My morning in Pisa started with two bits of unexpected news. I’d sat down within range of WiFi to get online, and as soon as I logged onto Facebook found a message in my inbox.
It was from Ruben, whom I’d gotten to know a few weeks before leaving Maastricht while on a day trip to the Dutch-German border. He’d messaged to ask something along the lines of “Chris, where are you?”. I didn’t think much of it at first, imagining he’d just liked the look of the photo I’d shared the night before.
So I got back to him with a “still in Italy, I think”. He insisted though, asking “Seriously, are you near Viareggio?”.
That I had been. As it turned out, my previous night’s ‘shelter’ had been built by none other than Ruben himself a few months earlier! He even had his own photo of the work in progress to prove it.
Really, what are the odds? Amazing.
While still on Facebook, I noticed something else. I’d missed it earlier, but there was a second message in my ‘Other’ folder. (Seriously, why does that thing even exist?) Ruben’s message had been hard to top, but this definitely came close. It was from Isa, sister of Siro!
I had met Siro while hiking through Fossola two weeks earlier, and I’d been spontaneously invited to camp out on his amazing terrace. A week later I’d been back in Fossola, this time by bike. Siro wasn’t around, but I’d reasoned that had he been there I’d have been more than welcome back onto the terrace. So I camped out there for a second time. Before heading out the next morning I’d left a note to thank him once again, knowing that chances were he wouldn’t see it, or in any case I’d never see or hear from him again – but what’s the harm in passing on a token of appreciation for his (as yet unknown) hospitality?
As it turned out, not only had he gotten the message. After finding it, he’d passed on my note to his sister and tasked her with tracking me down. And track me down she did, amazingly with only a first name and nationality to go by. But “perché tra i vari Chris tu eri quello che aveva una foto di Vernazza proprio il 6/9” (even though there were many Chris’ on Facebook, you were the one who posted a photo of Vernazza [one of the Cinqueterre] on the 6th September). That’s some detective work right there!
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My three days in Pisa were otherwise quite uneventful. Saverio and Sigita were kind enough to leave me their place all to myself, and I used it as a base while I caught up on sleep and on travel planning for the days to come.
We didn’t have much time together, but for the bit I saw them it was great to meet again. They’d been some of my first ever Couchsurfing hosts three years ago, and had introduced me to the whole travelling-on-a-budget thing. They’re still at it, and have become the pros I could only hope to one day be.
On the first day after leaving Pisa, I cycled along the coast right down to Follonica. Nothing much to see along the way, but it was all flat and made for easy cycling.
I did make a few quick stops – first in Livorno (not even worth the detour) and then at the famed white-sand beaches of Rosignano Solvay.
The beach was kinda cool, other than the fact that the sand’s only as white as it is thanks to this nearby chemical plant.
As I headed on, I even took a small detour to California.
Follonica was little more than a soulless lot of apartment blocks. It made for a good place to get a night’s rest, but not much else.
By lunchtime I’d made it to Punta Ala, and things had started to liven up again. I headed off the paved road and onto a dusty path, and was rewarded with some incredible views.
Everything was going great, until I came to a locked gate blocking the path.
So I was forced to turn back and take the high road. With the view from up top, though, it had definitely been worth it.
I was soon back down to the (at least temporarily) flat coast, and made it to Castiglone della Pescaia just in time for the sunset.
The next day started off with the routine morning swim.
I then cycled through some beautiful coastal pine forests, occasionally giving way to large grassy patches where I could’ve sworn I’d teleported to the savannah.
There were also some outright random places like these
Round the world in a day. Wherever I was, this definitely wasn’t the same Italy I was used to.
As I headed into the city of Grosseto for some lunch, I returned to the more familiar side of the local scenery.
One filling lunch, a delicious ice-cream and a couple of postcards later, I was back on the road and heading for Parco della Maremma. I’d heard a whole load of good things about the place, and it was time to see it for myself.
Just the brief glimpse I got on the first day already surpassed all expectations. More to come in the next post – for now, I’ll leave you with these photos of yet another great sunset as viewed from the park.
