Brekky in the Hotel Villa Luigia was the best yet in Italy. They had prosciutto cotto, fresh warm rolls, cereal, muesli, yoghurt, fruit, cakes, and I was offered an omelette too. While checking out, I gave them an explanation of why the light switch in my room was faulty, and the corresponding Google translation into Italian. It was a 3 switch setup, with a switch at each side of the bed, plus the door. Eight combinations. The light would work only when the door switch was down, so the opposite pole in the switch was broken. Pointing to their Booking.com rating of 9.2, I said I would rate it undici (11) if I could. The elderly man, presumably the owner, beamed, and offered me an espresso for the road. I thankfully declined, I’m trying to avoid coffee in the mornings now.
I decided to stay off the autostrada mostly today, and just cruise on the local roads at the speed limit, mostly 70k, through Ravenna, Argenta, to Ferrara. Here, there was no litter, the villages were manicured and tidy. North of Bassano Del Grappa, the houses tended to be built in the Austrian style. The South Tyrol was Austrian for aeons.
At some point before Ferrara, I pulled out into a little used exit (to a McDonalds) to navigate. Almost immediately, a Polizia car pulled up next to me. OK, no problems? Thumbs up, good, grazie! The Polizia are altogether less menacing than the Carabinieri.
In Bassano I stopped to get more cash. The ATM was in English, how did it know? It must assume it from the origin of the card. They are getting smarter.
I decided to stay near Strigno, and booked a room in Telve. It was time to get a move on, and I got onto the autostrada at Ferrara, to Padova. Zumo took me through Bassano del Grappa, and delivered me to the BnB. It is in a nice house, a bit out of town, set in a manicured garden. I had to ride 4km using Zumo to find the recommended restaurant in nearby Borgo, but it was worth it.
Cortina is a ski resort, so perhaps the internet will work better tomorrow and I can add some pictures. Here they are.
