Day 46: Marina di Massa a Pastina

img_20180713_075424 — The early start got us to the leaning tower just before 8.00 and most of the tourists (and after half the route’s distance)

We liked the early morning start yesterday so much that we did it again. Alarm at 4.30, then tinkering with the B&B’s coffee machine to get some caffeine into the system, and off we went!

img_20180713_055034 — The Apuan Alps delayed the sunrise and we cycled in the dawn most of the way along the neverending stream of beaches and hotels south of Massa.

img_20180713_065157 — In Viareggio, we turned off the beach to cycle on the SS1 toward Pisa.

By the time we hit the SS1, morning traffic to Pisa was in full swing, which was not great. But we managed and arrived in Pisa early and went straight for it’s famous leaning tower, where the first tourists already started taking pictures posing as if propping the tower up, the classic photo.

Then it was coffee time! Liz found a great hipster coffee place where we had humongous cappucini and some bagels. We also did some more route planning and figured out that with three big pushes/days, we would be in Rome as early as Monday night.

img_20180713_080544 — Cycling south from the tower on a road that must be full with pedestrians in the evenings, with lots of restaurants and bars. I noticed these strategically placed barriers that I think could be there to make a vehicular terrorist attack more difficult (or just to slow down traffic). There were also a big military vehicle and heavily armed soldiers at the tower.

We stopped at a bike shop to buy new socks for me (a dog in space) and to check our tire pressures. With all tires back at 5bar / 73.5psi, we started the ride out of the city toward the Tuscan farmlands and more hills.

The longer break in Pisa (we spent almost 2 hours futzing around) resulted in a hotter than desired ride, which again confirmed the advantages of an early start.

img_20180713_103422 — South of Pisa, a military cargo airplane was flying in circles. Could be a Hercules, but not sure.

img_20180713_104317 — Also on the way: The lot of a company doing logistics for car companies, they are all brand new cars!

The short, albeit hot climb up to Santa Luce went well, and we stopped for lunch in a small restaurant. The nice salads, lasagna, and drinks set us back 29€, before we did the quick hop (about 3.5km / 2 miles) to the agriturismo where we are staying the night.

Delighted to find A/C in the room, we had a great afternoon nap/siesta and then booked rooms for the trip to Rome and the ferry from Ancona to Croatia at the end of next week. I am already looking forward to exploring the other side of the Adriatic!

Total distance/elevation to date: 3458km/25’917m
Rest days: 13
Route and Stats
Relive Video

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