Day Eleven: castagniccia hill villages

Our last ride is another classic hill village ride that drew us back to repeat our 2014 tour - we really wanted to pound these roads again. Funny thing memory, how the hard stuff fades into insignificance providing it leads you to good places.

We slept through the alarms and decided to embrace a later than planned start. Just as well, since a really excellent breakfast was laid out for our pleasure. It was one of those everything and more you might possibly want but could never eat it all kind of buffets. The coffee machine was a bit temperamental though. We took a table out by the pool and fuelled up for the day. I made up some superior ham and cheese rolls for lunch.

Like an arrow to the hills ......

It was hot, humid and a bit cloudy start when we finally checked out. We cycled back the direct route to the Voi Verte and picked up the long straight road pointing like an arrow toward the distant hills. That set the theme for the day .... "Are we going UP there? ....(pedals hard, phew, the ebike made it). Then " are we going DOWN there?". A nerve racking hairpin decent later (thank heavens for the hydraulic brakes) - "did we REALLY come down from there? . Repeat from one village to the next. WTF !!! Even the few travelling tourists were driving with caution. What must life have been like before the motor car?

We rode through vineyards and reached the foothills and began climbing. We went up very twisty steep little roads that wiggled gradually climbing as gently as possible (!!!) around the ravine cut valleys up to the hill towns that perch on the ridge. Their houses and church towers always seeming near but impossibly far above.

D42 to Linguizzetta, Pastricciale, then down to the Pont de Teggia. Then another real tough climb 'around' Mont Oppido that climbed the sides of a wicked steep ravine up to the dam. We thankfully took the excuse to stop and take photos as we crossed the barrage.

Then the D152 skiring Favello and on into the larger town of Cervione where we found a bench and stopped for lunch - great sarnies - then we risked a pression in a really friendly cafe de l' Avenue before setting off again.

This photo is from our previous visit - it was taken 28th June 2014. Not much has changed, more traffic, loads of parked cars, but they still serve on the tables with the view on the other side of the road. Sadly, the lovely 'Produits Corse' shop next door has closed.

Now for the final stretch continuing along the D330 to Sta Maria Poggio where we had another argument with google maps insisting the road ahead was closed. So (as cyclists do) we ignored the detour and carried on to see for ourselves. For once that turned out really well. A lovely narrow road that led us through a tunnel to the famous Ucellulinal Cascade, which was in good flow, the streams falling more than 15m

After the Cascade it was time to leave the mountains for the sea - Monte e Mare. At Fano we began the final descent of the day and the last leg of our tour. Dropping from 285m to sea level over 7 km. Never have descended with confidence, but the heavy ebikes were really difficult to handle and need a lot of strength to manouver along anything but a straight line. It was brake, brake , brake down the hairpins. After San Nicalao the gradients smoothed out a bit and we could relax and enjoy.

Yay, we are in Morani Plage which looks a super beach resort, not really sure why we didnt end a day of hard riding with a beer stop. So we slogged the last mile along the busy Route 10 to the Residence Acqua Linda (well why not !) . We had a one bedroom groud floor apartment, full kitchen, private garden for two nights. The complex has private pools and is real close to the beach.

We thankfully unloaded our kit from the bikes and locked them up then settled into 'lifes a beach mode'. All the usual things, including a walk to the sandy beach, a long swim in the clear sea, dried off on the grass under the pines.

We ate at the complex's rather lovely Restaurant Pizzeria Le Podgio, which was super friendly, with a real 'beach chill' ambience and a Spotify play list to match. We shared a divine and generous portioned 'Acas of mixed seafood' - a fritto misto done like bahji in a very light batter. K had a very fine pizza (did we really only have one pizza in two weeks of eating out?. L ordered the fish of the day - bar - and the look of horror when it came to the table whole - was quickly spotted by the waiter. He took it away and brought it back filleted a few moments later, Phew. The fish came with the obligatory 'les légumes du soleil ' and everything was delicious.

The day's maps - possibly - it got real confusing around Chiatra ! Need to check on Strava