Santa Maria di Castellabate to Palinuro

May 17, 2023

.Last night we woke to the sound of pounding rain as Santa Maria de Castellabate got blasted with more rain cells. With bated breath, I peeked through the shutters at 7am and did a happy dance to find that it was not raining and the piazza below our B&B was mostly dry. The cloud had lifted and showed signs of breaking up. At least that was how it looked to the west over the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was a different story over the coastal mountains to the south which were shrouded in fast moving low cloud. To our consternation, the clouds were headed towards us. The weather apps were showing light rain starting around noon which meant we had a window of opportunity to ride today.

This B&B provided a voucher for an Italian breakfast at the bar across the street, our first voucher breakfast of the trip. We augmented our cappuccinos and pastries with yogurt and fruit from small store nearby.

We weren’t entirely convinced that we would have a dry ride so we sat and watched the clouds, hoping for a clear patch to form. It almost came down to a coin toss but we both wanted to ride today so we headed out just before 10am. Our host remarked that it would be an especially hilly ride and wished us a good trip as we pushed off.

The route I had plotted followed the state road for the most part. With all the rainfall of late, Italy is looking more like Ireland. Everything is green and lush. Although the roads were mostly dry there were signs of torrents of water rushing down roads, hillsides and driveways and small rivulets draining across the roads. The grassy foliage in the ditches look bedraggled as the rushing waters had knocked it over and dragged it downhill. Large boulders and stones were strewn across the roads.

The view back over the beach at Palinuro.

Storm clouds look ready to dump their load, but they held off.

Just another unusable cycle path. Maintenance isn’t in the budget.

We had been cycling on the main state road into Ascea Marina and, in an innocent moment, decided to carry on along a smaller road for a short hop. It would join up not far from where we were. That didn’t work put so well. After about 20 minutes of pushing, we threw in the towel and turned around. The state road climbed a long way too, but at a more sensible grade.

This route looked so innocent on the Komoot map.

Back on the state road. No traffic to speak of.

Aloe of some sort (I didn’t take note of the foliage)

See that look? I had just seen all the flowers above, and so many more. Cheap thrills from the ditch.

The state road here was in tip top shape.

The climb topped out at Ascea after several hundred meters of climbing, where a small minimart grabbed our attention. It was one of those tiny stores with boxes of fresh produce bounded up on the sidewalk outside the main entrance. Inside was a deli and everything and anything you might possibly need, and an enthusiastic owner. We sensed this was one of the main hubs of the town and ordered a panini to share, which the owner made while we waited. She sliced a fresh bun and filled it with homemade eggplant parmigiana. It went down well with some cold iced tea.

As we were getting up to leave, a gentleman who had been watching the whole time came over to David with his google translate app in hand. He told him there had been a landslide ahead but not to worry. Just take it slowly was his advice. Meanwhile, I had a conversation with another gentleman who had lived in Halifax and was here to see his father. All in all, we got a food vibe from Ascia.

We interrupt regular programming...

We left Ascea on a nice downhill and soon thereafter the state road turned ugly. We knew something was up when we came to an intersection at the bottom of the hill and met a blockade in the roadway. We passed through and noticed debris (rocks mud and plants) scattered across the road. Undeterred, we rode on.

Soon enough, it became clear to us that something had gone wrong on a large scale (i.e. the landslide) and it certainly didn’t happen in the last month. No siree, this looked to be several years old. The entire bank had slipped away and as a repair, someone slapped down several truckloads of concrete and called it done. Or so it appeared to us. The grade was severe, perhaps upwards of 30+ %. Completely bonkers! This photo shows me pausing for a rest with both brake leavers fully engaged and wondering how to get started again. It is much steeper than it looks.

All of this section of road was washed away in the landslide. No proper repairs were done and the state road has remained closed ever since.

The road then levelled out somewhat and we could resume enjoying the scenery. Of course, there were no cars, so it was just us and the birds.

The point of land way in the distance is our destination, Palinuro.

We have transitioned from the land of lemon groves to the land of olive groves in this region of Campania. The netting strung from tree trunk to tree trunk is used to collect the olives in harvest season. The flowers are in the bud stage right now.

The first town after the landslide was Pisciotta. We had a nice peek-a-boo view through the olive orchard. But, before arriving at Pisciotta, we had one more landslide to navigate and this one was fresh. Half the roadway had simply gone down the embankment. They had erected a small ‘men working’ sign at either end to prevent cars from driving into the gaping hole.

It reminded me of a couple of dodgy dashes we had to make the we were trekking in Nepal on 2009 and I thought to myself, ‘just give me five seconds’. That dash in Nepal was terrifying. This time, not so much. I dashed through it as fast as I could pedal to reach the other end. David was hot on my heels.

The medieval village Pisciotta dates back to 915 BC. Today, the streets are almost all restricted to pedestrians. No cars are allowed. Off the main arteries, stairs and small lanes connect all the dwellings and buildings.

Pisciotta. It doesn’t get much more beautiful than this.

About 200m below Pisciotta lies Pisciotta Marina with its breakwater and marina. In summer the marina will be packed.

We could now make out Palinuro from this vantage point. It lies on the north side of the promomtory in the distance. It too is ancient. The name Palinuro is based on a Greek myth.

The water along the entire coast is clouded with mud from the all the recent rainfall.

We cruised into Palinuro and checked in at our hotel. We're the only two guests staying tonight. Our host recommended a beachside bar we could walk to and she set up a dinner reservation and transportation for us. When asked if we would like a coffee, we answered ‘si’ and had a seat on the outside veranda. This had to be the smallest coffee I have ever had. But, so yummy.

The beach bar did not disappoint, either. They were playing a great soundtrack of jazz and blues tunes and it was a killer view.

Once again, dinner was excellent.

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 131 km (81 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	9
Comment on this entry	Comment	2

Anne AnastasiouSo glad the food has been constantly good unlike the roads and weather! You certainly are having an adventure.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Anne MathersTo Anne AnastasiouFor sure, this adventure is unfolding with excitement every day.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago