In which Sid and Doris visit Ivrea, white water kayak venue of wonder, and set off through the bird spotting delights of paddy fields along the Po.
The Pont Saint Martin bridge dates from around the time of Jesus, connecting the Po valley with Gaul. It is seen here with the more recent hydro-electric works. Sid and Doris might pick up the theme of ancient and modern.
Tonight’s target is the Borgo Ramezzana country house hotel. The navigating through Italian minor roads (to keep off the main roads) is taking all Doris’s skill. With much muttering we take a gravel road signposted to the airfield, which according to the mapping becomes a proper road in 600 metres.
How exciting, a regional airfield with gate guardians and cafes. We see no planes, but looking back hear a whining little engine and Doris spots a model aircraft carefully picked out here in the photo. Moments later we make out the mobile homes of the aviators. We take our excitement where we find it.
Fellow long distance cyclist Pamela wrote how dull riding through the Po valley is. There was no exaggeration. However, the Po itself does something very grand at Ivrea with a narrowing to get the speed up and then weirs make for white water. The river through Ivrea is hung with canoe gates and there were a few out even on a Friday morning. Sometimes wooden boats and sometimes plastic.
Doris made a video of the white water under the bridges in town which may appear later.
Ivrea was also the home town of Olivetti where between the 1930s and 1960s the population roughly doubled to 30,000. Adriano Olivetti built workers’ low rise flats and housing with green space. The factories had glass walls so workers were in touch with the world. In the late ‘40s he wrote that Italian politics should be reorganised around relatively autonomous districts. Olivetti mostly made type writers. The business in Ivrea is in decline and it is not clear what can be saved for the UNESCO site. Sid plans to go back. Here is picture by Clare Provost, printed in The Guardian. PIC.
This is the view toward the Po from road level.
However, interest is at hand. This flat, wet land is ideal for rice paddies. And in the rice paddies are various herons, marsh harriers, cranes, ibises and egrets. We saw a few… but then again…
At the country house hotel we have a think about days riding along the Po valley to find a way down to Rome and start to make a new plan. On the Saturday morning we go slowly (Sid’s knees) towards Torino. We have plenty of time in hand, and on the outskirts of a dull little town see an odd shaped church and wander over. The way is flat, after all.
Much happiness to see the wedding, just as the congregation gives up the applause for the happy newly weds of Verolengo.
Perhaps a move to Turin would add to their joy? Sid thinks. (And this from a bloke who left London for Salisbury?)
The routing into Turin is tortuous, with surprisingly little swearing from Doris. Going in over the 1905 Victor Immanuel Bridge is one of the good bits.
Getting the bikes up the steps moments from the lovely Victoria Hotel wasn’t. The hotel is welcoming for scruffy bikers and their grubby bikes and soon Sid and Doris are out in the fun of Turin on Saturday afternoon.
The Olivetti site is a great day trip – understated but plenty of buildings to see and good information boards.
We are tackling the Po route in stages , hired e bikes to get to the start rather high in the Cottian Alps and completed second stage a few days short of Venice in May . Hoping to get to Venice later this year