A wet, windy night of relentless thunder and lightning: On to Mantova, we think
What a night! It was truly one of the stormiest nights we have ever spent in a tent. The thunder, rain, lightning and wind began about midnight and didn't stop until about 6:30. And then it began again at 7 for a few more hours. It was impossible to sleep as the thunder and lightning were close and scary at times. We have never felt such pounding rain in our tent. The tent performed well, but us, not so much. At 7 we decided to sleep for the morning and then head off with a hopefully less muddy and wet tent. As is typical of our thoughtful hosts at Campeggio Birghetto, they have no restrictions on what time you leave and they encouraged us to take out time. So we did. We knew that it would be an easy 30 km ride to Mantova along the Mincio River. Despite last night's storm, the weather still feels volatile and very hot. The approach to Mantova is quite lovely along the lake and through a park. Swans, birds running across giant lily pads, kayakers on the lake and day trippers on the trail made Mantova feel like a welcoming place. Unfortunately once we got in to town, we had to navigate a congested and run down area by the train station. We know that there are good things to see here such as wonderful art and well known frescoes but we found areas of the centre dominated by a rough crowd and we just didn't feel like staying here as planned. The hotels were expensive and the campground out of town, so we decided to head due south to the Po River and get back to rural riding. Perhaps we were just cranky from little sleep, but Mantova didn't work for us - so it's off to Borgoforte to find an Agriturismo place to stay. We rode with the big trucks on the road to make time and it was ok. However, the sleepy town of Borgoforte came up dry in terms of accommodation, so we asked at the local Bar and people jumped to help us. Business cards appeared and instructions were coming fast and furious in Italian. Luckily a young man who spoke English appeared and said go straight and left. Luckily we chose the right road. This led us out of town and to the timely chance meeting of one of the family of Agriturismo Cardinal Mendoza as he was walking in the fields. What a lucky find this place is. About 10 years ago they renovated the big stately villa for guests. They were apologetic that they couldn't provide food as they are too busy harvesting the corn to feed their 900 pigs. No problem for us - we'll go to the Bar (coffee) in the village in the morning and then set out down the Po - another River for us to explore.
The calm after the storm - packed and ready to go. We have liked it here.
Our host at Cardinal Mendoza in Borgoforte on the Po River. The son took care of checking us in, and his niece and father, who also live on the farm, came to see us and visit. The father had started pig farming with his father when he was 14 years old - 30 pigs. Later he worked making Gran Padano cheese. Now, he has built up his farm to 900 pigs and he is continuing his tradition with his sons.
