled through. We
now hope our mission is a success in Greece. Until tommorow... Ciao
Ciao!
听
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