1 . The ancient city of Matera is perhaps the oldest formal settlement in the world . 2 . We stayed at the beautiful Villa San Domenico in Morano Calabro . 3 . Yours Trowly , Dane , Domenico , and Graham yuk it up in Amalfi . Below : Delicious curves ( and food !) are endless on this tour .
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The thing that strikes me most as I consider the secrets of the Appenines and the unknowns of Italy is that it is a land of great contrasts . It ’ s the contrast of terrain transitioning from rolling hills to rocky cliffs and from farmlands to dense forests and then on to crystal blue seas . It ’ s the solitude of riding through the untouched rural hill country and then hurtling through frenzied traffic on the autostrada . It ’ s dodging buses , trucks , cars , and scooters on dense city streets and then dodging goats and working dogs in farmland . It ’ s the pure , undisturbed silence of a night in the medieval village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio juxtaposed with the roaring high tide of coastal tourists along the Amalfi coast . It ’ s the paradox of a thoroughly modern 4- star hotel and restaurant built upon a meager ancient cave city . And it ’ s also the riddle of 18 people from different parts of the world laughing at the same silly “ dad joke ,” a brand of humor that transcends international borders , as does the deep , eye- rolling groan in response .
Back in the Villa San Domenico in Morano Calabro , I eventually drifted off to sleep , strangely lulled by the laughter and singing of dear Amy , Robin , and Shiva in the courtyard below my window . Clearly , I slept soundly because I awoke to Amy sleeping peacefully beside me . I smiled as I thought about all the incredible things we ’ d already seen and experienced , and I marveled
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at the dynamics of this diverse group of people . With so much global unrest dominating news headlines , it has been almost surreal to find such peace on this ride . Somehow , amidst a troubled and often unfriendly world , this international group immediately restored my long- held but recently wavering belief that people are , by and large , good and kind . And I was reminded that although we are from disparate lands with strange native languages , we are much more alike than we are
different . Perhaps that was the biggest secret revealed in the Appenines .
Edelweiss Bike Travel ’ s Southern Italy Delights & Twisties tour is scheduled to run four times in 2024 : May 12- 23 , June 3- 14 , Sept . 28- Oct . 10 , and Oct . 10- 13 . Prices start at $ 6,360 per person . For more information , visit EdelweissBike . com .
Contributing editor Eric Trow writes our monthly Riding Well column .
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