The hotel just outside Vipiteno was a great find: quiet, good food and great views over the town – and a huge yoghurt factory. The town had imprinted itself in our consciousness from the moment we entered Italy, because all the yoghurts have ‘made in Vipiteno’ written on the side. (And we eat a lot of yoghurts, with added hazel nuts, dried fruit, and honey if we can get it). The excitement was building all day yesterday as we saw yoghurt lorries on the autobahn…….

This morning was cloudy and damp as we set off for the Brenner Pass.

There was some steep climbing to reach the town of Brenner – and coffee break. It started to rain as we followed the bike track beside the railway line on a huge zig zag. Once up the zig and round the steep bend (in beautiful forest) we were pleased to find that the zag was on a disused section of the railway (the current route having been tunnelled into the mountain to decrease the gradient). But 3% gradient on the old route was fine with us! And the rain stopped. We also stopped – to celebrate with Vipiteno yoghurt.

The remaining 4 miles to the pass were easy cycling.

The summit is fairly flat so, after a quick drink, we were off – down into Austria. This started as a fast descent down a fairly big road. On the way we passed a major access point for the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel. When this opens (planned for 2025) it will be a 34 mile long replacement for the current railway over the pass – taking nearly 2 hours off the journey time. Let’s hope they convert all the old line to cycle track – and I’m still around to ride it.

There is no recognised cycle route on the Austrian side. Further down I had chosen a turn off onto a minor road. This appeared to contour along the valley side as the valley dropped – and by staying level it gave great views of the valley and, eventually, of Innsbruck before a final, steep descent.

Unfortunately the road was not as level as it had appeared on my map. It kept twitching up and down steeply, round little side valleys. And there were roadworks to contend with. The smooth main road down below was taunting us! But we made it. We have crossed the main chain of the Alps twice. We are in Innsbruck and the sun has just come out. Day off tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day:
U Cant Touch This by MC Hammer
Deep in the music I have brought with me I found this last night, trying to find some cheering music whilst recovering from a big day. I am pleased to say this stuck in my head all morning and got me over the Brenner pass. What do you mean you didn’t think I was a Hammer fan?

Today was probably the most tiring day so far. No easy ex-railway lines, but a cycle track like a roller coaster – too steep for touring bikes and frequently very rough as well. Though Helen enjoyed riding through the forest.

Along with most towns in Sud-Tirol, Chiusa has a German name as well – Klausen. In fact, it felt as though we were already in Austria. The mayo is all over the salad; the beer, bread and puddings are improving, and well managed camp sites have reappeared. And since everything is bilingual at the moment we have the chance to mangle 2 foreign languages at once! Zwei cappucini bitte!

We had an early coffee stop in Brixen – partly because Helen had pulled her back earlier this morning. The coffee was restorative, and we admired the Germanic architecture and a display of medals, newly created to celebrate famous scientists from Padua.

Then the going got tougher as we climbed rough dirt track into high alpine pastureland.

We are now settled into a cuckoo clock style, alpine chalet hotel at over 1000m, and we are hoping apple strudel is on the menu. Tomorrow is the final push (well, hopefully a pedal) to the top of the Brenner pass and then down to Innsbruck.

Helen’s track of the day:
Multiply by Jamie Lidell.
Over the last 5 miles in particular this song came to mind with the phrase ‘so tired, so tired’. With thanks to Daniel for introducing me to this, and a few other tracks on this playlist too.

We have followed a dedicated bike path steadily up a valley bringing us to an alpine village of Chiusa. Sunny today and a Sunday so there were a lot of bikes out on the path, speed merchants and family groups and some on touring bikes like us. We thought last nights campsite was one of the best ever, right in the village, attached to the hotel/restaurant and full of calm Dutch and Germans. Then a brass band concert started up in the village square just as we were settling to sleep, 9pm, I know but we get tired on all this fresh air and exercise. Well they were good players, but I would have preferred the extra sleep time really. It may be linked to us feeling a bit more weary today, so down time now for the rest of the day enjoying the alpine scenery.

We passed through Bolzano at coffee time, another town from 2 years ago.

But this time we turned up the narrow valley towards the Dolomites and the Brenner. Motorway, railway and A road all compete for space with the bike path in the narrow gorge just beyond Bolzano. In places the bike path is on disused sections of the railway (bypassed with new tunnels). But by Chiusa the valley opens out a bit, and lovely green alps with high villages hang above our heads.

Track of the day:
Extraordinary by Clean Bandit.
It’s been the soundtrack to the trip really as I have heard it many times and again this morning when we stopped in Bolzano for coffee. Not a favourite but that is the random nature of this list.

Slightly better weather this morning, but still the threat of rain as we left the hotel. (There had been some evening sunshine yesterday, so we had finally seen some mountains. The hotel was in a lovely spot).

The local geography is really complicated, but basically we wanted to descend to the Adige valley, but first had to climb about 400m to a pass. As we climbed the cloud continued to build.

