It Had To Happen Sooner or Later 48+km??

---

Tuscany is working its charm and we are getting more relaxed with each passing day; today we ambled out the door a little later than yesterday, and set off into more glorious sunshine (although the forecast called for late day rain that would continue overnight). Bob was so affected he forgot to take his water bottles, while I was accepting of the fact that I had no idea where my cleat covers could have gone.

The plan was to ride up to the old town of Campiglia Marittima then descend to the coastal town of San Vincenzo - where I hoped to pick up another 'real' map from the tourist office that would show the coast all the way to Piombina, and possibly even include the isle of Elba - then ride along the coast for a bit before heading up to Venturino and making a hard right to complete the loop and take us back home.

We weren't hard-pressed for time and stopped in Cafaggio where Bob went into a store to buy sunscreen; he emerged with that plus a couple of salted flatbreads/focaccia (apparently known as Pizza Bianca near Rome, or so I found out from Googling) which were pressed upon him at no extra cost, and which we immediately enjoyed by the side of the road.

The nice thing about riding to C.M. is that because it dominates the area you can always see where it is, and consequently navigation is quite simple. The 4km climb to the town is so gentle that the couple of switchbacks involved seem (to me, at least) almost unnecessary, but the grade was enough that Bob and I got separated on it, and when we reached the top of the road to the town, where one makes a hairpin (150 degree?) turn to climb further to the old city, I met the German cyclist from yesterday, as he ascended from the other side. It might have been while we were talking in the shade and hidden behind a bus that Bob came by and, not seeing me (or later, my bike that I had left propped up at the edge of the road), made the turn. Fortunately the road at that point was not steep and led to a viewpoint only a few hundred metres away where the German (whose name I never learned) found Bob and directed him back to me.

We then returned to the viewpoint for obligatory photos before ascending at a steep grade that only got steeper as we entered the rabbit warren of narrow, cobbled passageways (far too narrow for cars) that make up most of the Old Town. I might have stopped to take a photo of one of the descending passageways but it was so steep that I am not sure I would have been able to stand there wearing cycling cleats, but past the point where it eventually levelled out I waited for what I thought would be a great shot of Bob coming around the corner. Indeed, after a short while I saw him (or at least part of his body), and it sounded like he was unclipping from his pedals so I waited a bit for him to emerge before calling out to see what the delay was, and then - upon receiving no reply - retraced my steps to find he had obviously turned down (or rather sharply up) a side passage instead of continuing straight. Of course I followed said passage but did not find Bob, and met with the same result at the small piazza which I found lower down (this part was accessible by cars), where I waited for a while to see if he would materialize. I had the same lack of success waiting both at the viewpoint (which is where the one-way road out of the Old Town emerges) and again lower down where we had reconvened earlier (and where the road to San Vincenzo was), so I eventually set off on my own, satisfied that Bob would be able to manage without me.

And thus I enjoyed the long, leisurely descent towards the sea alone. San Vincenzo itself was rife with signs for hotels (and even a Burger King) but I failed to see one for the information centre, and mindful of the wind (which by now had picked up), the time, and the forecast (not to mention the clouds that had started building), I sought out the road south at the earliest possibility. The road (which had a bike lane!) parallels the sea, separated from it by the Parco costiero di Rimigliano, and there are placards with maps at each of the numbered trailheads along the way. It looked like #7 might've had an actual road to the sea, but when I got there I found just another path through the woods, upon which I rode until the surface turned to sand, at which point I dismounted and pushed my bike through the salt marsh until reaching the sandy shore.

After recording my feat photographically I returned to the road and continued southward, turning off toward Venturina (since 2015 officially known as Venturina Terme) just before Baratti. After a brief bit of confusion there I successfully found myself on SP39 (strada provinciale39) headed back to our driveway, which I turned into somewhat before 2:30. It had taken me less than an hour and a half to return from Campiglia Marittima, making for a very short day but in deference to the wind, weather, and wayfinding I decided not to extend it.

As for Bob, he had similarly waited for me at various points then set off on his own, but had turned the wrong way upon leaving C.M. and ended up riding directly to Venturina instead of San Vincenzo, so he had headed back to the hotel and called it a day and was waiting for me when I arrived.

---

Photos

IMG_8307
Our driveway - the start of every day

IMG_8313
Farming the flats next door

IMG_8315
Letting the diesel-spewers get ahead of us prior to the climb to C.M.

IMG_8319
Along the way up to C.M.

IMG_8321
Further along (I passed this poor guy twice on the way up)

IMG_8323
In town but there's more yet to climb within the old city.

IMG_8324
From the same vantage point but looking further south

IMG_8327
Where I lost Bob

IMG_8332
Looking south along the coast

IMG_8334
View of C.M. on the way back