Sun? Seriously? We don't believe it

Guess What? We woke to SUN…I mean that yellow, sunny warm, glowy stuff that we haven’t seen since we arrived in Europe. I have never been on a vacation, let along biking vacation where it has rained every day. And yet, here we are.

The mood was a lot happier in the breakfast room as we fueled up for a real Backroads ride in the sun. The first leg was an hour in the van

leaving the Parma area for the Montuvia area, where Melissa and Jordano had our bikes set up and ready to roll. But first! A coffee. Not the leisurely type that we know back home, but the typical Italian type…stand at the bar, order and espresso and throw it back. Done and ready.

The first portion of the day was 26 miles, mostly on bike paths along the River Po, the largest river in Italy. We wound our way past farm after farm, again with various smells from honeysuckle to cows.

There were a few small towns that we navigated through, some better than others (you know who you are Shaun and Katelyn…they took a small scenic route detour). There was no elevation and the hardest part was some of the rough road conditions on the otherwise smooth ride (as Melissa said…it gives you a butt and arm massage…that was putting it mildly).

Halfway through, we passed by some stone walls that were encompassing the small town of Sabbioneta. Within a block, we saw the van, where we took a break for a tour of Palazzo Ducale. It was palace that is well preserved from the 14-1600’s with beautiful frescos and paintings on the walls. It was a great spot to wander amongst history and rejuvenate for the next 13 miles.

That next leg went quickly and we all ended up at a small restaurant

on the river for lunch. Starting with some fresh vegis and salad, then we had a choice of various types of pasta and a starter, all very local, and yummy.

At this point we had the choice to continue for another 16 miles or call it a day and head to the hotel. Ashley and I have been battling allergies all week, she much worse than I and she decided to take the van. The rest of us continued on the bike paths for another 12 miles, which again went by quickly.

Soon we were at the van stop where we could continue for another 4 miles to the hotel or call it a day and hit the van. This time, Don made the wise decision to take the van, while Ken, Jan, Shaun, Katelyn and I rode the 4 miles with Berta. This portion of the ride was very different than the first 38 miles…suburbs, urban bike path, through roundabouts and finally crossing the main road leading in to Montua, where our hotel was located for the evening.

We arrived to snacks, beers, sodas and more high-fiving from our Backroads team for making it the 42 miles. I have to say, it was

probably the easiest 42 miles I have biked, so all good! And we had awesome weather all day…so doubly good!

We relaxed for a couple of hours before meeting Lorenzo, our walking tour guide for a tour of beautiful Mantova. Before we left, he advised to grab umbrellas as it was supposed to rain within the hour. No issue, we are used to that at this point. Umbrellas in tow, we began to learn about the Mantova history and visit the incredible cathedral.

We all walked a few blocks and began learning about Mantova, the ruling Gonzaga family, the amazing cathedral and the Dukes Palace. About 45 mins into the tour, we could see the dark clouds heading in our direction and within 15 mins the rain started. Really? Have we NOT had enough of the friggen stuff?

Then the weather turned into a full-on storm with rain pelting, wind whipping and umbrellas barely making a difference in keeping us dry. We made it to a portico, but it was tough to concentrate on Lorenzo’s information about the large palatial Duke’s residence, when the thunder was clapping and we were all a bit soaked.

Lorenzo finally gave up and we asked the obvious question: “where is

the closest bar or restaurant” so we can either eat, drink or both while we attempt to dry out. It was about 50 yards away across a piazzza so we all bolted for it.

While it was on the list of suggested restaurants, it was fine but not one of our top picks of the trip so far. Once we got some dinner, enjoyed some wine and dried out a bit…Ashley, Ken, Don and I walked back to the hotel, as the rain had thankfully moved past. Katelyn and Shaun went to find the lake which Montua sits on, but due to the weather most bars were closed. So, it was time for bed and dream of bringing the sun back for another ride tomorrow.