Cinghiale

Miles from Home - 5499.3
Firsts / Highlights - Cinghiale sighting, back on the bike
Miles Ridden - 47.85 miles
Vertical Feet - 4097 ft
Route - View Today's Route Here.
People - Just me.

This post is from June 8, 2009.


View Siena in a larger map



I was reunited with The Machine today after 9 days without a ride. My legs were a little tired, but it felt good to be back out there.

Since I left my bike in Siena to travel light with Brad, I had to come back to Tuscany to retrieve it. Not such a big sacrifice. I am staying for a second time at the Albergo Cannon d’Oro. I will stay a third time at this hotel when I get back from Elba in a few days (I will not have Internet access while on Elba, so if I don’t post any updates, it doesn’t mean I fell off the planet). You would think that with 3 stays on my itinerary that I must love this hotel. Not really. The breakfast is inadequate, 4th floor walk-up isn’t always welcome after a long bike ride, no A/C, bad bathroom, etc.. What it does have is a location in the middle of Siena and they allow me to store my bike and bike box here as I travel to other locations. I have really come to like Siena.

For Elba, I am finally doing some light touring. I will leave my bike box and backpack behind in Siena and only carry what I can transport by bicycle. I’ll ride to the train station in Siena, take the train to near the coast, then ride to the ferry. The ferry will take me to Elba Island, then I will ride to the other side of the island with my minimal pack. That will put me in a prime location on the west side of the island for the next 3 nights. I then reverse the whole routine and work my way back to Siena at the end of the week. (In case you’re wondering, that explanation was for my worrying mother – see the itinerary for details).



On most of my rides in Tuscany, I have heard rustling in the bushes next to the road. Not the little rustle like the lizards that are everywhere, a bigger, unidentified rustle. Today, I figured out what it has been. I heard the sound again and looked over. A cinghiale (Tuscan wild boar) was in the bushes looking at me. He gave me a distinct snort just to be sure I knew he was a pig. My first thought was, “that’s a cinghiale”. My second thought was, “why did I know that?”. The answer to the second question came quickly. I had cinghiale for dinner last night. Knowing how Italians treat people who mess with their families in American movies, I decided not to stick around to get to know him. I left him to go on his way and dig for truffles.