The great bike tour day 22: across the Po and almost like vacation

Now I've been on the road for 3 weeks and cycled at least 33 km every day. This morning I'm about to ask the landlord if I can rent the room for another night to take a day off. Somehow, I don't really like him and I'm his only guest. Plus, there are even fewer available rooms for Saturday night compared to weekdays, and €150 or more for a hotel room in Bologna is not what I want.

So I decide to get back on the bike. Less than 10 km after Bagnolo San Vito, I cross the Po and I'm impressed by its width. Compared to that, the Rhine is really narrow, although probably deeper. The Po was kind of like the Equator to me, now I'm basically on the southern hemisphere - at least in terms of temperature. But I don't want to complain, it's still less than 30°C and with the ride wind, it's bearable.

Today, I'm almost car-free all day, the bike path runs along one of the numerous dikes that crisscross the Po Valley with their associated canals. For almost two hours, I don't see any people, the many farmhouses look deserted, no animals in the pasture, and even the usual dog walkers and road cyclists are missing. Only poplar monocultures appear in between, which somehow remind me of military cemeteries.

Today's stage was short, I arrived at my accommodation in the early afternoon. It's something between an old farmhouse and a B & B in British style, and I'm thrilled. Not only because everything is lovingly but charmingly sloppy decorated, Monica, the landlady, is adorable and takes care of me as if she were my mom. She even has an old shoebox and tape for me, in which I will finally drop off my gloves and other warm 'Maloja Pass' clothes at the post office tomorrow. I'm allowed to use the breakfast kitchen for my dinner and I enjoy the feeling of being a bit 'at home' - like a vacation from the travel routine.

https://www.komoot.de/tour/767812637?ref=itd

B & B Villa Pacchioni, €55, room with bathroom and breakfast, slow Wi-Fi, but shared use of breakfast kitchen and garden.