Friday September the 17th
Total distance driven: 7.418 Km
Today’s distance: 228 Km in 4:45h
Walked distance: 12,3 Km
After five weeks in Italy, it’s time to continue the tour. The summer is slowly approaching its end and this morning I woke up with heavy rain knocking on the roof. I did expect that, not just because I checked the weather forecast but because yesterday I took the time to wash 🧽 Lollo 😂
After the wash, I cleaned and oiled the chain that has now 12.000 Km on its clock. The service is due in 3.000 Km, just in time for when I’ll be back home 🏡
To improve security, I installed a tiny dash cam behind the plexiglass. It turns on and off automatically with the motorbike and records in a loop, overwriting the files as needed. In case of a crash or with the press of a button, saves the file permanently. In theory It can also be used to save some video footage of nice riding sessions.
Lollo was packed and ready already the evening before, so it was just a matter of understanding the best moment to drive around the weather and go. I did manage to avoid the rain all together.
The first stop was going to be Bomarzo, a little town in Lazio famous for the so called “Bomarzo’s Monsters”.
The sat nav sent me through the town of Formello, where the training ground of SS Lazio football team is located. It is the other team of Rome and even if I do not sympathise for them, I had a short stop to show my appreciation 🤣
The rain caught me 30 minutes away from my destination, so I’m writing this first part of this post from a petrol station in Civita Castellana, while eating a “Tramezzino” 😋
Finally the rain stopped. The sun was still behind the clouds but soon came out with its warm touch. Civita Castellana reminded me Sant’Agata dei Goti.
The village of Bomarzo popped out of nowhere.
Time to play Clark Kent and change clothes to visit the famous Sacred Wood. Built in 1552, this place is unique. The park has different elevations, a stream with a waterfall and a thick vegetation. All these help hiding the impressive encounters scattered throughout the place. It is really meant for the visitor to wander and get lost, discovering the monsters of Bomarzo.
Great experience! So much, that I visited some sculptures twice. One of my favourites is the fighting giant, ripping out the other statue by the legs. Also the giant mouth with a table inside is mystical and one of the symbols of this place.
Today’s plan includes another fantastic spot, that I always wanted to visit: Civita di Bagnoregio. Just 40 minutes away.
Bagnoregio is already a nice town in itself.
But the highlight is the old Civita just behind it. While parking and changing clothes I met Francesco with his Vespa 150. He is from Palestrina, the village near Rome where I bought my first motorcycle! He is retired and travelling during the weekend to Arezzo, where a Vespa meet up is going to take place.
Few meters walk and I was greeted by this incredible spot view:
Founded over 2.500 years ago by the Etruscans, it has been affected over the years by the landscape changes due to erosion. The result is really suggestive and fascinating.
As of today there are only 11 inhabitants who live here. Almost all the houses are either restaurants or B&B. That’s why the Italian writer Bonaventura Tecchi described it as the dying town.
The main square is still not paved
As expected a place with great flair and gorgeous views around every corner.
I’m really glad I finally took the time to see this surreal place.
I was going to spend the night in the nearby town of Orvieto. I saw it countless times while driving on the motorway from Rome to Milan and the huge dome on top of the hill has always fascinated me.
Not bad at all for the first day of the second leg. Stay tuned cause tomorrow will be also an interesting day.
