Roma-Ghisallo Trip Recap

Roma-Ghisallo 2018 Recap

1/3/2019

Ready to go, our departure from the Vatican.

by Dan Merlino (guest blogger) © 2019 Bike It! Bellagio
At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. The previous year we had done a tremendous tour with TriLakeComo around Como and then over to the Italian Alps to ride up the iconic Stelvio and Gavia passes--great guides, wonderful food, fantastic routes! But Rome to the Ghisallo was a 6-day pilgrimage from Rome to Como, over 500 miles with lots of climbing. Daunting! However, I love Casey and Luca and their team, so I put my faith in them. That was the right call.
The trip was spectacular. The ride started with a blessing by a priest at the Vatican and ended with a peal of bells and a welcome blessing at the bike chapel on top of Il Ghisallo! How can anything go wrong when you have divine intervention! The trip went so smoothly, perhaps because it was so well planned, with top-of-the-line Bianchi bikes, great scenery, wonderful hotels, and excellent food! All we had to do was train.

Group shot climbing through Tuscany along stage 2!

Riding through Tuscany, beauty all around

The route was epic. Bellisima! The beautiful walled city of Siena was magical. Pisa’s Leaning Tower automatically made you tilt your head. Only in Italy! And then a very backdoor, intimate ride into the Cinque Terre. We even stopped at the Bianchi factory for a visit along the final stage to see their incredible attention to quality in production.

Trip Highlights

Our guardian angel, Casey, staying out in front of all the logistics, trading out parts, confirming reservations, calling ahead to get anything requested by the riders along the way.
Luca always riding up front, no matter the weather, with “Super Mario” pulling anybody (and sometimes everybody) from the back.
Farmlands on the way to Siena--looked like a painting!
Climbing above and then descending into the iconic Cinque Terre. Not so much climbing out.
The food! Especially the dinners, and especially, especially the meal at the restaurant in Monterosso. Deliziosa!
Luca and Casey’s friends creating a ride stop, complete with food, snacks, and beer (beer!), just before our last long climb up Il Ghisallo.
The ringing of the bells from the bike chapel at the top of Il Ghisallo.
A party afterward in Bellagio that included the whole team, Luca’s family, and all of their friends. By the end we felt like family.

This was one of the great trips of my life. I would do it again, and again. Thank you so much, Casey, Luca, Super Mario, Roberto, and Andrea!