This was a big day on the Grand Tour – for cycling and for culture. We were up and away early, with many miles to ride. The first marker was crossing the river Po for the final time. This was our lowest point, at only about 20m above sea level and only 20 miles from the Adriatic.

After coffee a second significant river crossing – the Fiume Adige – the river we’ll be following up to the Brenner pass. But this time our bridge was closed and we had to use main roads for a few miles to reach Rovigo. The next few miles to Monselice, after 47 miles, were hard. But we arrived in time for a late lunch. This town is between two hills – the first we had seen for days.

The final 15 miles to Padua were often on gravel, beside a canal, and we caught the edge of a huge thunderstorm, just to make life more interesting. But Helen has, of course, a lot in common with Lizzie Armitstead, (both Otley girls) and she also goes best when it’s wet, cold and windy! So we flew along over the bumps and through the puddles, with a big grin on Helen’s face.

And after 62 miles we are now in Padua – the latest gem on the Grand Tour. And after a quick shower we were off to see that masterpiece of the Renaissance – Giotto’s 14th century frescoes in the Capella degli Scrovegni. These were every bit as good as billed – really human figures. We are thinking of repainting our front room …..

Actually the whole town is full of frescoes, even on outside walls. Our after dinner walk was magical. Such a busy day I’ve only just had time to wash my shorts for tomorrow!

Helen’s track of the day:
Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin.
This played on the radio whilst we were having our evening meal in Ferrara and it stayed in my head throughout today. When the tune is something I know really well and is this long, that is a bonus. And though there are many pieces of music from the classical repertoire that would fit with Giotto’s work, this will do just fine. In the section representing the way to hell I am sure I recognised a few Tory ministers, London bankers, Sepp Blatter…….

There’s no denying it. After some 850 miles of cycling we are now halfway through the journey, and this morning we turned north, back towards the Alps. But it was a wrench to leave Bologna, and this lovely hotel. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here.

Quite a short, flat day today. We got to Ferrara just after midday so that we had plenty of time to explore. But somehow we seem to have ended up in this cafe instead. We are right in the central square next to the castle, with beer, tea and cake. If we ever go exploring I’ll report later. But here are some shots of the day’s ride.

Ferrara has kept its old walls, and we had a picnic lunch underneath them.

It also has a proper castle, with
moat and drawbridge, right in the centre of town.

Ok – we explored. Specifically the 14th century frescoes in the Palazzo Schifanoia – unusual for being a non-religious portrayal of the 12 months, with Duke Estense doing seasonal dukely stuff, signs of the Zodiac and assorted Roman gods. Fantastic!

This is yet another impressive town with huge Piazzas and Palazzos all over the place. The evening finished with pasta and salad – perfect fuelling up for a 60 mile day tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day:
Wake Me Up by Avicii
A bit of get up and go to start the second half of the trip.

It’s much bigger and, arguably, more important than any of the towns we’ve seen so far – but, even taking those advantages into account, it’s easily the most dynamic, vibrant and interesting. At one time it had a poor reputation, but since 2000 it has been given a facelift so that now it rivals all the other top Italian tourist destinations. It is a city of red brick buildings, yellow, cream and terracotta painted plaster walls, mediaeval (leaning) towers and endless porticoed pavements.

The Basilica has a huge floor area (5th largest!) but is unfinished because building was blocked by the Pope when it was planned to build it bigger than St Peters. So the front is only half marble clad, and the side transepts stick out into space. And its been like that for 500 years!

It also has a 67m long sundial on the floor by means of which, in the 1600s, Cassini worked out that we needed leap years!

Bologna has a brand new museum telling the city’s story from the Etruscan era to the present day. This covered a lot of ground and was very well presented. It kept us amused for a couple of hours.

Bologna is, of course, famous for having the oldest University in Europe. In the oldest University building is a 17th century anatomy theatre.

This was partly rebuilt after allied bombing, but it still has two unusual ‘skinless’ statues, carved in wood, but with all the muscle groups showing!

After that lot we needed lunch. Emilia Romana is renowned for it’s fine local cuisine – but I don’t seem to be getting
the hang of it. Yesterday I indulged my
inner 7 year old with pizza and ice cream, and today I went for chicken curry and rice. I’ll never be a foodie!

