Month: June 2019

Another day in Sansepolcro

Our next two-night stay was in the slightly larger town of Sansepolcro, for Saturday & Sunday night. For our loop ride yesterday, we rode out and around a lovely little reservoir just to the north of town, called Lago artificiale di Montedoglio. It was yet another 25+ mile ride, with about 1000 ft of elevation gain. Here are the obligatory photos:

Lago artificiale di Montedoglio
Our first glimpse of the reservoir
A closer look...
A closer look…
Mallory gives chase to a local rider
Mallory giving a local rider a run for his money
The view from way on the other side, close to the dam

The view from way on the other side, close to the dam

We rode into Umbria today, the official start of our second week of riding. The destination was Montone, which …wait for it… was on top of a hill with another big climb to get here! The worst part was that the temp topped 90º, and we’re just not used to heat like that yet. Anyway, I’ll report more on that ride, and the splendid little town of Montone, tomorrow…

Arezzo to Sansepolcro

Two posts in one day!?! Yep, I’m determined to get caught up, even if it means the posts keep getting shorter…

It’s late Sunday night here, our second night in Sansepolcro. The ride here yesterday was another ~25 mile one, with about 1400 ft of total elevation gain. Toward the end, we stopped to visit a sweet little hill town called Anghiari. More photos!..

Anghiari skyline
The newer skyline of Anghiari…
Skyline of Anghiari’s old city
…and the older one.
Back-street of Anghiari
This town was so picturesque!

Stairs through Anghiari

Don’t you love these stairs?

Flowers surrounding a centuries-old dwelling

Gotta love the flowers!

Renovated clock tower of Anghiari

This clock tower is a replica of the original (which didn’t have a clock, obviously)

Okay, that’s it for now. Come back for more tomorrow!

Cortona to Arezzo

Still trying to get caught up here, but it’s challenging when poor connectivity is paired with great riding weather & amazing food/drink. 👨🏼‍🎨

We’re in Sansepolcro now, where we have two nights in the same hotel. It was almost 90º out, but we still managed to do a loop ride around a nearby reservoir and go up/down about 1000 ft over the entire ride. Now we’re relaxing in the air conditioning in our room, and planning the next week’s rides.

We rode from Cortona to Arezzo on Friday, mostly on a gravel two-track that wound along a big canal. It was just over 27 miles, and our flattest ride yet, with more downhill than uphill by far (phew!) Here’s a few images from the ride:

Cortona breakfast view
Cortona breakfast view (including another mid-flight swallow!)
Centuries-old structure (with a hazy view of Cortona in the distance)
Centuries-old structure (with a hazy view of Cortona in the distance)
Old bridge along the Sentiero della Bonifica (note Mallory waving on bridge)
Old bridge along the Sentiero della Bonifica (note Mallory waving on bridge)
Another il Sentiero della Bonifica view
Another il Sentiero della Bonifica view

Our hotel in Arezzo was right downtown, with a great view of the piazza in front of the hotel and old city beyond. I’ll follow that up with some images of the old city…

View from the terrazza on top of our hotel
View from the terrazza on top of our hotel, with the old city in the distance
One of the main piazzas in the old city, decorated with shields all ‘round
One of the main piazzas in the old city, decorated with shields all ‘round
The spire of the cathedral
The spire of the cathedral in great light
“Rondels” in a museum’s old window, for you glass nerds

“Rondels” in a museum’s old window, for you glass nerds

Arezzo alley with flowers
Another spectacular alley, this one in Arezzo
Gorgeous building on the piazza in Arezzo
A gorgeous building on the piazza in Arezzo