Day 8: Volterra to Pisa

My planned route was going to be a short, downhill ride to the coast and the tourist city of Pisa. I had no desire to arrive to Pisa early in the day: I'd rather explore and battle the hills than the tourists. Therefore, I altered my route to roam through rural Tuscany. A good choice! I mapped my route solely on back roads for the first half of the day, then picked up the planned route in the afternoon.

The morning ride left Volterra and headed directly north. The temperatures were high again, but the constantly changing road gradient took my mind off the difficulty of the ride and I held a good pace. I didn't see a single car for near 3 hours! The route when through many small, 3 or 4 building towns with my favorite being Rivolta. The view from the town provided a panoramic view of my route and I, by chance, pulled off the road where a natural spring was flowing out of the local bedrock, providing an excellent place to kick up my feet and cool-off. From Rivolta, a downhill ride took me to the plains leading to Pisa. As expected, the traffic (and semi-trucks) increased a lot, it was annoying and the rising temperature didn't help.

I arrived in Pisa in the late afternoon and crashed at Albergo Helvetia (33 euro/night, no breakfast). The hotel was ~1/2 km from the tower. I wasn't expecting it to be so close, so that was nice. After a little rest, my stomach began to grumble so I dutifully listened. I toured the area immediately around the hotel and was quickly inundated with tratoria owners offering me everything but the daughter's hand in marriage if I would eat at their restaurant. All the pleading and near-begging was annoying as I was looking for a quiet evening. Finally, I came upon a deli that advertised "Panini/Biere: 2 euro." What a deal! I quickly made the purchase, walked to the famous tower, and enjoyed my dinner watching the sunset over the beautiful Piazza dei Miracoli. If you make it to Pisa, bypass the restaurants and go for your own meal in this amazing setting. Although the food and beer was great, I craved more and had heard that some of the best gelato in Italy was just a 10 minute walk away. I quickly found the Bottega del Gelato and I must agree that it was the best gelato I had during the trip. Don't miss it!

Summary: 100 km (62 miles); rural back road travel through rolling farmlands, a little of battling traffic, and a simple dinner in front of the leaning tower