Today’s 40 mile ride to Mantua (or Mantova, as the Italians prefer for some odd reason) was one that generated a lot of discussion, both before and afterwards. Beforehand, some angst was experienced in the preceding day or two over the potential for rain and thunderstorms predicted for the day. The forecast fluctuated over the last few days, and when I made a nearly final check when I woke up about four this morning both of the weather apps we consult regularly predicted rain or showers throughout the day. Neither of us wants to bike 40 miles in the rain so it looked certain that the Plan B we had agreed on would be invoked: we’d take the lake ferry south to Peschiera del Garda and catch the train the rest of the way, transferring at Verona. I consulted the ferry and train schedules, sent an email to the two of us with the departure times we’d aim for, and went back to sleep.
At six I was awakened by Rachael, letting me know that it was dry out and that it looked like we had a five or six hour window if we left soon. The weather apps agreed, forecasting nothing like the weather they had predicted only two hours earlier. So Plan A was back on: skip the hotel breakfast (no omelet today or coffee this morning, darn it), stuff a few calories in, and hit the road. We’d prepaid the room yesterday with this in mind, so all we had to do was slip out the door. We were on the road heading toward the waterfront before 7:30, with the last minute instruction to me that there was little time for photos if we wanted to arrive in Mantua dry. Still, at least a few photos were called for to remember the day, as well as of course the video:
Video sound track: Deseio, Gianni Savelli Media Res
A forty miler seems to be on the high end for us on a travel day any more, but today presented the right conditions for one: fair weather, minimal wind, and a ride that’s essentially flat once we made it past the first few miles with its modest climb over a low ridge before dropping back to the lake again. After that our route followed the shoreline all the way to the south end of the lake at Peschiera, and from there it’s an easy, serene ride through Mincio Park down the Mincio River for the next thirty miles, right to the doorstep of Mantua. I didn’t do much with the camera today, but I brought back a much better record when we biked the Mincio five years ago.
So, not much of a physical challenge to the ride; and the weather fully cooperated - in fact, the rain never did come and it was beautiful until late afternoon. However the day had a second surprise in addition to the changed weather forecast, but not a good one. Apparently starting the day with no coffee and a bolted down two slices of bread and peanut butter after a day with a thirteen mile hike and a quarter liter of wine with dinner confused my system, because I had another arrhythmia episode. A relatively mild one as these go with me, except that it was long lasting - it began right at the top of that first climb a few miles from the room, and didn’t stop until about twenty minutes after we arrived in Mantua. Perplexing, frustrating, and sad to spoil such a fine ride. It gave us a lot more than the weather to talk about later in the day.
Leaving Garda, with a last look up the lake toward San Vigilio Point.
The fortified Visconti Bridge, dating back to 1395. About ten miles south of Peschiera we stopped here for me to lie down for awhile in the futile hope that the arrhythmia would cease, and to have coffee and croissants at an outdoor cafe. It’s a very pretty spot, and very popular with cyclists.
Kelly IniguezI have installed Marathon Racers - if they are good enough for you on those cobblestone roads, they are good enough for me. It sure looks rough, though. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Kelly IniguezThese awful cobblestones are unique to this part of Italy in our experience, and you only find them in parts of some of the older historical centers. I think you’ll be fine. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Huge carp thrashing in the river. Actually the river is teeming with life - we passed countless swans and grebes along with other aquatic life. In other circumstances I’d have been stopping often to enjoy the show, but the ride unfortunately developed into a draining endurance challenge.
ann and steve maher-wearyIn 2016 my sister and I were on a cycle trip for 5 weeks. It was quite an adventure for us as we had no idea how to do it. I was leading, let’s just say I was missing my navigator Steven. We took the ferry from top to bottom of the lake. We rolled our bikes on and sat on the top deck. It was the most glorious day off the bikes stopping at all the villages on the way. We celebrated by buying the biggest most delicious ice cream cones we had ever eaten in Sirmione. It remains one of those perfect days in my mind. You are making it so difficult for me to decide where to spend a longer time at. My sister and I loved Verona too Rachel, now steve and I will have to check out both Verona and Mantua! Too many wonderful choices ! 😊 Reply to this comment 1 year ago
It’s odd how your memory of a place can become frozen around a single image that stands in for your whole experience. It’s like that with me for Mantua - we stayed here for two nights five years ago, but when I’ve thought back on it the first and only thing that came to mind were how awful the cobblestones were in the center. In fact, I wasn’t really interested in returning to Mantua because of this, and we only stopped here because it’s the obvious and natural stopover on our way to Cremona.
Reading back over that journal now, I see that we really didn’t give the city a chance. We arrived after biking down the Mincio and arriving just before the rain, and the next day we left for a day ride south to the P.O. and back. We really didn’t spend any time looking at Mantua at all until briefly looking around as we were leaving town. And we didn’t even post any photos from it. I said in the journal that I’d come back nd post a photo gallery when we got to a spot with better WiFi, but it never happened.
We’re only here one night this time, but paradoxically I got a much better look. After lying around for about an hour I went out with the camera and was stunned by what a beautiful, charming small city this is. Rachael wants to move to Verona, but I want to move to Mantua. One of these years we should return to the region in the spring or fall and just stay here - spend a week in Verona, another in Mantua, maybe one in Bassano or Cremona or Udine. There are really endless cycling possibilities here if you’re looking for something a little less challenging than Ventoux or Galibier or the Pyrenees, and if you’re in the right spot near the base of the pre-alps, there are endless hiking possibilities too.
Anyway, here are some photos this time to remind us and tempt you. It’s just a taste -in an hour or two I really just scratched the surface.
One of the things I loved about Mantua is how lively it felt without seeming at all crowded. The streets and public spaces were filled with what looked like ordinary citizenry - shoppers biking home with their wares, children playing in the piazzas.
Looking across the Piazza della Elbe. The wonderful building on the right is The Merchant House, built in 1455 by a rich merchant and regarded as one of the most remarkable buildings in a city filled with remarkable buildings.
This shallow staircase leading to San Lorenzo Rotunda is a delightful spot for people watching, alive with toddlers dunning and hopping up and down the stairs.
Another remarkable building: on this side is the elegant and complex Chamber of Commerce Building (1913). The nearest corner is a large enclosed space, the grain market.
Mantua is full of bicycles, and in spite of the rough streets is surprisingly bike friendly. Many bikers caught my attention, but I was especially struck by the image of these two bikes crossing the square and stopping at this hotel, ridden by a pair of women. One is in the hotel while the other watches the bikes. I was especially intrigued by how unbalanced their loads are.
Keith AdamsI wonder whether the pre-tour conversation went something like this: "Come with me! I'll carry all your stuff, if you just please agree to come." Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Ride stats today: 41 miles, 1700’; for the tour: 1,356 miles, 62,400’
Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km) Total: 1,399 miles (2,251 km)
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Bob KoreisRe Mantua v. Mantova, you might find this interesting. https://www.visitmantua.it/call-it-by-its-name-mantova-or-mantua/ Reply to this comment 1 year ago
