I had been told how lovely Siena was, everyone is right. It is stunning, so beautiful. The central Piazza had an amazing, lively vibe.
We had a lovely meal 😋, although because of the angle of the Piazza (a bit like a velodrome but not as steep) Richard & Paul at the end of the table had to be aware of things rolling off 😂 (Paul used his phone to prop his plate up, to stop his sauce disappearing 🤦♀️). As we are in the Chianti region, we had to try a bottle. For quality control purposes 👍.
A wonderful rest day. The train from Siena to Orvieto, was easy, clean & on time. Orvieta is at the top of a hill, (well why wouldn't it be, after all this is a Peak Tours arranged trip!) It is reportedly the most gorgeous city in Umbria.
We all agreed that we preferred Orvieta to Siena, it's a lot more relaxed & laid back. It's a stunning place & much less crowded than Siena. There is obvious support for Ukraine (see photo) 🌻
The cathedral in Orvieto, whilst not as large as Siena was no less impressive 🥰.
The bloke at the bike shop was superb, if ever you go through on your bike & need anything, Ciclostile Orvieta is the place to go 👍
Having suffered with heat exhaustion on Sunday & knowing we had a lot of ascent today and that it was going to be hot 🥵 31o+, I set off slowly this morning & tried to maintain a slow steady pace. I took all the advice regarding food & salt intake and it seems to have paid off. Some 78.8 miles (123.6 km) & 6,200 ft (1,891 m) of ascent I am now in the hotel in Reiti & very pleasant it is to.
The little blue circle was the afternoon coffee van, approx 750 metres after I had left it and had started the final climb for the day. 7.97 km at an average gradient of 5.1%. Perfectly doable, just not in a rush 😊👍. So I'm well chuffed with myself 😊. I'm going out to explore what appears to be a lovely place & prepare for the 2 days we have left.
My abiding memories for today, will be the smell of Jasmine (so lovely), 2 wonderful Italian builders who topped up my water bottle (big burly blokes wearing shorts & vests), and, slaloming down a descent trying to avoid potholes & on coming cars 😱🤦♀️🤣.
Thank you for reading, have a lovely evening. Please leave a comment or ask a question, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Your email address won't be published 😊 if you prefer not to leave a comment, a star rating would be great, or do both 🚴👍
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Sounds amazing. I’m glad you are ok after the rest day. The heat can really make a difference to the ride, sounds like you are being sensible. Hope the last two days are fun.
Thanks Maureen, this is a great trip. If you haven’t done it I would recommend it 😊👍
Sounds like you had a very enjoyable ride keep it up nearly done the tour
Thank you, see you Friday x
Looks beautiful- glad all the advice helped . Take care xx
It is a beautiful part of Italy. 🇮🇹 🥰
Well done Wendy, fantastic achievment , enjoy the last 2 days , Chris is busy cleaning the house as we speak :-)
Thanks Nigel, I’m sure the house will be spotless 🤣🤣
Well done todays riding sounds very challenging
The photos are lovely especially the one of Sienna Cathedral
Thank you Doreen. It is a beautiful part of Italy & Siena & Orvieta are lovely 🥰
Good to hear that you're OK after that tough ride into Siena the other day in the heat. Fantastic effort on rhe latest ride.it does sound pretty onerous even for an Australian who is used to the heat. Keep going and enjoy yourself.
Thanks Nigel, I have emailed you 😊👍
Rest day sounds lovely. Well done on conquering the climbs. I’m in complete awe!
Glad you avoided the cars! Note to self - must go to Orvieta. Looks a terrific trip, with every kind of terrain and weather.
Each day and location awesome. Well done !