Ferrara to Porto Tolle, 18 April

After Nona Lidia...

The canal leading into Farrara. While pretty, it was our first exposure to a heavy bug population--felt like sharp bits flicking at our faces and arms--due to the trees and their proximity to the canal, I think-- and made us glad we were not any later in the season.

Rest stop in downtown Ferrara. 

There was a certain Bellingham-esque quality to our hosts in Farrara. Rudy, who besides being an architect is also a kick-ass pizza maker as well as runner, and his partner, Elise, works in independent cinema--currently on the trade of roses in Holland that are grown in, and vital to, the economies of Kenya and Ethiopia. Like I said, Hamsters (for our new friends... that's colloquialism for Bellingham types) of the Italian variety.

Our first "Italian" pizza--peppers, eggplant, anchovies, cheese--it was worth the wait.

Again, like many of the friends we've made along the way, we were sad to say goodbye to Rudy and Elisa. 

As with many of the cities we've visited, we enjoyed some sights of beautiful Ferrara from our saddles one last time through the more quiet of morning.

Though looking al fresco (even in real life), these stones are not painted. Each is cut to a point. It's quite an effect. 

Today's route took us back to the Po River along a mostly car-free and paved route. The kilometers went by and, in many ways, it felt like we were traveling through countryside resembling the Skagit delta. Very much green now that we are closer to the Adriatic. And the wisterias in this part of the world have been increasing in bloom every day for the past week, a sight to behold and much larger than ours at home. 

Somewhere along the Po River. 

A trait that we've noticed is that Italian men and women, especially the older ones, walk with either one or both hands behind their backs. After a day of museum-ing, young or old, it makes total sense, and Alaine and I now pace this way quite regularly when taking in the sights. This gentleman, however, was the first that we've seen cycling with one hand behind the back. 

This crop of trees is prominent along the river banks. A type of Popelar? We have yet to learn...

Just like back in Chique Terre, we came upon a road closed area. There wasn't a lot of forewarning about the road being closed (just like Cinque Terre) but it was Saturday and no one was working (unlike Cinque Terre) so we just did what we could tell some the other riders did...

and snuck through...

mostly without falling down.

What began as a hazy though sunny day (so not super great for vista photos) grew overcast, and by the end of our 80 kilometers--downright threatening. Soon after we'd found shelter in a room/hotel above a pizzeria, it unleashed great amounts of rain through strong wind. We count it as our luck still holding, as we only got wet going to and from our trips down and out to connect to Wifi near the restaurant. And while the weather didn't inspire us to go out to explore any of the Delta Po, the next day was loads better, so we don't  count today as a day of rain, just like Mantova. We are still, essentially, at just 3 days of cycling in rain. 

The weather also afforded us a chance to catch up on laundry.