ACT Italy - We Are On It!
Finally some offroad!
15th - 18th March | 2022
Fratta Terme is just down the road from Bertinoro, where the ACT officially starts. It was a nice mixture of easy offroad and backroads. After a cafe stop in Sarsina, we had our first snow patches. The wading technique worked very well through the first snow patches. In one of the last patches, Steffi did an "in doubt gas it out" and Schimmelchen got traction and shot over the track nearly down the hill! First real fall; and Steffi's 1st Joker card (of 3/day) for the day.
Only around 15h we found a bar/restaurant that was open. Normally the kitchen would have been closed, but they made for us a lovely massive healthy salad. As Steffi was still optimistic to find a supermarket for our beer tonight, we carried on. Of course, nothing anymore on the track! Only a man-made barrier, so that was Joker card no. 2 for the day ...
Shortly after that we found a fantastic wild camping spot at some deserted houses. Thankfully we have opted for the hidden and sheltered option!
In the early morning hours, the wind started to pick up, so by 6h30 James was up and had already his breakfast. Steffi finally left her nice and warm sleeping bag at 7 am as the gusts of wind got stronger and we both remembered well our night up in the Spanish mountains!
By 8h30 we were on the bikes, so we should get done many kilometres today ;-) We had lunch on the change between Day1 and Day2 of ACT Italy! We have chosen a lovely spot with a panoramic view. As the day before, a very good mixture of good offroad tracks and backroads around hamlets and villages.
60km into Day2 we found a camping spot in Pianello. It was only a field, but on OsmAnd as camping classified. We asked one of the house owners next to the field and he said it should be ok. So we pitched up our tent as it was getting later. James needed to tighten his chain as a bit slack before it was completely dark. As soon as it is dark, it gets really cold, so by 20h, we are in our tent in the sleeping bags, listening to podcasts.
Sidenote: got message from the owner of the VW Golf, and he claims for the damage 1200€! You can imagine Steffi's reaction to that one! Discussed with the insurance broker the situation and asked the car owner to get a surveyor on the case. So let's see what will come of it...
The next morning, the route went directly from Pianello high into the mountains. At about 1100m altitude the snow patches are starting. As we didn´t want to risk anything, we started to walk to see what is coming after the next bends. Steffi went nearly all the way up to SP15 to check. It looked sort of doable, but then there is still the doubt, what comes between SP15 and Secchiano as it will be the north side of the mountain. We decided to go back to Pianello to take the road via Secchiano to Cagli.
In Cagli we just got some bits and bobs for our lunch and off we are into the mountains. We drove up to Bocca della Valle via SP113. Halfway it said the road is closed between 1st December and 31st March - well, we are closer to 31st March, isn´t it ;-) It was a lovely maintained dirt track; for us Algarvians it was a bit Winterwonderland. At about 1200m altitude we saw a little hut and we decided it is time for our lunch snack.
At the same time arrived an old Golf Crosscountry with two lovely Italian guys. One of them was telling us, where he had already been in Europe with that car; impressive! He informed us, that further on the road is blocked by a jeep but we can take another road down to Cagli.
Curious as we were, of course, we went to see the roadblock as we do not have anything like this in the Algarve ;-) As the clouds came in we went down the very steep and twisty SP105 to Frontone and from there to Serra Sant'Abbondio to hit the track on the SP138. We followed again the ACT Italy until Gubbio, including all the lovely offroad tracks.
In Gubbio the camping site was closed, so Steffi found a good deal of a B&B where we stayed the night in a nice and warm room. Unfortunately breakfast was (in relation to the rest of the place) a bit poor. We also noticed that here in Italy, they seem to like their breakfasts very sweet. This is not good for James (Diabetis type II) and Steffi was off the sweet tooths for the last two years...
After all packed away it was hitting the track (still Day2 of ACT). Close to Passignano sul Trasimeno the offroad got a bit challenging - remember, all about momentum ;-) For lunch we had some nice pasta in a little restaurant along the main road of Lago Trasimeno. Finally we got on Day3 of ACT Italy. We carried on until Montepulciano, where we bought our drinks for dinner (as we were still full from lunch).
We found a sheltered wild camping spot shortly after that along the track, as it was about time to pitch up tent. As the weather the last days is cloudy, windy and cold, Steffi has a bit of a low; a bit fed up of it ;-( But on the plus side, no rain so far!
Unstoppable James on ACT Italy, day 3 - James on his Yahama SuperTenere doing a bumpy uphill around Lago Trasimeno for the 2nd time, just for the video.
Actually after a good night sleep, we were on the track early the next morning. It was lovely, easy going offroad, as well as nice twisty back lanes. In the area of Radicofani we saw some Rally cars whizzing along, as well as we were partly on the Rally track. In Orvieto, at the end of Day3 of ACT Italy we finally found a desperately needed self service lavandaria. Whilst our laundry was getting done, we had at the parking lot our lunch - in sunshine and 15C, Halleluja!
As there was a supermarket, we got already our drinks for dinner, as in about 20km there is Lago di Corbara and it looks like we should find a camping spot along it. And yes, we did, just at a far end. And this time we pitched up our tent at 14C! However, about 19h30 the cold wind was getting in, so we went into our tent to get some work on our blog done and James stitching his gloves.
Grab a beer and see how many days we will need for ACT Day 4 and 5! .…
Places | Cities:
Fratta Terme, Bertinoro, Tessello, Linaro, Sarsina, Casteldelci, Badia Tedalda, Borgo Pace, Marcetello Sul Metauro, Petralunga, Pianello, Secchiano, Cagli, Scheggia, Gubbio, Casamorcia, Pierantonio, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Acquaviva, Montepulciano, Monticchiello, San Quirico d'Orcia, Vivo d´Orcia, Radicofani, Allerona Scalo, Orvieto.
Driven km | Trip:
Schimmelchen: 4155km
SuperTenere: 4155km
Maintenance | Breakdown:
./.
Health issues:
./.
Special thanks to:
"La Giardiniera" (Casteldelci) for doing us the yummy salad!
Touratech for inventing these ACTs!