A friend and a camera
Down to the coast at Viareggio, to a friend.
The seventh day had a destination, and it was neither a pass nor an attraction. It was a person I hadn’t seen in a long time: the friend in Italy who had already figured into the plans back on Pag. Croatia was checked off, the condition met. Everything that came now was a bonus, and a bonus gets to visit a friend.
Since Pag we had left behind a night ferry, a beach hotel and a winery with a set table. On Thursday morning the Adriatic had still been next to the road; now we were going straight across Italy to the other sea. Viareggio isn’t on the shortest way to Franconia. A friend you haven’t seen in a long time is the best reason for a detour.
From the winery on the hillside north of Arezzo we rode west, through the Valdarno, the Arno Valley, south of Florence, past Pisa and then to the water. A good two hundred kilometers.
Florence and Pisa sit on this route like the mandatory stops of a sightseeing tour. So far on this trip we had ridden through cities, not visited them: Rijeka, Split, Ancona, Rimini. Florence and Pisa were no exception. We rode past both. For motorcyclists there’s nothing to find in cities except: I don’t need this.
We didn’t stop along the way. The only stop was Viareggio, where the route ended at the sea: there I bought an Insta360 X4, a 360-degree camera. That wasn’t a whim. In Croatia I had already tried to get a camera and hadn’t found one. I’d seen something like it on other riders, and I thought it was cool.
There was a second reason, and it’s less romantic: having Lisa film with her phone while we ride is no highlight.
We stayed with the friend, in the attic. It was warm.
A reunion and a camera I hadn’t been able to find in Croatia: for a day of 201 kilometers, that’s a good haul. From now on there are videos.
Day 7 in numbers
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Distance | 201 km |
| From - to | Winery north of Arezzo - Viareggio |
| Route | Valdarno, south past Florence, past Pisa, coast |
| Elevation | from the Tuscan hills down to sea level |
| Countries | Italy |
| Overnight | Viareggio, at the friend’s |