Day 34: Venafro to Ceprano

October 10, 2023

In un mondo di John e di Paul, io sono Ringo Starr*

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All right, let's hit the reset button on this tour, shall we? A strange time to do so, as we're inching closer to Rome each day. We're actually going to have to hit the brakes soon, since we've decided that three days as tourist tourists in Rome is plenty for this trip. But for now, we found our sweet spot of distance, hills, breaks, and scenery, and tomorrow is shaping up to be more of the same.

We departed Venafro with the idea of taking the state road for a while instead of the Eurovelo 5 route, so that we could ease into the morning. It started out fine, with little traffic. We climbed and then rode through a pretty long tunnel. It's always stressful, but with low traffic, it was fine. However, by the time we reached the turnoff to rejoin EV5, traffic had really picked up -- so much so that I missed the turn. We tried a later one. It was really steep. I had to walk the bike up parts of it. Otherwise, it was quite pleasant if you ignored the scores of dogs barking from yards on either side.

Gotta get around those mountains somehow

I think this was on the state highway, but boy is that row of pines pretty

We finally made it to "the top", but there was plenty of roller coastering to contend with, including one big dip down into the valley and then a swoop back up into the hills again. The road was good and the scenery was fantastic, so nothing really to complain about. Except maybe the sun beating down on us as we climbed. Whenever we passed a stand of trees casting shade our way, we breathed a sigh of relief.

We were looking for a spot to eat what would've been a pretty meager meal of leftover bread and cheese, but I suggested we try this pasticherria/caffeteria. What did we end up with. Why, bread and cheese sandwiches! But they were mozzarella and tomato. Good stuff, and cheap too! Oh, and a couple of beers, because why not?

If you look closely you'll see an endless staircase leading to the upper part of town, Piedimonte San Germano Alta

Another church named after the sorrows of Mary, Seven of them, to be exact. Sorrows, not churches.

While up here in the hills, we noticed a lot of familiar and unfamiliar signs:

For having been the sites of some pretty fierce fighting during the German occupation of Italy in WWII, these towns appear to be in remarkable shape.

The hill town tour ended at Roccasecca, which I think was our favorite. We liked all the park-like infrastructure leading up to the town and also within it. As tourists, we really need such third places to relax and observe.

I have to admit that my mental state for the remainder of the ride was a desire to race to the finish line. Descents often do that to me. I think, hey, we're going so fast, we'll get there in no time! It didn't help that we rode through some pretty boring and even industrial stretches. The last few kilometers were a steady uphill grind, which made me more determined to just get it over with. Time to hit the attitude reset button!

I was also determined to see what the town of Ceprano had to offer. Not much, it turns out, at least within walking distance. The place we're staying at overlooks the Liri river, so there's that. I later discovered that the bridge across the river has a checkered past. In the 19th century, the wooden bridge was falling apart. Pope Pius IX visited Ceprano and suggested they build an iron bridge. They did just that, but it collapsed in 1932 under the weight of a lorry, killing three. That's all I know about the bridge itself. The current iteration of the bridge appears to be pretty sturdy. Whew!

One of the more elaborate war memorials I've seen on this tour.

The mortar shells (or whatever they are) seem a bit out of place here. But who am I to judge? Everyone grieves differently.

The interpretive panel accompanying this is where I learned about the bridge. This is the dedicatory stone from the bridge that collapsed. The stone was used as a base for splitting wood until 1990, when it was rescued by people who understood that its historical value outweighed its woodcutting value.

*This song played on the radio while we eating lunch. I'd never heard it before. Not a particularly great tune, but it's fun.

Today's ride: 66 km (41 miles)
Total: 1,967 km (1,222 miles)

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