Shoes or Flamingos? Big decisions on the bike

Today we cycled from Ancona to Pesaro. The weather is still treating us well - blue skies, not a cloud in sight, and not too hot. Honestly, conditions are so perfect we’ve stopped even wondering what the forecast is. After those first few stormy days, we’re feeling incredibly lucky.

The scenery along the coast hasn’t changed much, but the vibe has. The Italians are back at work, so the beaches are quieter now - though a few holiday makers remain, along with some brave souls already in their swimsuits.

Seaside resorts out of season have a special kind of charm. You’ve got people repainting or fixing up their little beach shacks in anticipation of summer, long rows of closed hotels and restaurants… it all feels slightly suspended in time, like the place is holding its breath before the rush.

For the past few days, we’ve been deep in debate about the next leg of the journey - specifically, when and how to cross the Italian “boot.” There are mountains and hills cutting through the country, and plenty more waiting up north before crossing into France. We’ve received all sorts of advice: Liv’ is advocating for a sporty route through Tuscany to avoid the supposedly “boring” Po Valley, Lobs is suggesting an Alpine crossing, and the locals… well, they say everything and its opposite.

In the end, we’ve decided to embrace the flat lands and explore places we don’t know yet. We’ve already been to Tuscany several times including by bike. And honestly, passing through Florence without buying shoes would be too frustrating for me… since my panniers are already full 🤪

So, we’re heading up towards the Po Delta Regional Park - apparently it looks like the Camargue, and April is the perfect time to spot flamingos (ChatGPT said so, so it must be true). We’ll leave the coast there, but won’t linger too long in the Po Valley before heading further north to cross over.

To be continued…🚴🏼🚴🏻‍♀️