Italy Part Due - Arezzo to Citta di Castello

Italy 2018 - Day Uno

Unlike our trip to Italy in 2015, we elected to skip crowded Roma and get straight into the country.  So, after clearing customs Sunday morning, we found our way from the airport to Roma Termini and then hopped on a  train to Arezzo.  Arezzo is a mid-sized town in eastern Tuscany and was bustling that Sunday with a monthly antique fair.  Interesting, but we had our minds on riding.

We spent Monday wandering around Arezzo, killing time until Luca, from Hike and Bike Italy, showed up with our bikes. Tuesday morning couldn't come early enough.

Jazzed to get on the road

We stuck around the hotel the next morning until 10AM rather than face the morning rush hour traffic.  Not sure if it worked or not, as there was a continuous stream of traffic for the first few kilometers as we exited the city.  Eventually, the traffic thinned considerably, allowing us to relax and enjoy the views.

Open road

We hit our first hill a little over 6 miles in.  The short 4 mile, 1000 foot elevation gain to Scheggia was just enough to get the legs pumped.

And our first hill!

On top of the first pass

Following Scheggia pass, we had a nice long downhill cruise before our next grind, a short steep hill to Anghiari,  This was a cool little town, so we opted to take a break and walk around.

Anghiari's main street - all the way to the valley floor

Anghiari

The grapes are just getting started

Wine?

Once we left Anghiari, it was across the valley to Sansepolcro.  We were getting hungry at this point, but it being 2PM, there weren't a lot of open restaurants.  Luckily, the weekly open air market was just winding down so we stopped at the porchetta truck.  I had some pork goodness, while Tamara was stuck with a dry cheese sandwich!

From Sansepolcro, we had another 12 miles left to get to our hotel in Citta di Castello.  As the traffic was heavy in Sansepolco, we opted for the "gravel" option.  This consisted of a horribly bumpy gravel road, followed by a bit of single track and ending with a long stretch of hardpacked two-track along the river.

Entering Citta di Castello

Once we checked in to the Hotel Tiferno in Citta di Castello, we wandered over to a local grocery store to pick up a bottle of vino rosso, bread and cheese for an aperitivo.

That evening we had some excellent pasta at a lively little place called Trattoria Lea.  Nice way to start our trip!

Stats

Distance: 38 miles

Elevation: 2100 feet

Link to GPS track

Link to day due