As always, having woken up early, I had moved the bicycle and my equipment to a distance to avoid making noise or waking up the kind people at the campground where I had slept behind their campers.

After having packed the tent and organized my camping  things and put them in the bicycle bag, I had a quick breakfast with oatmeal (it was in a sachet I had only added hot water), I had taken back my chargers which I had left in the restaurant now closed for the season. Today I cycled again in Tuscany on the Maremma coast, part of the Etruscan Coast, a large stretch of coast that extends from Livorno, one of the most important Italian ports to the seaside town of Piombino.

Maremma, a wild coastal area in the southwestern Tuscany region, extends along the Tyrrhenian coast from south of Livorno to and part of northern Lazio and inland to the Apennine foothills.

Well, I left on a sunny day leaving the desert behind, certainly in high season it would have been a completely different place with events and tourists. And nearby I found myself at the Tomboli di Cecina "Tombolo Meridionale" Biogenetic Nature Reserve and so I entered.

DESCRIPTION - The Tomboli di Cecina Nature Reserve

The Tomboli di Cecina Nature Reserve is located north and south of the mouth of the Cecina river and the town of Marina di Cecina, a beach town not far from Pisa in the province of Livorno,Tuscany.

The first stretch - The route was a fantastic cycle/pedestrian path that ran for 15 kilometers and connected Marina di Cecina to Marina di Bibbona in Maremma. A ride in the middle of the oasis of pine forests, rich in dense and varied vegetation, pedaling on a straight dirt road in the hinterland with small shady paths that lead to the sea with the splendid deserted beaches. The reserve provides signs where numerous animal species live, including: wild boars, foxes, deer, wolves, green woodpeckers and other animals. It really is a beautiful forest, it wasn't a long stretch but it was worth it!

The second stretch -  Leaving the Reserve I cycled on the provincial road (158), mostly flat terrain with beaches, the sea, the sea being the dominant feature, crossing the seaside resorts of Marina di Bibbona, to the quiet town of Donoratico located a few steps from the sea, the small municipality of San Vincenzo, and at Pratoranieri the route wound a little further inland and from some point of the road on my right side. There were views of the Piombino promontory located on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea and the view of the Elba Island. From the port of Piombino there are ferries to embark to beautiful Elba island and also a point for other destinations by ferry or hydrofoil.

Since I had already visited Elba on another holiday (but not by bike) and it was not part of my travel plan, I continued with beautiful panoramic views and then arriving at the small town of Follonica, a jewel of the Tuscan coast with beautiful beaches and splendid stretches of fine sand and crystal clear waters and behind a scenery surrounded by lush pine forests. Next, the road ran further inland with a few climbs but nothing difficult and little by little continuing along the coastal stretch until reaching my last stage of the day in Castione della Pescaia, an ancient fishing village, a jewel of the Maremma coast.

The last leg -  There wasn't a campsite in the area and so by asking a local person he recommended the hotel called La Portaccia. The owner was a very nice woman, the hotel was small and welcoming, after having stored my bicycle in the garage in the garden I went up to my room and after a shower I took a nice walk to discover the area!

DESCRIPTION - Castioglione della Pescaia

Castioglione della Pescaia is a beautiful and renowned coastal village perched on a promontory on the Maremma coast in the province of Grosseto. It is surrounded by green hills.

Castioglione della Pescaia has an old medieval part built high up on the hill surrounded by walls with its ancient fortress and many small streets with ups and downs and stone houses overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea.

In the new area there are many restaurants, bars etc. I hadn't stopped at a restaurant because I had seen a small supermarket displaying the mozarella made from buffalo milk from Marremana and therefore I had purchased it with some slices of bresaula, a piece of bread and a fresh coca cola which I brought into the room and I had dinner.

After dinner I made some travel notes, sent a few text messages, looked at the map on Google and got an idea of where I could be the next day but I was sure I would be in the Lazio region. Then I fell asleep in a comfortable bed and lots of silence and with the desire to cycle the next day!

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