Our route over the pass itself was on a tiny back road. When we reached the turn we found the road thoroughly closed – it was being upgraded. But luckily it was Saturday and no one was around. It is surprising how much motivation comes from the knowledge that the only alternative involves a huge detour with a huge amount of extra climbing! So we got stuck in to moving concrete bollards, dismantling the fencing, and generally breaking in to the building site. It took a while, but we got through. The views down to Trento were great.

There followed a really steep descent down tightly packed hairpins, as rain began to fall, to coffee in Trento.

This had been a favourite place when passed through, heading south on the Via Claudia Augusta cycle route, 2 years ago. It was good to be back, but this time we didn’t stay long. And the weather improved as we headed north up the magnificent cycle track.

Finally, some sun, and dry feet for the first time for three days! And a tail wind as well. Magnificent. We finished the day just short of Bolzano at a very nice campsite attached to a hotel. The thunder is rolling round, but at least the tent is up and we have shelter.

Helen’s track of the day:
Feeling Good, Muse
Yesterday, whilst drying out in the motel, I had a lovely time listening to some of the playlists I had put on the phone for this trip, music I had not had chance to look at in detail. On a playlist of British music I found this, a favourite Nina Simone track but with a cover version by Muse that makes me laugh. A good song for today.

This was the most tightly packed campsite ever. Every square inch had a tent, car, trailer or windsurf rig. Sleep wasn’t too bad, despite a live umpah band till late and a crying baby in the next tent – close enough to have been in our tent.

We packed up in the dry, but as soon as we turned the pedals the thunder rumbled and soon it was black as night and hammering down – and the rain was cold. The only good news was a superb dedicated cycle track, away from the roads. This wound up the valley between huge limestone cliffs, flat sections interspersed with narrow, steep bits through huge boulders to the next level up. There were alpine flowers even as low down as this.

After coffee, for no apparent reason, the bike track disappeared and we were on the road for a bit. At exactly noon we pulled up outside a village coop, needing food, to find the entrance door locked. It closed at 12 because, it turns out, today is some kind of national holiday. But, with some nifty footwork, we managed to sneak in through the exit and grab food supplies.

The bike track reappeared, and up we went – with the rain easing enough to get the camera out.

And then, suddenly, a little miracle. A sleek modern restaurant of steel and glass all on its own in the middle of nowhere, advertising fish and chips! It’s safe to say that we were the wettest of the clientele, but they let us in, and the puddle that we made wasn’t too big, honest! Warmth, great mountain views, and fish n chips. And whilst we were there, a text from Tim Scholes with greetings from the top of Mont Ventoux. Windy, apparently.

After lunch, back in the wet, cold, cycling clothes, camping did not look attractive, even though the rain was easing a bit. But there weren’t many hotels to choose from in this remote area, and they were full because of the holiday. Then our third stroke of luck for the day. A tiny roadside motel had a cheap room, and we are warm and dry again already. The sun even looks as though it might come out. Still hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day:
My Sad Captains by Elbow.

This choice has given me a lot of musing whilst cycling along this week. It is 5 years today since my Dad died and though I don’t go in for anniversaries much this one needed marking. I went for a general, melancholic, even elegiac quality and a very Northern sound from Mr Garvey and Co. Sad but not bitter. And with much love to Little Brother.

Well, the rain eventually stopped in time for an evening walk beside Lake Garda.

This morning we rode the short distance to Simione for coffee, and then a 4 hour ferry ride up Lake Garda. This was a great way to see the lake – very thoroughly because the ferry called at no less than 11 towns along the way. But it was very relaxing and much better than the very busy roads on either side of the lake. Loads of tunnels through the cliffs and no bike route.

There have been heavy showers all day. We pitched the tent for the first time for a couple of weeks, in the rain, on a very busy campsite at the head of the lake. But at least there are some nice lakeside places to eat in a while.

Helen’s track of the day:
A Lady of a Certain Age, The Divine Comedy.
A bittersweet tale of a woman living out her life on Lake Geneva rather than Lake Garda, but the fancy homes on the lakeside brought this to mind. Plus all the references to Dante that we had seen in Verona may be linked in.

The crowds in Verona were a bit overwhelming. In Acqui Terme a couple of weeks ago we were just about the only tourists. And Cremona was similar. So perhaps booking a B&B 100m from Juliet’s balcony was asking for trouble!

But it was a nice room, and we warmed to Verona. The Piazza Erbe was great – and I loved the cool air coming off the glacial water of the Fiume Adige as it encircles the city.

We visited the Basilica of Saint Zeno, which was a very fine Romanesque building with some excellent frescoes. The Saint himself (or what’s left of him) is smiling in a glass coffin, wrapped in a red robe. He looks exactly like the kind of macabre Santa that used to give Catherine nightmares.

But, of course, we had to visit the famous Arena. No opera tonight, but the set of Madame Butterfly was there for tomorrow. Sadly there were no lions or tigers for Roman gladiatorial combat either.

