{"id":1087,"date":"2022-07-07T18:21:23","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T18:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=1087"},"modified":"2022-07-07T18:30:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T18:30:47","slug":"63-orvieto-to-cittavecchia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=1087","title":{"rendered":"63. Orvieto to Civitavecchia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 July 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A slower start than planned. Feeling a bit dusty after a little too much rehydration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And after a quick plummet down from Orvieto\u2026..we were immediately in to a long slow grind up over 600m. One of those infuriating hills which look like they are going to end\u2026but don\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Italy\u2026..they do love their road signs (even if most drivers seem to ignore most of them!)..& the two most common are the \u2018pair of boobs\u2019, and the \u2018humpback bridge\u2019. The boobs are intended to indicate \u2018bumpy road\u2019\u2026and the condition of many of the roads is such that these signs are everywhere. Much easier to put up permanent road signs\u2026than actually fix the road!! Yes\u2026Italian roads\u2026once you get south of Turin\/Milan\u2026are some of the worst in Europe. All those stories about the state of Albanian roads\u2026? Well, Italian roads are much worse!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the \u2018humpback bridge\u2019\u2026is really a sign to indicate the \u2018crest of a hill\u2019, and are greeted with glee. But all too often they are just a slight change in gradient (creating a blind spot for overtaking drivers!). Like a mirage in the desert\u2026the top of the hill disappears as soon as you reach that change! So today\u2026was a frustrating six humpback bridge hill\u2026with the oasis of the ensuing downhill ever further away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top did come\u2026in the wee town of Montefiascone where we stopped for a bakery breakfast\u2026.and the downhill was long and slow – perfect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Montefiascone was also the place we crossed the Francigena trail which Alan and I had tried to follow three years ago en route to Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The weather again was hot, hot, hot\u2026..so we had planned to pull on to a beach as soon as we hit the coast! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

90kms on\u2026.and we completed our Italian coast to coast in almost exactly 72 hours from Ancona. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we whiled away most of the afternoon at a hideous lido. Most Italian beaches are awful. Mostly \u2018private\u2019\u2026with acres (indeed kilometres) of sunbeds (at 15 euros a pop!). Soulless places. And this stretch of grey sand North of Civitavecchia was as bad as the rest! Such a far cry from our last swim in Greece., with deep crystal clear water replaced by shallow almost muddy water. But it was good to get wet all the same!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The last 20kms on to Our ferry was assisted by a nice wind on our backs\u2026and was all good! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We passed one of Italy\u2019s largest power plants en route. Ugly\u2026but fascinating at the same time\u2026.as the plant extended for over four kms!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Avoiding our check-in mistakes at Patras\u2026 we cycled directly to the ticket office to change our on line ticket to real ones\u2026and then deposited ourselves at the nearest bar to fill in time before our late departure. Great wee place to watch the chaos of port activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We had already been advised that the 11pm departure had already been pushed back to 11.45\u2026.so it was around 10.30 before we cycled on to the ferry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We of course sped right to the front of the car queue (which had not yet started boarding!)\u2026were then waved straight through, to be the first arrivals onto the vehicle deck\u2026to find complete chaos as the place was full of trucks unloading deliveries\u2026..and not a soul to tell us where to park our bikes\u2026& then of course we got yelled at for we got it wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A full four levels of vehicle decks!! (Three of which can take trucks!)..but it seems that most of the vehicles are trailers only (which makes sense on such a long crossing!)\u2026so not a lot of folk on board\u2026probably thankfully!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went out for a smoke\u2026but then I could not get back in as the door handle broke off. So it took me a while to scramble around the outside decks to find a way in! All very weird!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barcelona tomorrow. Now that is a weird thought too! Just 17 hours on this rust bucket to cope with!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farewell Italy\u2026..very late at night!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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