Staying at Il Novecento in Casarsa Della Delizia was quiet, cool and comfortable. It seems that this old building has been recently purchased and the rooms have been nicely updated. The premises are quite grand, yet they still have some kinks to work out.
I am determined to ride today -it has been a week since I have travelled by bike. We will go as far as we can and have an early stop if needed.
We mostly followed the main road, SS13 and stopped at a village for ice cream. Since it is Sunday, the pace in the villages is particularly slow and social. Families are gathering in the square, couples are strolling, ice cream and espressos are being enjoyed on the terraces - all in all, we love the gentle social ambience of these villages. Everybody has time to stop and enjoy the moment.
We met the owner of this vintage Fiat from 1932 at the Gelateria having ice cream. He told us that he had done the work himself and had completely restored the car.
Newsstands in a metal kiosk on the street are a common sight in Europe and they are usually open every day. This shop was jam packed with magazines, books, videos, maps ....There was even a map of Canada - granted it was several decades old, but somebody may buy it someday. You never know.
The shop was packed to the rafters and in the dim opening, I found the owner. He was excited to share that he had been on a trip to Canada and had been to Niagara Falls, Thunder Bay and Edmonton on a camping holiday 35 years ago.
Well, this is the remains of the mighty Delizia River. We crossed the former river on a long bridge and were surprised to see that it is gravel and now an area for rallies for off road vehicles. We don’t know the history of the region, but there must be a dam somewhere.
It looks like there will be an event today on the river bed with the off road vehicles. There seems to be a track set up with mounded areas and routes to follow.
We are used to seeing older buildings with exposed brick and crumbling stucco, but it is very fashionable on renovated buildings to deliberately expose old as well as newly installed bricks.
Wandering the side streets of Carsarsa Della Delizia revealed some charming character buildings with glimpses in to the landscaped courtyards through the arched entrances.
We have arrived in Udine and have decided that it has been enough of a ride for Mary Ellen. Last time through Udine, we passed through, so we will perhaps explore some of this historic city.
Udine centre - this statue has much character and doesn’t look too impressed by the visitors - or is it that he is not happy about having to wear a fig leaf?
Having a rest after the ride in the lovely open air Palladio building in the centre. Mary Ellen is checking out booking.com for a place to stay tonight.
