The Race North

I continued racing up Italy after I caught the ferry at Messina.  On the ferry from Messina to the Italian mainland, I met a nice German couple, he on a BMW 1200GS, she on her own BMW F650GS  twin.  They took some photos, and she said she would email one to me.  I hope they do.  While waiting for the ferry, several other bikers came to look the bike over and pronounce it "very good."  However, to ferry workers said that this particular model of BMW is "very ugly."  All the men and women on biles laughed at them.

After crossing, I rode the AS up the coast quite a ways, but decided to drop down to the highway (2 lane) that follows the coast.  I also needed to get some cash, and there sure wasn't any of that on the autostrada.  Along  the coast there were many, many unfinished or empty apartment or condominium buildings.  Almost the entire stretch north to Palermo looked very depressed, with only a few embers of activity that looked like they were doing okay.  It was depressing to see, as much of the beach looked very good.

I noted several remains of what I imagine were watch towers built on promontories along the coast.  Circular at the base, they watched over the coast.  Don't know who built them, or what they were actually for, but they were always very neat the beach on a headland that gave them a good view.

And of course there were castles or fortified structures on hills as well.  Plenty of high churches and abbeys, too, often with a large white cross or statue of either Christ or Mary.   I recall one in particular, a small fortified village with a large church and white cross, that from the seaward side was on top of a vertical rock face, maybe 1500 feet up.  The approach was through a steep, narrow ravine on the north, which was protected by small fortresses on each side of the ravine throat, and a statue of Mary as well.

It was cold down by the sea, and I wanted to get back on the autostrada where it was marginally safer than the little two lane (more escape routes with 2-3 lanes plus a wide shoulder).  So I followed a road back into the interior.  Italy is not a flat plain, at least until you get up north, or into the major river valleys.  The mountains are really rugged, leading to the bridge-tunnel-bridge way of building roads.  But on this road, there were fewer tunnels, so the road followed contours and natural grades a great deal.  Through the trees, I could see towns clustered on hill tops, or clinging to hillsides.  Never very big, they were always tan with red tiled roofs.  Very pretty.

After getting on the AS, I was back to tunnels and bridges, but moved a lot faster.  Salerno came up on the left, and I decided I was tired enough to stop.  Mr. Garmin found me a place to stay near Baronissi, and I hung up the helmet.  399 miles.