September 12, 2009
Viverone
We skipped breakfast and had some pear juice and were crossing the 1000yr old bridge and onto the S526 by 8.00
We made great progress through this beautiful valley with little villages clinging to the sides every few kms. Grapes were on pergolas and there were 3 wheelers and the odd old tractor. Stopped for coffee and more bread early on Then stopped at the start of a big irrigation scheme to take a photo and enjoy the sight.
Gradually the valley opened out and didn't look nearly as beautiful. We were doing a steady 22-24km/h. Gradually we came into Ivrea which was quite a big city with plenty of suburbs. Finally we found our way to the centre along a cobbled road by the river Dora. We walked the last little bit along narrow streets with lots of locals out shopping and drinking coffee in bars. There were many Dads with 1 or 2 kids. Had another coffee and Tricia left her helmet behind but it was still there a few minutes later.
Went up a steep hill to the Duomo which had lots of marble and was very dark - it wasn't very impressive. It is said to date back to the 5th century but much of it is quite recent. Then past the castle and we attempted to get out of Ivrea. We went in a complete circle at first but on the second try with the help of the GPS found our way out of the spreading suburbs and finally got to the S526 with its good hard shoulder. We went past corn and beans and some more villages before we got to the lake where we hoped to camp. Tricia looked at 2 until we came to this one. It was very quiet by the lake and the camping ground fairly primitive, we had to pay an extra 1E for hot water in the shower. I got my moneys worth by not only washing myself but also nearly all our cycling gear. The toilets were squat ones.
Then at 1pm we had lunch of bread cheese and the bottle of light white I had bought the day before. That brought on a brief siesta then we spent the rest of the time walking around the lake, having a brief swim and taking a trip up the hill to get food for a meal. I had got the Herald Tribune in Ivrea so caught up with the day before needs.
Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 1,370 km (851 miles)
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