Helen’s track of the day:
Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra.
I know, all these days in Italy and no mention till today. Well, a few Sinatra songs were played at the restaurant last night so here he is, and please celebrate one of the best musical arrangements in all of popular songs. And for me a great memory of an evening in a Bologna trattoria, with the pasta dish you might expect and much bonhomie, or whatever the Italian equivalent is, from the fella in charge of the place.

We liked Modena. The cathedral was a stunning building, 11th century I think and in a Romanesque style, all rounded arches in red brick, and plain styling in the main with detailed carvings like the rood screen to depict some of the big stories. Then some big theatrical parts which made quite an impact particularly with a service just beginning.

Anyway, by way of contrast we then headed for a bar, waiting for food to be served, and were put through the entire soundtrack of The Rocky Horror Show which was a bit surreal. Then pizza. Then bed. But no sleep. It was the hottest night and no air con. Or air.

It was good to get going this morning, fast enough to create a breeze is the trick. Today’s obstacle was supposed to be rivers and Bologna airport but we hit a snag with a level crossing that was shut. Two local cyclists helped us find a way through and we reached Bologna at 12 noon, right to the middle of the city along a busy but very straight and probably Roman road. The city looks impressive and after a rest we shall go exploring a bit but we are here tomorrow too. I think this was the hottest day yet.

Track of the day:
Wartime by The Hot 8 Brass Band.

We had 2 cool and quiet nights in Parma thanks to the hotel’s air conditioning and sealed windows. I know Daniel, our Eco-warrior, thinks air-con is the work of the devil but this woman of a certain age is very glad of it. The staff in the posh Parma hotel were very friendly and took great care of our bikes and they were interested in our route etc. Perhaps we were different from their usual clientele. One mature American couple caught my eye. She swept her blonde tresses over her shoulder Miss Piggy style and said to her doting partner, “Oh it’s so easy to write here, I think I’ll set my next novel in Italy.” As Sybil Fawlty would say, pretentious? Moi?

So, the cycling was lovely today, hot and humid, then we caught the edge of a storm and the rain brought a brighter and more pleasant day over generally flat but interesting terrain and some lively villages. We had a great and cheap pasta lunch in Reggio Emilia where the whole city seemed to have a holiday vibe, and cycles were everywhere.

The meandering route Andy had set on the GPS was a complex 50 miles, but got us safely around motorways, high speed railways, factories and all and a surprisingly pretty route into Modena. The hotel is distinctly average but we are well and ready to go exploring. It is currently 33c so we need to go slowly.

Track of the day: A Place in the Sun by James Morrison ( and Jools Holland and the Band). An old Stevie Wonder song but I prefer this version and it’s perfect after yesterday’s less than upbeat choice.

Parma is a great place for ever-hungry cyclists to replenish the calorie stores!Last night ‘s meal was billed as typical Parma fare: lots of ham, cheese and salad to start, followed by Tortelli pasta stuffed with more cheese, then Foccaccio and more cheese!

A slight snag in the otherwise meticulous planning sees us in Parma on a Monday – when many of the key museums are shut! So we missed the Parma theatre and, overcoming our disappointment, we had a more ecclesiastical day than planned.

But first we needed coffee in the very grand Piazza Garibaldi.

Parma Cathedral is known for a very early painting of the assumption on the ceiling of its central dome. But Helen spotted a more interesting memorial to Giambattista Bodoni – an 18th century Parmesan printer with an international business, and his own typeface. A digital version is still in use. But the cathedral’s baptistry (next door) is the star of the show.

This dates from the 11th century and is full of frescos. I don’t think I have ever seen anything of that age looking quite so intact.

Parma is a great mix of new and old, chic shops and old churches, cheek by jowl. Bits of it were damaged by allied bombing – including the Farnese-built Palazzo Pilotta, which may account for some of the modern buildings. A thriving place, but somehow not as coherent as Cremona.

Helen’s track of the day:
Take Me To Church by Hozier,
Not altogether in keeping with our easy going moods of the moment but it came to mind during the ecclesiastical tour.

Another low key cycling today across the plain of the river Po to Parma, 43 miles of flat and easy cycling. We used bike paths for almost all the route and found company from other Sunday cyclists, the highest numbers since the Annecy bike paths. Most came out of Cremona, a city we had liked very much partly because there were bikes everywhere but also because of its beautiful old buildings and the general pace of life.

