To Peschiera del Garda

June 2, 2023

We’ve had a surprisingly excellent run of weather recently, going back all the way to our layover day in Verona. Since then we were needlessly anxious about getting rained on biking from Crema to Clusane, but other than that one threatening day we really haven’t been worried about the weather for nearly two weeks.

Until today. It rained hard overnight, hard enough that the rain and thunder woke both of us up at times and I worried about my bike in the uncovered atrium. As recently as four this morning (I know because I woke up early, checked the weather, and rolled over and went back to sleep) it looked like the day would be a complete rainout. We’ve seen this coming for several days, and have done the research to confirm there’s a train alternative if it comes to that. When I went back to sleep early this morning, it was with the thought that we’d be certainly be taking the train to Peschiera today.

At six thirty though I’m wakened again, by Rachael who’s up and preparing to down her first cup of coffee. She tells me that it looks like we’ve got a window to ride, if we hurry. I look out the window at the overcast but dry sky, consult the weather apps again and see that she’s right - it now looks like we have nearly four hours to work with and have a good chance of arriving dry if we make it in to Peschiera by noon. Quite a change in outlook over the last two hours.

An hour and a half later we’re on the road biking east out of Brescia - one of our earliest starts of the tour.

Peschiera was a very late addition to our itinerary, introduced just last week. Before that, the plan was that we’d be biking to Salò on Lake Garda today, and after a couple of days there we’d catch the ferry up to Riva at the north end of the lake where we’d meet up with Suzanne and Janos. That arrhythmia episode I had last week biking from Garda to Mantua spooked me though, and afterwards I looked at our remaining itinerary again for any problematic days ahead. The ride east from Garda is one, climbing quite steeply for the first mile to cross the eastern ridge rimming the lake.

Hopefully one of these days I’ll have the self-confidence to tackle a real climb again, but not now. I’ve got several tests and a consultation with my cardiologist waiting for me when we return to Portland, but in the meantime I’m going to be cautious. I haven’t had another episode in nine days now, and I’d like to keep it that way until we return home.

In light of this, we’ve dropped Riva from the plan and will meet Suzanne and Janos two days later, in Trento. We’ll get there by riding to Peschiera tonight and then follow the Adige north for two days to Trento. Not quite as interesting a route this way and we’re of course sorry to have two fewer days with our friends, but it feels like the smart thing to do.

About eight miles east of Brescia we pass the last of the hills to its northeast. Dry so far!

The first half of today’s short, easy ride goes reasonably quickly. We don’t stop much, keeping focused on the goal of arriving in Peschiera by noon and hopefully staying dry. The second half is much slower though, and more ‘interesting’ as our route is considerably more varied and textured. Not only does it slow us down significantly, but for a brief period the sky darkens ahead, a few sprinkles precipitate out of it, and we’re wondering if we’ll need to be seeking shelter soon.

Nothing comes of it though, and before long the sky lightens and conditions steadily improve for the rest of the ride and in fact for the whole rest of the afternoon. The rain, once it finally does arrive, doesn’t roll in until after dark. And it’s a good thing, because our route definitely slows us up by throwing a surprising variety of road and trail conditions at us. It’s slow going, and then once we’re back on normal streets and roads again it’s possibly even slower riding the last few miles into town because the traffic is too heavy on the road to bike on it safely (because it’s the holiday weekend, presumably) and the sidewalk/bike path has a speed control barricade at every intersection that breaks our momentum and ultimately our patience.

The bridge across the Chiese is surely the most interesting sight along today’s route, with its small chapel of San Giovanni Nepomuceno at the center of its span. If we hadn’t still been concerned about the weather at this point I’d have stopped long enough to find a vantage point for a side view.

Slows the show down considerably. Note that it’s lightly raining at this point.

This also slows us down, especially as the detour looks like it could be significant. Just as we approach though a walker indicates that we can make it through easily enough if we stay to the right, indicating the route with hand gestures and whistles.

He’s right. It’s no problem at all if you just leave the road and walk through the damp, downtrodden grass for a few hundred yards. It’s a surprise to have another biker coming the other way.

Starting the climb of a low divide before dropping into Lake Garda’s basin. It’s not really steep here, but we had to stop to consult the map and it was easier to just push from there.

Another interesting routing option, but one that we appreciated because the traffic was so bad on the road we’re avoiding..

Entering Peschiera del Garda. After slowing for about forty of these speed barriers they become tiresome and wear on one’s patience.

Video sound track: Variety Is the Spice of Life, by The Doors

We arrive dry and check in at our fairly upscale four star waterfront hotel, Bell’ Arrivo not long after noon. It’s not the sort of place we normally stay, but it’s all that we could find available on such short notice on a holiday weekend. It’s a nice place though. We’ll enjoy the view from our room, and the place is known for its great pistachio croissants so we’ll report back o; that tomorrow.

For this afternoon though, we’re content to just relax around the room for a couple of hours until heading out for a look around town, braving the intense holiday crowds and the surprisingly hot afternoon. Peschiera is fascinating place, surrounded by fortress walls and built on three small islets on the Mincio where it drains the lake. Today though it’s a madhouse, which definitely detracts from the experience. It’s probably the worst possible time to be here. We enjoy a walk along the waterfront and its walls and find a bit of seclusion here and there, but after about an hour we’ve had enough and are ready to return to our room until dinner.