Musings After 2 Weeks in Italy

TREKKING POLES
When preparing for the Portuguese Camino four years ago, I poo-pooed the idea of using hiking poles. One of our group, Ernie, an experienced hiker , had poles with him and used them mainly on the more treacherous ascents and descents. In the end, I managed to get through the trek unscathed, and none the worse for wear, but watching Ernie's confident stride on the steep hills piqued my interest.

Here I am today, four years older, and maybe a little wiser. One of the first things we did when we arrived in Lucca was find a shop to buy trekking poles. We didn't spend a lot of money, about $40 CAD, since we're not sure we can get them onto the plane for the ride home. But I have to say: that was $40 well spent. Not only do they provide stability on uneven ground, they take a lot of weight off of the knees on the steep downhills, and engage your arms to help propel yourself uphill. It didn't take more than a day or so on the trail to get into the rhythm of walking with poles after watching a couple of YouTube instructional videos. I compare walking with poles to riding a road bike with your shoes clipped into the pedals. It's like adding a turbocharger to your efforts.

L'EROICA
Speaking of cycling, yesterday, when we set out at 8:45, we noticed there were a lot of cyclists on the road, and assumed it was just something Italians do on a Saturday morning. But as we continued along our route, we noticed that all the riders had numbered race bibs somewhere on their bikes.

When we arrived in Buonconvento at 12:30, there were hordes of bibbed riders enjoying snacks and water on the main street. I asked one of them what the race was called and he explained the cyclists were taking part in L'Eroica, an annual non-competitive ride that can cover up to 209 kilometers with elevation gains totaling 3700 meters. He said he had started out at 5:00 am, and expected to be riding for a total OF 15 HOURS!!!

Anyone can cycle the permanent Eroica route year round, but the official ride takes place each year on the first weekend of October. The theme of the event is vintage cycling, with participants using vintage bikes (up to and including 1987), accessories and clothing, and the route often including unpaved roads. It is held in the first Sunday of October. The event is open to everybody, but cyclists participating with a vintage bike are honored with a certificate certifying their participation.

The most incredible thing we noticed was the number of what looked to be 50, 60 and 70 year-olds participating in the event. Hats off to them!

FOOD
Don't get me wrong, I love Italian food. I've been known to say I could eat pasta every day. But after fourteen days of virtually nothing but pasta, pizza, and wonderful breads, I may have to retract that statement. There are soups on some menus but, call me cheap, I have trouble paying almost $20 CAD for a bowl of soup. For that price I expect unlimited refills! You can also find salads of various types, but they're in the same price range, or more. And don't get me started on vegetables. Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and sometimes artichokes are what you'll find on,or in, most dishes. I saw broccoli only once in the last two weeks. Now, if we ate meat, a whole other world opens up, but we don't, so we are relegated to a high carbohydrate diet. Walking as much as we do every day should help keep all those carbs off my waistline, but variety is the spice of life and so far, all I can say is, please pass the salt.Read more