In Cuneo: the northeast loop

October 19, 2021

Another day, another random ramble through the backroads east of town. A wonderful ride.

She looks so happy to be out on her bike, doesn’t she! A much nicer start to the day than finding yourself trapped behind bars.

We’ve passed a few fields of pole beans like this one. Maybe that’s what those pyramids of sticks were for we saw a few days ago. Pretty inefficient though - how are you supposed to harvest this crop with a big gas guzzling vehicle?

Pomegranates, she calls out! mistake. Immediately she realizes her mistake, but it’s too late. The words have been heard already, and now she has to wait while I pull up and stop for a few photos.

Hmm. We’re backtracking the last ten miles of Monday’s ride this morning. Was this part of the package then? We can’t remember.

There’s a small, steep-walled depression between Beinette and Pienfei where you drop to the Pesio River - switchback down one side and switchback back up the other two miles later.

Crossing the Pesio River, on that questionable bridge we crossed going the other way two days ago. A better look at the planks this time, for those structural engineers out there to ponder.

Looking up at Pianfei before the climb up.

Another instance of being in the right place at the right time. Blangetti has their spaventapasseri (scarecrows) out for Halloween. They just went up a few days ago and will be around until November 7th, per the village Facebook page.

Spaventapasseri in Blangetti. There are about forty of them, each numbered and with an informational placard.

Two spaventapasseri! Rachael has found herself a new selfie buddy.

A man and his sheep. There are a few dogs helping keep things tidy as well, hiding in the back somewhere.

We were delighted by the procession of spaventapasseri but I think I was charmed even more by Rocca di Baldi, the medieval village where we stopped for lunch. This is the castle, a 13th century fortification that was later converted to an elegant residential estate.

In Rocca di Baldi. At first I was irked when this car drove up just as I was about to take a photo of the empty piazza, but they make a nice addition. It looks like they’ve arrived to have lunch with grandma, whom they’re waving to in her window above the square.

The condition of the village is uneven, but restoration work is underway.

It seems some of you need a primer on advanced hand signal technique. Here’s the behind the back left turn indicator. The right turn works exactly the same way, but using the other arm of course.

And in case you were too distracted by the matching cycling Jersey from Nanaimo and parka from Columbia Sportswear to notice the beautiful chapel, here’s an uncluttered look at Capella di San Giorgio at Carleveri.

Another row of yellowing walnuts lines the road on our way back to town. A poser for Keith: black, or English?

Video sound track: Autumn Serenade, by John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.

In the aptly named Trattoria dei Colori, which is colorful everywhere you look. This is the place we ate our first night here, when we were lucky to get squeezed in on a Saturday night in the middle of the chestnut festival. No problem tonight. A great place, we may come back a third time before leaving Cuneo.

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Ride stats today: 42 miles, 1,400’; for the tour: 2,242 miles, 80,600‘

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 2,242 miles (3,608 km)

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Suzanne GibsonCuneo looks tempting - and its weather forecast for next week does, too!
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3 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonI really like what we’ve seen of it so far. And it does look good for the rest of the month, at this point. Could change quickly though, of course. It looks like something is changing about the first of the month, here as well as further south.
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3 years ago