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We knew that today would be a long hot ride, so we got up and out early. Our first 40 miles were along Lake Garda, which is like Lake Winnipesaukee, but with cliffs and castles.
This end of the lake has stiff winds, so we saw lots of kite surfers, and more windsurfers than we have seen since the 1980s. It is also apparently the area and / or the season for topless sunbathing, so we played "spot the boobs." I won, 8 to 5. Sorry, no pictures.
At the end of the lake was Peschiera del Garda, where we said goodbye to the Italian weekend lake crowd...
And rode 30 miles on a hot, exposed, flat, straight, sunbaked, still, hot, sweltering, hot bike path all the way to Mantova. It was nice to be car- and diesel-fume-free, but boy howdy was it hot!
The second we got to Mantova, we hit the Gelateria. Limoncello and Exotic for E, and a pink grapefruit popsicle for me.
After a few hours we had cooled down and recovered enough to stagger to the end of our street to Antica Osteria Ai Ranari for dinner.
We have a checklist of foods to consume before we head back, and Eric did well this night. Tortellini in brodo
and bigoli with cheese, bacon and balsamic.
My meal was tasty and interesting, although it did not check off any Italian comfort food boxes. Crostino with roast pumpkin and smoked goose
and shells with pea puree and a seafood sauce.
Then home to watch Croatia eliminate Russia in a shootout, and to admire the ceiling of our lodging, the Casa degli Scacchi, before sleep.
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