"Focaccia Blues", Milan-Pontremoli by bike

It's September 2023. My best friend is getting married in Tuscany at the end of the month and I want to cycle part of the way. I'm coming off a knee injury, so I decide to zigzag towards my destination. This way, I can take a more direct route and take a break if my knee needs it. On a bike, it always pays to take your time. This route through Parma and the northern Apennines is well worth the detour, as it's a real eye-catcher 👀.

🛣 On the road

DAY 1 🚲 Milan to Brignano-Frascata🚲

111 km

Leaving Milan is very easy, which is not easy for a big city. I follow the canal on a dual carriageway as far as Binasco, where I finally feel I'm in the countryside.

I then cross a beautiful wooded area . The map shows a multitude of waterways. It's really nice and rare. Usually, I hardly come across any, as it's been very dry recently.

At Pavie, I take a short break to admire thearchitecture and cross the famous Pont Couvert, a post-war reconstruction that's well worth a look.

In the evening, I find a bivouac spot below the road, in a orchard. I fall asleep to the smell of apples, wondering as I do every time I sleep on farmland whether I've missed an automatic hose that might turn on and interrupt my night 😅.

DAY 2 🚲 from Brignano-Frascata to Passo del Cerro 🚲

95 km

I'm in bikepacking ultralight mode and have only a saddlebag for my clothes and a waterproof bag clipped to my handlebars that holds bivouac bag, sleeping bag, silk sheet and mattress (ah... and a backpack with my work computer. If only my boss knew where her gear sleeps).

No room for kitchen equipment. So, I favor bivouac sites a few kilometers before a town in which I can find a café ☕️ or a bakery 🥐.

This morning, I get up with just one idea in mind: the Sapore di Pane bakery in San Sebastiano Curone, only a few kilometers away and with excellent reviews 😋.

I arrive when the bread is just out of the oven. I buy enough focaccia for three people and stuff 2/3 of it on the bench next to the store, hop, no time!

Having been in Italy for a few days, I quickly abandoned the idea of the croissant, which here often contains sugar and aniseed. The focaccia is a safe bet and much better than bread, which is often too dry for my taste.

I've got two mountain passes in sight today, so I'm getting a bit active. Arriving at Brallo di Pregola, I sit down on the terrace to ...EAT, like any good cyclist who spends his life eating 😂!

Sandwich, French fries, double espresso and Coke full of sugar gobbled up with a beautiful view over the valley, I ask a couple to keep an eye on my bike while I go and fill my bottles. The gentleman explains that he's traveled a lot on a motorcycle, but on a bike, it wouldn't occur to him 😆. He wishes me a safe journey and I leave 🚴🏻‍♀️.

Today, I'm riding a bit on a main road, the Strada Statale di Val Trebbia. The road would probably be too busy for some cyclists, but it gives me a bit of a rest, **because it's flat and runs along a beautiful valley. **

Tonight, I'm in the mood for a shower . It's very hot and I've only got one bathing suit, which I wash when I can. You might as well say I'm a jinx 😂. I'm confident in my experience and with a bit of luck I'll get what I'm looking for.

After Passo del Cerro (pass at 760 m altitude), I spot a man in his garden. I ask him if I can fill my water bottle (step 1 of my plan: ask for water). He asks his young son to show me the tap. I don't like the idea of sleeping at men's houses alone, so the little boy reassures me (step 2: determine if I have a good feeling about the family).

I ask the father if he knows where I could pitch my tent, knowing that the surrounding land is probably his (step 3: the innocent question that means I want to pitch the tent right there... in your garden) 😇.

Bingo! He tells me to choose a spot behind his house, which has a sublime view of the mountains**, the kind of view that's hard to find in a campsite**. The next steps (shower and dinner) depend on the host and I really can't see myself asking him head-on.

The mother comes over to say untz untz and offers me both. I tell her I've got enough for dinner, but she insists and brings me a nice plate of grilled potatoes while giving my bivouac bag, which I'm starting to get used to, a wistful look: "But how do you sleep in that?!". 🤪

**

DAY 3 🚲 from Passo del Cerro to Castione de Baratti 🚲

113 km

I saddle up after a sweet tea and cookies generously offered by my host (Italians aren't known for hearty breakfasts, think breakfast fans! ).

Today's route will again be hilly, between wooded areas and sun-drenched mountains.

I stop for lunch to enjoy a pizza and off I go again. It's very hot and my backpack only makes things worse. I'm still craving a shower. Then I find a farmhouse that opens its yard to me for the night. 🚿

🚲 From Castione de Baratti to Parma 🚲62 km

© Samuele Bertoli

This morning, I have my coffee with workers at Bazzano, one of whom puts grappa (a grape marc brandy) in his espresso cup. Original 😜 I've finally found the trick to having a coffee that's a little long!!! Don't ask for "longo", that sounds like a tight coffee in France. "Americano", on the other hand, sounds like a tight espresso with a little hot water.

I'm glad I'm taking one last detour before Parma, as the view from Canossa Castle is magnificent. Shortly afterwards, I return to the plain and make my way to Parma.

I'll be staying there for three days to telework and visit the city, which has a lot to offer. First, lots of delicious focaccia in the many bakeries. Then, a **concentration of churches **like nothing I've ever seen. I wander from one historic site to another, also noticing a high number of horse butcher shops 🐎. Strange! I really like this town and I think I'll stop by again if I get the chance.

DAY 4 🚲 from Parma to Pontremoli🚲

81 km

The plan is simple today: climb a pass and head downhill to Pontremoli, a charming little town in the northern of Tuscany. On my way up, I'm chatting as best I can with two cyclists on their weekend outing.

Despite my load, I overtake them and I'm not a little proud. But of course, I don't let on 😇. We say our goodbyes at a roadside fountain, which they use to fill their bottles with dignity and which I use to cool my entire body (it's HOT, haven't I already said that?). That said, I haven't worried about looking "normal" on a bike trip for a long time now! 💪

The descent in gentle zigzags towards the city is magnificent, as is the city itself. I'll be spending a week's vacation there with a friend. I recommend visiting its museum of statues-styles, hiking through the gorges Stretti di Giaredo. Finally, if you can, dine at La Trattoria Norina. This affordable restaurant offers delicious seasonal menus. Try their testaroli, a type of pasta typical of the region.

Final lap

I did this track a bit haphazardly, listening to my poor tired knee and my dotted schedule. However, in the end, I can highly recommend it, as it offers a perfect mix of small mountain passes and plains, with **charming villages*all along the way. There's no shortage of places to bivouac, even in the mountainous parts, where you can feast on small flat fields on the side of the road.* Go for it again, it's magnificent!

Any final advice for the road? 🚴🏻‍♀️

Refuelling is easy on this route, which passes through many small towns. A bit like in France, every village has a small bar/café that often sells pastries. On this trip, I carry a few energy bars and an emergency meal like a tin of cooked lentils... and that's it! 🤗

**