It was projected to be another hot day in the mid-90s and I was thankful that I’d planned low mileage day – less than 25 miles to Bassano del Grappa with a stop in Asols, a town given high marks by Team Anderson. I didn’t get the early start I’d hoped for, but by 9 am I was heading north along the canal way under a blue but hazy sky. After a few miles, I picked up the I2 cycle route, The Ring of Veneto, that I planned to follow to Bassano Del Grappa.
The I2 route took me on medium-sized roads through a series of towns that sometimes seemed to blend together. There was a moderate amount of traffic, but it was a popular route for day cyclists and I was overtaken by a number of individual riders as well as cycling club/teams – one even had their own trailing team car. An occasional ornate and/or fancy villa gave me pause for some pictures, but otherwise I kept pedaling.
My intent was to stop for a long break in Asolo, a hilltop town considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The turn-off for the climb was about eleven miles into the route, just past Crespignaga. It seemed prudent to take a break before tackling what promised to be a difficult climb, so I began looking for a nice shady rest stop as soon as I got to Crespignaga. Before I knew it, however, I was at the turnoff and the only shade I could fine was in the shadow of an old building. I perched myself on a window sill and fortified my resolve with a gel tab and long drink of water.
I’d not gone more than 200 yards up the hill toward Asolo before my resolve was lost and I dismounted. As sweat poured off my face, I realized it was a bit foolish to push a loaded bike almost a mile up an 8% average grade in 95° heat just to visit a pass-through town. I found an alternate route that by-passed Asolo and got back on Vivien George, knowing that Asolo would have to wait for another, cooler day.
A nice start to the morning along the canal, heading north out of Vittorio Veneto
The detour put me back on the provincial SP84, past more ornate villas, and eventually onto a gravel bike path that took me to Pagnano d'Asolo where I rejoined my original route. By that time I was a bit overheated and in need of a cold drink. There was a nearby pizza restaurant that seemed to be in the process of opening up – no lights were on but the window shutters were open. I called out through an open window and soon a young man appeared – no they weren’t open but he could sell me some bottled water – cold mineral water or room temperature still. I took one of each, downing the mineral water on the spot before moving on.
A detour around Asolo put me back on the provincial SP84
Most of final ten miles were on smaller roads through farm fields or vineyards. I arrived in Bassano del Grappa as market day was winding down and walked through the a maze of trucks loading up unsold product and small tents, looking for my street that was located just off Piazza Libertà. Once found, I easily checked-in with the keys codes provided, stashed Vivien George in the hallway, and after a quick shower went looking for food. Once again my timing was not ideal as restaurants were closing up and most open cafés had stopped serving meals. But as in Montebelluna, I had the good fortune to find a place that agreed to make me a salad to go along with my three drink order. Hydrated and fed, I retreated to my air conditioned room for the rest of the afternoon, only emerging for dinner at Ristorante Birraria Ottone – a restaurant I’d visited during my 2021 tour through the Alps. Tomorrow was a rest day, one I was definitely looking forward to.
Scott AndersonYup. Same haircut, same smile, unmistakeable; but different from the first time we saw her when her face was masked for Covid. Reply to this comment 4 months ago
A real rest day with nothing on the agenda but my written and oral French placement test. Not exactly a completely stress-free day, but there were no plans for biking or hiking. The day started with breakfast at Nero Pece Naturalmente, a bistro on Piazzotto Montevecchio that serves up eggs and pancakes as well as the usual assortment of cornettos and other pastries. Best of all, they were receptive to my request to go “off menu” and have just two pancakes and two eggs without all the frou-frou.
I had originally planned to leave Paris for the upcoming Olympics and join Team Anderson in England; however, those plans changed in early May when I caught Olympic Fever after returning to Paris from my tour in Spain and Portugal. Once I’d taken the decision to stay in Paris for the games, I signed up for another three weeks of intensive French classes – hence the placement exam today. I spent a little time after breakfast reviewing my conjugation tables and pronouns and then set to work on the written portion of the test. It was exactly the same test as the one I took last February, but I can’t say that I improved my score. The oral portion was a brief but pleasant conversation, no doubt full of grammatical errors. Despite the errors, my self-assessment is that I’m slowly improving my ability at speaking and understanding French, which is my goal is taking the lessons.
Breakfast spot at Nero Pece Naturalmente on Piazzotto Montevecchio
After finishing up the placement test I went out for a short walk about town, heading first to Bassano’s own Ponte Vecchio, also known as the Ponte Vecchio di Bassano. The covered wooden bridge, designed by Andrea Palladio, spans the Brenta River and by law is a declared national monument. Today, a storm was sweeping down the Brenta River with high winds that flattened the flags hanging from the bridge’s eaves and sent several tourists scrambling to the railings for a secure hold. Storm clouds loomed and it began to rain as I made my way back toward Piazza Liberté, ducking in at the last moment to a small restaurant with an Aperto sign in the window. It was obvious that they were closing soon, but they seated me with a big smile and one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a long time – Tagliolini with fresh salmon, simple fare but delicious. The rest of the afternoon was spent writing and finalizing plans for the last few days of what has been a fantastic loop around Northern Italy.
