To Badi

May 14, 2023

We woke up to a cool soggy damp day as predicted. We always hope for the best but in reality, the weather forecasting is quite reliable in these parts. There maybe some hour to hour variations based on your location but in general, if you are cycling you do need to consider that the forecast will be pretty accurate. Plan B today. We used a train to get us part way to our destination of Badi and then completed a shorter section by bike. It was a bit sad as today`s ride was to start with a long 15 km 500 metre drop into Vergato and then ride along a valley to Lago di Suviana before tackling a short climb up to Badi. Having said that, it would not be much fun in the rain!

The breakfast table at Albergo Stella had everything you would expect at a large breakfast spread in Italy. Big on meats, cheeses and pastries. We opted for a nice mix of cereal, fresh fruit, nuts and yogurt. With so much meat and cheese available at many meals it is nice to have a break.

The large breakfast table at Albergo Stella.

The hotel was very busy this Sunday morning with a card game going on in the coffee shop and all the staff busy preparing for a big day in the restaurant. We are told that Sunday is always a busy day but this is Mother`s Day too. Have a great day Mom!

Making fresh pasta in the restaurant. The lady starts with a ball of dough as seen in the lower corner of the picture and then rolls it out to a very large thin layer.

The finished pasta before cutting into shapes is on the table.

The Sunday morning card game in the coffee shop. There are more watchers than players. The game has four players that work in teams of two and each hand has to reach a score of 61 to win. I really do not know more than that except there is a coffee riding on the game as betting is illegal.

Our absolutely wonderful owner and host at Albergo Stella. Her Grandfather started the business and now she runs it. Everyone works very long hours. If you find yourself in Tolé - stay here!

All packed up and ready to go! And yes, all those layers are necessary!

We confirmed with our host that we will be needing a ride to the nearby train station. We folded our bikes and put them in their bags so they can easily fit into the car and we were off to the train station in Pian di Venola. We arrived in plenty of time and as there was no station at this stop we used the kiosk for our ticket purchase. The adult fare and the bike fare are each 3.50 Euros for the 30 minute trip - roughly about $10 CAD each.

Our departure train station was a quiet, unattended stop.

The elevator was broken at Porretta Terme but if you are careful you can roll your bike down on a track at the sides of the stairs.

Our train today is taking us to the historic thermal bath town of Porretta Terme and is on the equally historic Pistoia–Bologna railway. It was the first line through the Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions. Construction of the line was started in the mid 1800`s. and was very complex as well as expensive with 48 tunnels and 64 bridges.

Our plan B was to get as far as Porretta and hope that we could complete the ride up a 300 metre ridge to Badi. Although there were a few rain showers in the area we were able to complete the short 10 km ride in relatively dry conditions. We had a quick look around the town and after a snack and coffee we set off. We were both happy to get some cycling in today before arriving at our destination of Badi just slightly before 3 o`clock. Badi is a small pretty village perched on the hill above Lago di Suviana.

Coffee and pancakes with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

Our ride today took us beside the Reno river.

Some nice views as we climbed. I think this may be Pavana.

Lake Suviana is an artificial lake located in the Bologna Apennines, formed following the construction of a dam 91.5 meters high, begun in 1928 and completed in 1932

Lake Suviana from our window at Borgo Massovrana.

We quickly found our B&B and met our very nice host. We settled in and again watched the rain from the comfort of our room. By dinner time the rain had ended and the sun was trying hard to peek out from behind the clouds. We had a nice 900m walk through the town up to the only restaurant in the area.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is improving! It should be dry as we leave the Apennines on route to Pistoria and in to Tuscany.

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Today's ride: 10 km (6 miles)
Total: 248 km (154 miles)

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