Bolsena to Vetralla via Montefiascone

August 30, 2023

We dodged the bullet of rain yesterday but today we were not so lucky. At the beginning of the ride we had about a 30 min downpour that got us truly soaked after which the sun came out. We had a pleasant coffee stop in Montefiascone which of course was on a top of a hill however the sun was out and we had a chance to dry out a little. Sadly there was a harder and long downpour leading into lunch. A picnic was planned but the guides quickly arranged a simple pasta lunch indoors instead. We were well and truly soaked and very muddy by then. I am afraid we made a bit of a mess in the restaurant. With about 15km before departure I went outside in the sun which reappeared and stuff my shoes with newspaper to take away much of the moisture. It worked amazingly well even in that short a period.

Enough about the rain, we had an interesting ride along the lake before turning uphill to Montefiascone. We rode both tarmac and dirt with lots of ups and downs. I counted at least 6 climbs of between 10-15% and one even higher than that. I reiterate again that this tour needs an e-bike. We did 56km with 800m/2500’ of climbing. For me the highlight of the day was riding a section of an old Roman road. It was tough going because of the cracks between the stones and there were sections where the road had washed away and therefore heavily rutted. Again I thank Sylvie for her great mountain bike lessons they have come in very handy again. We are staying outside of the town of Vetrella at a family run agriturismo farm. You can tell that they are used to hosting weddings here as well.

The fortress in Bolsena as we left this morning in the rain

A panoramic view of the lake from Montefiascone. The red line is the dirt road that we rode from the lake until it joined pavement to reach the town.

The entrance to Montefiascone after the sun came out. This gate is called Porto del Borgo and was built in 1744 for the Bishop of Montefiascone

A view of the valley near a papal fortress that was started in 1207 for Pope Innocent III and fell into disrepair in the 1600s. The church is till in use.

The square in Montefiascone where we had our coffee break.

Drying some kit in the sun while we had coffee.

The Antica Cassia Romana which is an ancient Roman road linking Rome and Florence. It was built in 154BC. The construction was completed by many hands. They dug a deep 6m wide trench a filled with with a layer of sand then small stones (for drainage) and the put these big stones in place. It was originally covered with a concrete like material but this wore away over the years.

The only other non-Brits, kiwis from Auckland, descending the road.

My lunch of spaghetti and tomato sauce. It is so simple but so tasty in Italy.

A juxtaposition of modern “porta-johns” and a medieval town.

An example of the mud on our clothes at lunch time.

Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 253 km (157 miles)

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