Crossing the borders in these rustic sections of The Alps is rather unceremonious.
With all of the hills and valleys, along with the history of wars and trades that have gone on in this area you may find yourself passing between Italy and France and back again several times in a day, as we did coming into and leaving Olivetta San Michele, Italie.
Our gear was waiting for us at the nice little outdoor kitchen, equipped with a Tuscan grill, below Casa Villa Bella where we stayed.
By the light of day I was able to explore the expansive orchards.
La Casa di Remo is family run Agrotourisme resort with seven different casas that can be rented for vacations or events.
Here are the barrels that lead me to the tasting room the night before. Closer to town the family has a B&B and the shop da Bruno that features all of the products they grow and produce on the property.
But we didn’t have much time to linger, we needed to saddle up
and head “home” to France.
We wound along the winding roads of charming Olivetta San Michele
and then connected to the Seniero da Olivetta a Passo Treittore to head up in the hills that were deeply seasoned with the scents and sights of Fall.
Thank goodness for all of the signs along the way, and the tracking information on my iphone, otherwise, I really wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly where we went!
We had a final long lunch soaking in the incredible views at Col de Castillon. This is a popular destination for hikers and bikers as well and there were plenty of people coming and going during our pause.
After about another hour of riding we caught our first view of St. Agnes and the glistening Mediterranean Sea beyond.
Two hours later it was time to say “Au Revoir” and go back to my normal life.
Thank you so much for following me on this adventure, it was such a beautiful, natural and authentic way to explore this extraordinary part of the world to which I’ve always been drawn. It was also a serious change of pace and lifestyle for me and I was constantly pushed way beyond my comfort zone on many different levels, but I guess that’s what I was seeking.
Would I do again? Absolutely.
On another happy note, a few days after I got back to Eze, Scott emailed me that someone in Rochetta Nervina had my “banana bag” that was ripped from my horses back on the second night. Turns out some hikers found it in the woods and brought it to an inn in town, where they found a card in it from Alto Blu and called the owners to see if they knew to whom it may have belonged. Thankfully there aren’t many packs of riders who take this route, so they knew right away.
It was pretty amazing to drive back to the “scene of the crime” in only 45 minutes from our place in Eze, ah, our modern conveniences!
On this day we rode 13.16 miles.
The End
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