Il Sergente to Bologna

May 20

Another early start with about 3 steep clicks to the top of Futa Pass, a quick look at the German War cemetery located there and we turned left for the Raticosa Pass and another climbing session on our way to Bologna.

Once through the second pass some serious downhill kicked in and seemed to keep going forever.

Sweeping bends, hairpins and everything in between made for an exhilarating morning. And still the scenery kept coming, this time in the shape of some serious mountains towering over deep green valleys.

We reached Bologna mid afternoon, it was hot and we were tired after two days climbing. All we really wanted was to get our heads down. As a treat for conquering the hills we had promised ourselves a night in a real bed. Unfortunately there was a convention on in the city and it did not prove so easy to find accommodation.

At this point the team split up with the aim of tracking down accommodation for the next two nights. I headed into central Bologna on the bike, still fully loaded for touring, making for the tourist info office in Piazza Maggiore. About five minutes from my destination Tracey rang to inform me that they had secured accommodation for the night. So after a quick roll through the centre of the city in peak hour traffic on cobblestones I headed back to join my fellow musketeers.

The nights accommodation at the Alberga Hotel was expensive, the room hot and tiny with and extra A$10 to use the air conditioner.

Although we had promised ourselves a break here of two nights we decided that we were being ripped off and headed to Ferrara.