End of a Dream Bike Tour
Italy Stage 10- Fri 8th July 2016 – Padova to Mestre (44 Km)
Weather: 23⁰C min – 28⁰C max, fine
” The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew, and live through it “ ~ Doug Bradbury
Riding 500 Km through the northern Italy regions of Lombardy and Veneto over the last 10 days has been an unforgettable experience, not just because of the stunning lakes and beautiful countryside but also because of the wonderful people I have met along the way.
Human kindness knows no bounds, as exemplified today by my friend Volker from Padua and his cycling club associate Luciano from Mestre. Volker had enlisted Luciano’s services to obtain a cardboard bike box in Mestre, but because Luciano speaks no English at all Volker accompanied me on my 40 Km ride to Mestre to introduce me and assist in finalising the arrangements, then turned around and rode 40 Km back to Padua.
When we arrived in Mestre Luciano took us on a bike tour of Parco San Giuliano, which used to be an industrial tip but which is now a delightful parkland looking over the water towards the island of Venice. When we arrived back at his house his wife had prepared lunch, consisting of home-made spaghetti with clams, followed by a large bowl of mussels, then cherries, grapes and a selection of local cheeses.
After lunch Luciano took me downstairs to his garage where he helped me pack my bike in the large cardboard carton he had obtained, before driving me over the bridge to where I am staying in Venice. The boxed bike is now safely stored in his garage until Tuesday, when he will drive me and the box to Venice Marco Polo airport for my flight back to Gatwick. All this from somebody who I had not even met until today!
From a scenic aspect the ride today was not as attractive as the previous stages, but Volker was able to point out lots of historic points of interest. In particular I was interested in the Veneto villas, which are stately country homes built in the 16th century. Between Padua and Venice there are no less than 200, including the impressive and historic Villa Pisani. Located facing the Brenta River at Stra about 30 kilometres from Venice, Villa Pisani was partially restructured in 1934 to host the first meeting of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini after the riots in Austria. On 14 June 1934 Hitler was brought to the Piazzale Roma (the bus interchange in Venice near where I am staying) by motorboat across the Grand Canal. From there he was driven to Villa Pisani for the conference with Mussolini.
Venice is like no other city I have ever seen, being built on more than 100 small islands in a marshy lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. There are no cars or roadways, just boats and canals with lots of quaint, humped bridges. Not even bicycles are allowed on the island.
There will be plenty to see and do in Venice over the next four days. On Tuesday I am looking forward to returning to London to see my dear wife, without whose support and encouragement I would not be able to experience such wonderful cycling adventures.
I hope you have enjoyed following my Italian tour and will follow my blog again late August when I will be joining some friends from Sydney on a bike-barge trip down the Mosel River through Germany, Luxemburg and France, after which I will be continuing solo through Alsace and Lorraine to Basel in Switzerland.
An item of interest:
Some friends of ours recently visited Venice and were surprised by Chinese interest, presence and ownership in Italy’s Venice!
Lots of love and thanking God that all worked out well.
Nancy.
Thanks Nancy. It was a great trip, with everything working to plan and no mishaps or navigational problems. Italy is definitely one of my favourite countries.