Freedom at last

After 10 weeks of lockdown here in Italy, the day came when we were allowed out! Phase two means we can now travel within the region of Emilia-Romagna to exercise or visit relatives. Cafes, bars, restaurants, beauty salons and shops reopen on May 18th, the latter of which I’m personally counting down the days until, because I only have the clothes I bought with me back in February…when it was a lot colder!

For us, being allowed to cycle again was the blissful reward for the weeks spent cooped up, only being allowed to leave the flat to go to the supermarket. We wasted no time donning the lycra and dusting off the bikes and before we knew it we were whizzing down the Po cycle path with big smiles on our faces.

The early part of the week saw a couple of shorter, local rides to ease back in to it. Then we decided to go further afield and go to the beach! Our ride started in Codigoro where we headed out of the town to get on to the SP62. This was a lovely quiet road, with a good surface, which headed North for quite a few miles. The sun was shining and as we pedalled along I enjoyed taking in the passing scenery. It feels a privilege catching a fleeting glimpse in to the lives of the villages as we whizz by. The plots of land here are quite spacious and focus around the road we were travelling past on. The juxtaposition of some of the dwellings was fascinating to see. There would be a fairly modern house, surrounded by a beautifully manicured lawn, dotted with colourful plants all stood to attention in their pots. The whole site a joy for the senses. Then next door would be a ramshackle old barn, with piles of terracotta tiles leaning precariously up one side, a piece of farming machinery or a bike abandoned in the long grass, forgotten many years before. Upon closer inspection though these dwellings are lived in, the row of washing on a rickety line, or open shutters framing clean glass windows the only clue to the fact that they are indeed someone’s humble abode. Both types of property were in themselves attractive and I found myself wondering about the occupants that resided within. Then in a blink of an eye, the scene past and there was a new sight to drink in.

We soon took a right turn at the village of Massenzatica where we picked up the cycle route alongside the Po di Goro, a tributary of the mighty Po. This smaller relative marks the division between Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, the region above. So in effect we were as far North East as we could get. We followed the river and it’s purpose built cycle path for about 12 miles. In all that time we didn’t see another soul, no walkers, cyclists or cars. In fact, when the trees hid the distant telephone lines the landscape looked much as It would have done centuries before. The only modern day clue being the asphalt we were rolling along on. Which was like a lot of the roads in this part of Italy, it would be perfectly smooth tarmac for miles and miles, lulling you in to a false sense of security; an absolute joy to ride on. Then out of nowhere…….bam! You’re on a broken path dotted with loose chippings, potholes and weeds a plenty. Slowly losing the feeling in your hands as you bounce your way over the rough surface. Just when you’re starting to question choosing this particular route, a smooth black shape appears up ahead and the wonderfully smooth status quo is resumed! Heaven!

We parted with the Po di Goro and headed in land for a short time to skirt round some woods, popping back out on the coast at Lido di Volano. This part of the coast is made up of in-land lagoons called Lido’s, creating a beautiful sanctuary for lots of wildlife. We were lucky enough to see some flamingos in one of these little lagoons; not a usual bike ride sight! We decided to go and look at the beach so headed as far East as we could until we stumbled on some forlorn looking beach clubs. A sad-looking collection of restaurants, cabanas, children’s rides and gelato stores all boarded up, once a happy haven for many families, now just marching time until they can return. The small town was nestled between the lagoon and the strip of land that makes up the coast; half perfect white sand and half divinely scented pine forest. So as we cycled along we were treated to wafts of salty seaside scents or pine perfumes.

We continued South down the main coast road, a perfectly smooth stretch of tarmac with only a handful of cars about. The wildlife reserves soon gave way to holiday villages and the next couple of towns were obviously only there for holiday makers. We passed literally hundreds of shuttered up holiday apartments, abandoned at the end of last season, waiting to be awoken from their slumber by the delighted cries of children and adults a like. The place felt very eerie. We entered Porto Garibaldi, with very low hopes of finding somewhere to get some lunch. The beachfront promenade wouldn’t look amiss in a British seaside town; just the tacky arcade amusements, fish and chip shops and rain missing! We were lucky enough to find a cafe open for take away, refuelled then hopped back on our bikes alongside the channel of water that heads inland to Comacchio.

This jewel in the Po Delta is known as ‘Little Venice’ and dates back two thousand years when it would have been a busy little port. The buildings seem to radiate warmth as their red hue is reflected in the network of little canals which thread their way through the town. The main attraction is Trepponti, a three way bridge built in 1638. It was commissioned as a fortified gateway by Cardinal Giovan Battista Pallotta and is also known as Ponte Pallotta. It really is an incredible feat of engineering and definitely an imposing welcome to the town. As I was taking this photo of it, a local commented on how lucky we were to see it like this, usually there’s people swarming all over it. The local delicacy of Comacchio is eel, so I couldn’t decide whether I was quite pleased the local restaurants were closed! The canals and stepped bridges inhibits exploring on a bike some what and tottering about in cycling shoes is not a good look! So we will definitely be back to explore more here in the future. Perhaps I’ll try eel then!

Our route looped back up from Comacchio through Lago Santo and Marozzo back in to Codigoro, where we enjoyed an ice cream from the supermarket near where we parked to cool down. A really enjoyable bike ride and the furthest I’ve done in a long time. What a wonderful day out!

If you ever find yourself in the Po delta and fancy a ride here’s a link to the route on Garmin Connect: Comacchio Loop Garmin Route