I have to conclude that Italy is a not
very bike-minded country. In spite of its, earlier mentioned,
colourful tradition in this field. And with the exception of some
northern areas, where last year we rode many beautiful kilometers on
fine bike lanes.
Though there are many quiet small roads in the countryside, especially in the urban regions we have been passing
through these days the complete infrastructure is based on the use of
the motorcar, little or no thought has been given to cyclists or foot
paasingers. Especially in the more urban regions a desert of asphalt
exists, with exits, junctions and by-passes one after and over the
other. Between them there are the commercial areas with their
shopping malls. The result of all this city-planning is that an
Italian without a car must be a handicapped person. He won't be able
to reach any of the modern facilities that he is told to need.
Pray that such developments will not
occur in our home country.
Now we come and try to pass these knots
of roads on our way to the east. Road signs galore, but never we can
be certain that we will not end up on a motorway or another road
aligned with high safety barriers and racing cars just inches away
from our right arms. Situations we don't want to be in.
So often we stand and check our maps
and gps and don't know anything better to do than ask someone. Very
often we address a cyclist. Rather many of them, pensioners on
racebikes mostly, can be seen on the Italian roads. And a couple of
times already such a cyclist would start to explain how to ride and
then come to the conclusion that he better accompany us for some
time. And so it happens then. Yesterday f.i. a man rode with us for
maybe 20 minutes up a pass untill there was a tiny road to the left,
la strada vecchio. We should take this old road, for else we would
come into some long tunnels, and that would be “multo pericoloso”
There he left us and returned.
Once we had crossed the pass this way
(multo bello, by the way) we descended and again, in the narrow
valley, the old road and the new motorway mingled into an unclear
situation. At a certain moment a car passed us, stopped and the man
asked us where we were going. Wrong road, according to him. He told
us to turn round etc. But some 4 kms further, there he was again. The
situation was too complicated, he said. He would drive in front of us
for 3 kms. So it happened. Then he made a drawing of the situation of
the coming roads and pointed out how we had to ride. Then he said
goodbye, after we had expressed our gratitude of course.
Such kindness!
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