Our breakfast at the Hotel Alli Due Buoi Rossi had all we needed for a good start to our day.

Ricardo met us promptly at 8:30 and we went off to the cellar to fetch our steeds for the week. Only one electric bike in the bunch…would we come to regret this decision?! Ricardo and his father run this regional bike business.

After fussing with our new rides, we were ready to at 10:00!

Even in Europe we celebrate beer festivals and the Summer of Love!

Two story cremation niches at the local cemetery! Space is at a premium.

You can check out a watering can to keep the flowers nice.

 

In Italy, especially closer to Milan, even farming is done in a fashionable manner!

John Deere, Leaping Deer, Rick Dear….

At about 11:30 we rolled into our first recommended stop, at an agriturismo farm. It was pretty quiet, a few people camping, and a big empty dining area.

Eventually “Mama and Papa” came out, informed us that they were closed on Mondays, but we could order sodas. So we did.

Then after about 15 minutes, they came out again, and since we were tourists, they could make us a little something. Papa showed us a beautiful big eggplant and two red peppers from their garden. He cooked them in a pan with just a little olive oil, S and P…and we all agreed, they were to die for!

This stop slowed our trip considerably but was soooo good! Some enjoyed spaghetti Bolognese, and others the big appetizer plates.

We are in wine country now!

There are five distinct winegrowing areas in the center of the Piedmont region where we are.

And if you can’t grow grapes, you can grow volts!

Ach it was hot!

The hot, humid, sweaty temperatures drove us to cafes and markets in small towns where we could buy sodas and eat potato chips.

And the views are incredible!

We learned that this was a bad sign, foretelling steep climbs.

At Ricaldone we had a grueling climb of 11 to 14% slope for about 3k. Brutal! I guess these people were there to make us laugh?

emJay makes friends with the guards. We also found a public fountain nearby which was a godsend, and helped us cool down.

Our destination for the night, Acqui Terme was not far.

The Romans conquered this town in 173 BC. and built a city around the thermal water source. Here are ruins from a Roman aqueduct dating to 1 AD.

 

Up one last hill and we were home for the night at the Hotel Roma Imperiale!

And we had a room fit for a king.

We dined at the hotel, and Tom wept when he heard the price of his share of the bill!