Storm and Serendipity: Embracing the Unexpected on an Italian Bike Journey

The city of San Severo isn’t particularly remarkable. And yet, something truly wonderful happened to us there. This morning at 8 a.m., a man and a woman stood in the street beneath our Bed & Breakfast window and sang opera. Waking up to that was simply incredible. I don’t know if it was just for me 🤪, or if people were celebrating the end of the storm, or perhaps Easter festivities - but it was such an unusual and magical moment.

Easter is an important time in Italy, where Catholic traditions run deep. On this Good Friday, there are processions in most towns.

Today, we decided to get back on our bikes now that the rain had stopped. In hindsight, not our best idea. We quickly realized it would be tough, with fierce winds left over from the storm (its name is Erminio). We tried to cut things short by heading to a train station - but the road leading there was flooded. So we had no choice but to keep cycling along a bigger road for 43 km, straight into the wind. That was… challenging.

In the end, we took the train to Termoli. Flooding is everywhere, and the sea is still raging.

Because of the storm, a bridge collapsed over the Frigno River - right where we were supposed to pass tomorrow. So we’ll take the train again to get past that section, and then continue cycling on to Pescara. The forecast promises a spring-like weekend, with warm, sunny weather expected for the next two weeks!

We had chosen to start in southern Italy because it’s supposed to be sunny, even in early April. And yet, we found ourselves caught in this storm in Puglia - a rare weather event for the region. It’s not the first time this has happened to us. When we cycled in Sweden with Anouk, in Denmark, in Sardinia, on the Aeolian Islands, and in Malta - we encountered storms that locals said they had never seen before. Are we just unlucky, or are extreme weather events becoming the new normal?

Either way, it’s all part of the journey - constantly adapting to whatever the weather brings. I love that our only concerns each day are where we’ll sleep, what we’ll eat, and which route we’ll take. I really cherish this way of living in the present moment, the freedom of depending on nothing more than the wind and the rain. It’s a true luxury, and a joy I’m deeply grateful for.