Today the weather was getting back on track, the rain had passed through and only dry weather is forecasted. We quickly booked a place to stay tonight further along the Italian Riveria at San Lorenzo Al Mare. We thought that Hotel Dei Fiore would have a good breakfast and it did not disappoint. The ride today was relatively short but it was packed with a variety of different sights and experiences. It had three separate sections: the coast, then inland and finally back to the coast. From start to finish it was an exceptional ride.
Before leaving town, we stopped at the Mureeto di Alassio, a famous landmark. It has been described as a cross between public art and the Hollywood walk of fame. On the wall are tiles hosting the names of many celebrities including Ernest Hemmingway who was one of the first in 1953.
Leaving Alassio we slowly rode along the seawall for a few kilometres to the historic fishing village of Laiguegia. We weaved our way along the waterfront of this very pretty town before joining up with the main SS1 road and slowly climbed up and around the headland.
Our hotel in Alassio. We started a bit later waiting for the day to warm up and dry the road surfaces after yesterday's rain.
The sea side of the tunnel is open. Traffic on the SS1 was quite light today as we went through a couple of these tunnels along the coast. Lighter traffic maybe a result of the larger A10 Autostrada being right nearby.
When we reached Diano Marina we left the highway and started to ride away from the Mediterranean to an inland road that took us past a number of small villages. This was a great section of road as we slowly climbed along the switch backs. With all the stopping for photos the elevation gain was not hard. We passed through the villages, Diano Calerina, Diano Alderina, Diano Serreta and Dano Gorleri that all make up the municipality of Diano Marina. The area is known for its olive production. Many of the trees had nets ready to catch the olives as they ripen and fall off the trees.
Imperia is a larger center on the coast with a population of over 40K. Likely it is a city worth seeing but we zipped through the busy streets back to the waterfront. Although we did make one unexpected stop to look at a most amazingly realistic looking cave area that was part of a private driveway. It was through a gate and into an area where we did not belong, but we found its crumbling exterior quite fascinating. We believe the owner arrived as we were leaving, and the gates soon closed behind us.
We enjoyed our picnic lunch back near the water and carried along the seawalls and up the wrong way on one way streets as we traversed the headlands of Porto Maurizio. Slow riding but stunning views.
Cave like driveway that must have been made many years ago.
Just past Borgo Foce we encountered an unexpected treat. Rather than rejoin the SS1 we could ride an old rail line all the way to our destination. This was a great way to finish off the last few kilometres until we turned off and headed down into the sleepy little beach village of San Lorenzo Al Mare
A dedicated bike lane created from an old rail line complete with tunnels.
