Domenica in bici (Sunday on the bike)

After sleeping in a bit we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of cereal with yogurt and toast (made the old fashioned way by holding the bread over the gas burner!) with a chocolate/hazelnut spread similar to Nutella but much, much better. We fueled up for a bit more challenging ride as Heather mapped a route to Vitorchiano, then along some flat plains past what we think were chicken farms before descending to the valley of the Tiber river. From there it was up to Bomarzo for caffe and biscotti before the final push home. At right you can see Lorenzo posing in Bomarzo in the historic center where the view was spectacular! Skies were sunny as we began the ride but clouds came in later and we feared getting wet from rain. It cooled off a bit but nothing happened weather-wise and we arrived to find Viterbo almost deserted in the afternoon. The temps here so far are reasonable for cycling as long as you have winter gear. We've yet to use our winter jackets, getting by with long-sleeved jerseys and Santini's wonderful Windstopper vest. As I type this (around 5 pm) the streets have come alive with people walking around as Heather prepares a Sunday feast of melanzane alla parmigiana (using up some fresh mozzarella we bought the other day) that we'll enjoy with a bottle of vino novello. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain but that's OK since the repairman is supposed to come and fix the heat! Thankfully the heat in the bedroom works so we can sleep without freezing our tails off -- but the rest of the place is chilly at best -- we'll hope it's a quick fix, not one with parts needing to be ordered from who-knows-where!