Further sept. dispatch progress

static/archive/twonerds-net-pv4a04.txt

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+[2]Two Nerds | A lifestyle blog
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+   [Blog______]
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+[5]Radda in Chianti to Siena
+
+   [6]May 15, 2017 [7]by Claire
+
+   As expected, our second day of riding was easier than the first -- but
+   still hilly, and twice as difficult as any ride I'd done before this
+   trip. It was well worth it to end the day in Siena, a town that's
+   incredibly easy to fall in love with (once you forgive the ancient
+   Etruscans for building their cities on freakin' mountains!).
+
+   We started our day with an early breakfast on our terrace (bruschetta
+   with tomatoes, olives and pieces of fried egg, prepared by our B&B
+   proprietor Romanita), then set off for the open road. After about an
+   hour of pedaling (55 minutes of steady uphill climbing, followed by 5
+   minutes of an exhilarating 35mph downhill plunge) we rolled into Gaolie
+   in Chianti, home of L'Eroica, a retro 200km bike ride held in Tuscany
+   every October.
+
+   We made an unplanned stop at the [8]bike rental shop in town for a
+   quick tune-up, tire pressure check, and to have Felipe (the mechanic)
+   look at a few nagging rattling noises on the bikes -- undoubtedly a
+   result of putting them together ourselves. 45 minutes and just 5 Euro
+   later, we were back on the road!
+
+   We were treated to our second tough climb of the day out of Gaoile, and
+   by the time we reached the turn for [9]Castello di Brolio at about
+   12:45pm, we were in desperate need of fuel. We stopped at a small café
+   for overpriced cheese sandwiches and unnamed beer. Totally worth it.
+   Then, we pushed our bikes up a steep cliff (zero shame in that) and
+   explored the grounds of the 12th century castle!
+
+   Our route map had us getting back on the main road to snake through a
+   few more hill towns before our final ascent to Siena. We called an
+   audible and followed the white gravel L'Eroica route (which seemed to
+   be shorter, but about which we knew absolutely nothing) instead. We
+   were not disappointed! The road circled around behind the castle, then
+   through the beautiful countryside on roads that were virtually
+   car-less.
+
+   Thanks to our shortcut, we arrived in Siena before 4pm and checked into
+   the Hotel Bernini (which was absolutely perfect – basic, clean rooms,
+   friendly staff, and a terrace with a killer view). We spent the rest of
+   the afternoon exploring the city streets and enjoying drinks and snacks
+   on Il Campo, the main city square that doubles as a race track one day
+   a year with horses representing each of Siena's 17 contrade
+   (districts).
+
+   As the Palio di Siena draws closer, the districts are known to march
+   into the square. (I equate this to a horse race pep rally, sans
+   horses.) We happened to catch the Oca (goose) district marching on
+   Sunday afternoon. It was crazy awesome!
+
+    We had a few too many snacks during aperitivo (the Italian equivalent
+   of Happy Hour), so weren't hungry for dinner until late – or, put
+   another way, we're finally on the Italian dinner schedule. After
+   scouring menus for the osterias around town, we googled 'best pizza in
+   Siena', and ended up at il Pomodorino around 10pm. It was the best
+   pizza either of us had ever had, and made for a fantastic end to a
+   great day.
+
+    We had two route options for Monday, Day 3: a Level 2/4 Difficulty and
+   a Level 3/4 Difficulty. After Saturday's killer ride (a 2/4), we felt
+   much more comfortable taking on the former – although it would take
+   about half the time as our original planned route. We decided to
+   sleep-in Monday morning (until 9am), go out for coffee in Siena, then
+   sit in Il Campo and map out our bike route for the day. It was so nice
+   to take our time and enjoy the town (our favorite so far) before all
+   the tour groups showed up!
+
+   Stay tuned for Monday's ride to San Gimignano!
+
+   Bike Route: 29.4 miles // 2,711 ft of elevation
+   gain. [10]https://www.strava.com/activities/986032513
+
+   [11]May 15, 2017 /[12]Claire
+
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+References
+
+   1. https://twonerds.net/blog?format=rss
+   2. file:///
+   3. file:///
+   4. file:///about
+   5. file:///blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena
+   6. file:///blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena
+   7. file:///?author=590f29c99f745610d38765af
+   8. http://www.tuscanybicycle.com/en/
+   9. http://www.baronericasoli.com/
+  10. https://www.strava.com/activities/986032513
+  11. file:///blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena
+  12. file:///?author=590f29c99f745610d38765af
+  13. file:///blog/siena-to-san-gimignano
+  14. file:///blog/firenze-to-radda-in-chianti-our-first-day-in-the-saddle