Piedmont Vistas June 18

Breakfast was expansive;

We (Mary Clark, Denise Nichols, Lou Price & I) headed out by 8 am, intending to knock out the 31 miles early to beat the heat.

The route started out like a country idyll

We even ended up in a Catholic procession:

By 10 am we were at the half-way point and feeling fine, if not smug. But as the heat climbed, so did the elevation.

The views were spectacular and the hills were challenging. 

 We arrived in Acqua Terme at 4 pm, temperature in the 90s and totally exhausted!