On days like this it is quite a skill to stop the brain from wandering back to work things or finding something stupid to fret about. I spent time thinking of Beatles songs, as yesterday’s busker had given us a medley, this time my theme was the daftest lyrics. But then I lost the words a bit so moved on to which have strings sections (in honour of Stradivari who worked in Cremona). Not very fruitful but being relaxed and doing 800 miles of cycling in 4 weeks takes this kind of brain distraction. When I asked Andy what he thinks about he said he is just concentrating on the navigation and making sure we don’t get lost or the wrong side of a motorway. He probably doesn’t need to know what I am thinking about then.

Anyway here we are in Parma, some kind of upgrade appears to have happened and we are in a 4* hotel with bellboys and luggage carriers for the bike panniers. Thank you booking.com. The main aim of the flat day’s cycling being to spend time in this highly recommended gem – we’ll see this evening and tomorrow!

Track of the day:
Albatross by Fleetwood Mac
Despite all the brain games this came to mind at some point and stayed, a favourite for old timers from the seventies.

Cremona is every bit as good as billed. The mediaeval buildings are impressive – including the tallest bell tower in Europe at 111m. I need a taller camera.

Said bell tower has a zodiacal clock from the 1500s.

But Cremona is known for violin making – so we went round the new, high tech, violin museum. High on technology but quite low on information. So instead of new facts to wow you with, here is a bad joke (and bad photo). This is Monteverdi and his Vespas!

After a lovely lunch in the main square gazing at the cathedral we spent the afternoon at the open air swimming pool. Really rather a conventional sort of a holiday day really!

Helen’s track of the day:
The Boxer by Paul Simon
Sung by the busker in the piazza at lunchtime though he did get the verses out of order and I had to help him out. Though to be fair he probably doesn’t get so many passersby who are that keen on PS songs.

Things improved last night with an excellent salad in the impressive main square – but otherwise Piacenza still didn’t really attract too strongly. This morning we left early – partly to avoid cycling in midday heat and partly to escape the smell of mouldy hotel ceiling due to the leaks in the bathroom above. You have to kiss a few frogs on these trips!

So here’s a shot of an early morning Po (if you’ll forgive the phrase). Since we left it near Pinerolo it has grown a lot.

For the first time since Annecy we were on a car free bike path, where minds could, and did, wander. Dead flat agricultural land beside the Po, with the bike path on top of the flood bank. The only danger is falling down the bank! We’ve done a few miles on these along European rivers in recent years and it hasn’t happened yet.

It was a short day, just 30 miles, and we crossed the river Po to Cremona on the north bank just before noon. Sadly, Helen did not like the suspended walkway beside the bridge and shot off before I had got the camera out.

But Cremona is great. We had lunch and generally sat around drinking in the atmosphere. We have a day off here tomorrow, so plenty of time then to be more inquisitive.

Meanwhile, Helen has found us an excellent Locanda in the countryside just out of town for our two nights here. A lovely peaceful spot.

Helen’s Track of the day:
Candy by Paulo Nutini
I know he is more Paisley than Piedmont but his songs keep coming up. Andy says we are now in Lombardy but I think we got the gist.

Last night’s restaurant proved very much as feared – no menu, extremely rich and saucy food that turns out to be very expensive. At least the local Reisling was excellent!

Back to proper countryside today, up a lovely green valley and a steep 400m climb to a pass. There were vineyards everywhere and it all felt very remote and rural. The views back were fantastic, with Monte Rosa in the distance.

Hard work, but much better than yesterday’s nondescript flat stuff – motorways, warehouses etc. After coffee on the pass we descended some decaying hairpins (memories of eastern Europe), past a lake, and then followed Val Tione back down to the Po floodplain. Even the flat stuff was properly rural – fields of onions and garlic – until very close to Piacenza.

In Piacenza we started along a promising looking cycle path which ended like this.

I’ll have to upload it to the website of the world’s worst cycle lanes. Still not so bad as in Rodez last year which ended in the rubbish dump.

So here we are in Piacenza. This is the first of a sequence of northern Italian towns that are the counterfoil to cycling through/over the Alps. So far the culture count is quite low, because the cheap hotel is exactly that – but things can only improve now we are showered and drinking beer in the Piazza Duomo.

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Helen’s track of the day:
Pusher man by Curtis Mayfield

So there is just this last push, he said, only this hill to climb over, just 400m of ascent to go. This is for my Pusherman.