A memorable couchsurfing experience

It was late afternoon when Davide my host from Bologna and two of his daughters came to pick me up by car. At home I met his wife and their three daughters, a real bike freak family who cycled a lot around Europe. Sporty, outdoorsy and open minded, I really admired them. Some of their friends came for dinner and we all had a great time, discussing adventure and cycling. The kids were awesome and I was astonished by all the miles they had cycled since the earliest ages. The following morning I was ready to start for my new adventure. Davide escorted me by bike to Bologna, following the local routes he knew by heart, where I would take a train to Florence.

Yes. It was time to take the train. Florence to Bologna meant crossing the Apennines and it was not in my plan to cycle massive mountain ranges, at least not in my first experimental tour. Leaving Bologna meant leaving finally the immense flatland known as the Po valley, easy to cycle but a bit of a yawn because of the monotonous landscape. Tuscany had much more to offer with regard to landscapes, sceneries, roads, hills.

Though I had decided to take the train, I still believe Bologna-Florence is worth to ride. I recommend the so called Via degli Dei, an ancient route which connects the two cities since Etruscan times. It follows the ridge of the mountains and Romans built an actual road which now crumbled down. Today it’s more like a path ideal for trained MTB riders or hikers, which boasts spectacular views all around. It’s in my bucket list along with many other adventures I am planning to do.

On the train I met other two cyclists, apparently there were quite a lot of cyclists crossing Italy up and down except maybe for the Po flatland, which was accurately avoided… One was cycling from Genoa, while the other guy was travelling through all Italy alternating train to bicycle. It was really encouraging to meet other people who were doing the same things as I was doing. I got off the train at Vaiano, a village at the bottom of the Apennines and followed a cycle path through woods, bridges and along a turbulent river. At some point the path was interrupted due to a recent landslide and I had to continue on the regular road. Once arrived in Prato it started to rain and my new host was actually on his way home from job and kindly picked me up.

My new host was Leonardo, a hosting phenomenon. His apartment was a sort of free hostel. Every day Leonardo hosted people from all over the world, managing to fit up to nine people at a time, every day, for most of the year. Guests had to follow certain rules such as leaving the flat in the morning, coming back at a certain time, dining together and cooking alternately traditional dishes. The one who was in charge of cooking would prepare a shopping list and Leonardo would go to the groceries. The expenses were then divided by the guests (not more than two euros per person). Every Friday Leonardo would cook and that Friday he prepared for us a local soup, not bad indeed. The apartment was quite small and now I will explain you how nine people could fit in it. There were beds everywhere: 2 bedrooms with three beds each, one bed in the corridor sheltered by a sort of cardboard and a tent for couples in the balcony with heating and light in it. Leonardo was very much organised: each bed had a number and each guest had its information inserted in Leonardo’s database system, which helped him to maintain a record of his guests. He had a box of lost property and could contact his guests once they left.

I arrived in the afternoon, the other guests would show up after 8 pm, so we had some spare time for a short cycling tour. The destination was Fiesole on the top of the hill with spectacular views on Florence. It was a tough climb through quiet residential roads, fortunately very short. It had stopped to rain and the sun was shining on Florence, giving it a magical color and sparkle. The moist of the heavy shower was still in the air and I was again enjoying the moment, loving my life and feeling grateful for it. After a walk in Fiesole we started the descent taking the road on the back side of the hill. The road, full of hairpin turns went through woods and isolated villas for a few km and a wild boar crossed steadily the road in front of me. At the bottom we stopped for an ice cream before heading back home. At home I managed to take a shower in time before the other guests arrived. Suddenly the world was here, mess, noise, people, France, Poland, Spain, Argentina, Turkey, US… a melting pot of people cycling, back packing, travelling, couch surfing from all corners and with different destinations.

The next day Leonardo was planning a cycling tour, the French cyclist was hurrying back to France so I was the only one who joined Leonardo. I followed him on rolling hills, sunflower fields, cypress roads, typical villages and along the Arno river on a circular route that ended up in Piazza della Signoria. We had a stroll in Florence, it was not new for me, I had visited it in the past, but it still surprised me as the first time with new details and people. We had cycled about 70 km that day and new guests were arriving in the evening. It was my last night in Florence and I was excited to be soon on the road towards Rome.

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