Our first impression of the mountains are good...
In the event, it was another long hot day in the saddle. This time much more scenic though. We followed a river valley up into the foothills of the Apennines and stopped cycling for the day when we reached the village of Borgo Val Di Taro.
As luck would have it, we appear to have arrived on the day of the Borgo Val Di Taro's annual music and wine festival. The streets are a-throng with people listening and dancing to the various singers, bands and discos that are dotted around the central bar/resto district.
We'd started the day by stocking up on mosquito spray and after-bite stuff in a pharmacy on the outskirts of Parma (I'd practiced a charade description of what I wanted in case no English was spoken. In the event, my display wasn't required). Then we (Jackie) stocked up on food from a small supermarket. I stayed outside with the bikes. There were no less than 5 migrants working the car park. By 'working' I mean directing incoming shoppers to vacant parking bays. In the 10 minutes I observed them, no notice was taken, by the Italians, of their gesticulations and no money changed hands.
The road up from Parma, into the hills, was not as quiet as I'd hoped. It's long winding bends, together with the lovely scenery, was a magnet for local motorcyclists, some of whom flashed by at very high speeds. From now on, we'll stick to much smaller roads.
We're thinking that the terrain to the south might be the most spectacular. So, we might forget Nice and head further south. Not quite sure yet???