If you would like to see details about our journey, check out our itinerary and our bike route.
We followed the mostly flat cycle path along the Adige River most of the day, rolling through farms, vineyards, and little villages. It was quiet and peaceful. The main challenge was again the heat.
About halfway through the journey, we came around a bend and spotted an beautifully preserved medieval walled city and fortress at Soave. If we had known about it, we might have planned to spend a night there. But we didn't; there's always something to save for next time.
We took frequent breaks to fight the heat, eating snacks on a bench in shade at one point, topping for pastries, coffee, water, tea, and lemon soda (yes, all at the same time) in a cafe that had AC (for once, we left the bikes outside alone, while we went inside and cooled off; we rarely do that, but really, the heat is a huge challenge right now).
At one point, we ran into a huge construction project, where it appears that they are moving the river underground and have temporarily drained it for several miles. The vineyards along this stretch were crispy brown; that was sad to see. The cycle path was torn up and blocked off, but we found an easy detour on farm roads.
Our apartment was not ready for us when we arrived in Vicenza, so we found a little trattoria and had some lunch.
The apartment has AC. Very few places in Italy have AC, though it seems to be more prevalent on this trip than on previous travels here. When I was booking accommodations, I didn't even look at whether that was an amenity. We have always just accepted that traveling in Italy meant putting up with heat. But we truly have not experienced heat like this years', and we are very glad to have AC right now.
The usual routine: showers, groceries, dinner (a good pizza nearby), and a short walk around the neighborhood. We met a little girl about three, who was out looking for bread, and her parents. Vicenza is much quieter than Verona, much less touristy, and our apartment is in a neighborhood with families and dogs out walking in the evening.
Vicenza is a UNESCO World Heritage site that protects the works of architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580).
 |
| Our neighborhood in Vicenza. |
 |
| A sculpture and fountain in the little piazza near our apartment. |
 |
| When we first entered the construction zone on the bike path to Vicenza, the path was in pretty good condition and we kept going. |
 |
| After a little while, the path was not in such good shape, and we looked for a detour. |
 |
| A lovely old villa out in the country along the Adige River. |
 |
| Vicenza is quieter and less touristy than Verona. |
 |
| The Tore Bissara and Basilica Palladiana in Piazza dei Signori. |
 |
| Detail showing the loggia of the basilica. Though many of the major buildings in Vicenza appear to be built of marble, they are in fact constructed of brick and timber, faced with stucco, and painted or textured to look like stone. These building materials were used to save money. |
 |
| Palladio is known for a classical Roman style, including loggias, columns, arches, and round windows. |
.
 |
| Sometimes barriers are just meant to be ignored. |