This morning we lingered in Piazza Erbe over coffee, before the crowds arrived, but then set off for Lake Garda. A flat day’s cycling, always heading towards a huge storm cloud. Whilst having pasta for lunch in a welcoming Trattoria the heavens opened. The final miles beside Fiume Mincio were on a lovely cycle path, but in heavy rain. Arriving at Peschiera, Lake Garda was almost blotted out and we could hardly see anything.

We were intending to camp at Simione, but a hotel got the better of us. So here we are, warm and dry, waiting for the rain to stop and hoping for better weather for our Lake Garda ferry ride tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day:
Pompeii by Bastille.
Posters for a recent concert by Bastille followed our route out of Verona so this song caught up in my brain for most of today.

Back on the bikes again and off to Verona, the final bit of Culture in the Italian part of the Grand Tour. First we had a chat with a group of Cumbrian cyclists also heading off from the hotel, then we set off up a very steep hill, a shock after 10 days on the Flatlands.

It was 27c before 9am and very humid, but once we got going both of us enjoyed being back on the hills and the views were lovely. Best thing was we got in 2 coffee breaks over the morning, including a lovely visit to the walled town of Soave.

Something new today, a cheery wave from a nun on a bicycle. And a rural cycle rack. And we passed 1000 miles of cycling.

Anyway, the bed and breakfast place is
one of my quirky finds, a third floor
room in someone’s flat close to central Verona and the hostess is an Italian version of Andy’s Nan. Very kind and friendly but tiny. She and I had a chat about making a nice cup of tea, as she did not bat an eyelid when I produced a bag of Betty’s best green tea and a strainer and asked her for some cups and hot water…

Off to explore now, though unlikely to go to the opera I think.

Track of the day:
Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits.
As anticipated by Jane D on an earlier comment, I would have to choose a Mark Knopfler tune somewhere and todays is an obvious choice.

So, with everything closed on Mondays, this turned into a quiet day. Mind you, we needed it after two busy days. So we wandered around Vicenza, drank coffee and had a long, lazy lunch and an afternoon reading in the park. Almost like a holiday. Vicenza has Palladian villas and palaces all over the place.

P.S. No sign of the lost underpants yet.

Helen’s track of the day:
Rest by Michael Kiwanuka
More rest than we anticipated but probably a good thing.

Padua really is the business. We stayed in Padua for the morning and cycled in the afternoon. Hot, but worth it for extra time in Padua. Actually, I’m beginning to think that 32C is optimum for cycling!

The highlight was yet another set of 14th century frescoes, this time in the Baptistero of the Duomo. I have never really liked comic books as a way of story telling – but some of these cartoon strips of Bible stories are great fun!

The lowlight was the Basilica of Saint Anthony – hideous! Anthony’s incredibly overblown tomb is here, along with associated relics. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things – which is handy because I have lost a pair of quick-dry Rohan underpants and I’m down to my last pair. I had a word as I passed the tomb, so we’ll see!

The afternoon’s cycling was relatively uneventful, except for two items. First, the cycle path into Vicenza gets top marks for being well surfaced (in contrast to Padua’s cart tracks) and, second, we cycled beside, and even slightly up, a hill into Vicenza. We have only had bridges to climb since hitting the plain about 10 days ago.

On arrival in Vicenza at 4pm we discovered that all the Palladian cultural sights planned for tomorrow’s day off are shut on Mondays. Of course. As in Parma a week ago. But they are open on Sundays to 6pm.

So, for the second day in a row, it was a case of high-speed showers and straight back out. In 90 minutes we visited:
The Teatro Olympico – Palladio’s 1580 architectural recreation of the Greek city of Thebes as a stage set. Weird, but a masterpiece of perspective.
The Pallazo Leoni Montanari – a Baroque palace with fantastic ceilings and an over-the-top Loggia featuring Hercules and a big stick. Oh – and a priceless collection of Russian Orthodox iconography in the attic.

And all this with no thought of our stomachs! So then we needed beer and, later a huge plate of pasta. But we weren’t done yet! The Basilica Palladiana was open until midnight (but not Mondays!). This is not a church but effectively the town hall, built by Palladio on three floors.

We climbed to the roof terrace for a bar and live jazz and great views over the rooftops as the sun set.

Many of these Palladian buildings have life sized statues standing on the edge of the roof. From the street I always want to shout “Don’t do it! Don’t jump!” So I was delighted to find the the more suicidal ones had steel harnesses holding them on to the roof. I am still puzzled as to how you do psychometric testing on a Palladian statue.

Helen’s track of the day:
I am not a Muse, Paul Heaton.

The Baroque nonsense in this evening’s palace was so over the top, full of statues, cherubs and muses for showing off purposes by the original palace owners. Seeing the Muses brought this song to mind. Although a new song it may make the kids nostalgic for their early childhood when I used to play a lot Beautiful South tracks whilst ferrying them around.