Safe Return Doubtful

Best stay – Zia Carmella Pension in Montella, or Petralia Soprana 

Best village – Montefusco or Radda in Chianti 

Best ride day – 1 Montella to Acerno

2 Troina to Gangi

3  Radda in Chianti to San Quirico

Best ride 2 hours – 1 off road section in Tuscany, 2 new unopened bypass in Nicosia (15 mins), 

Best food – 1 Gaggio Montana in Tuscany or Modena lunch – Moon Indian Restaurant in Palermo 

Best bar – The Clock Tower in Terviglio (first night, brewed its own beer)

Worst place – Baggara Calabria – or anyone of the towns on the beaches of the boot

Hottest – most humid – Guastalla in the Po Basin, or here in Palermo

Coldest – 17C In the morning after a storm, Petralia Soprana

Bike – tremendous, still essentially doing a road trip on a mountain bike but gears, and tough tyres, one puncture in Guastalla

Other gear – Etrex, Frame bag, Handle bar bag, all were excellent and highly recommended. As was software for Etrex which was OSM (openstreetmap), also useful Mapster for IPad (with detailed contours) and toa lesser extent, Google Maps,

Pluses – first solo trip, did what was planned, riding was highlight – hard to get started in the mornings (nothing new there), learnt capabilities, Architecture in cities – piazzas of the north, ancient ruins and castles / churches,

Minuses – social in evenings, Mosquitos, carried more than half gear that was unnecessary but good fitness! not good to camp so expensive, food did not live up o expectation but with the heat very little appetite, beer very ordinary (as expected), Litter and garbage.

Problems – first day to Cremona not used to temperature and went too far, 

Recommended – Tuscany, The hills before boot, hills of Sicily, 

Best Book – Canada by Richard Ford, 

Was it a life changing experience? – or better question, to what degree was it? – will answer in a few weeks!

What next? Time to reflect…