This morning I woke up at 5.30 AM and it was no longer raining and after having packed up my camping gear and putting it in my bicycle bags I had breakfast at a pastry shop at the exit of the Parco della Gallinara campsite. I had my usual cappuccino and croissants plus some freshly squeezed orange juice.


The first stretch - Leaving Lido Dei Pini in the province of Anzio I followed the coastal road with always beautiful panoramic views passing from the coastal fishing port of Anzio (the place where the Battle of Anzio of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 to June 4, 1944), to the beautiful medieval village of Nettuno then Marina d Latina where I stopped at a kiosk (the only one open in the area) where I ate an ice cream with a view of the sea and the long uncontaminated and wild seaside beach. There was no one there due to the low season and I was lucky to have found this open place which was one of the last days of opening.


The second stretch - After leaving the kiosk in Marina di Latina I continued pedalling on the coastal road that runs up in the Circeo National Park. It is one of the oldest protected areas in the country. It extends inland and is located in the Tyrrhenian coastal strip between Anzio and Terracina in the Latina province in the Lazio region.


Latina is the capital of the province of Latina, in the Lazio region.The Province of Latina is the smallest of the provinces in the region of Lazio. In 1932 the city was founded by Benito Mussolini as Littoria, named for the fascists. In Latina there are four municipalities in the territory: Latina, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo and Ponza (Zannone island). It is located about 100 km south of Rome.


The third  stretch - I cycled along the coast of the Circeo National Parkon on an asphalt road. I was immersed in the silence of uncontaminated nature (about 30 km) characterised by panoramic views on two sides: on my right splendid panoramic views of sandy and wild beaches and dunes  with scents of vegetation (sea lily, sea chamomile and other species) and the waters of the crystalline sea.


While cycling on my left there were views of the four coastal lakes (Fogliano, Monaci, Caprolace, Paola) that separate from the Tyrrhenian Sea with its natural environments. On the road towards Sabaudia it was possible to admire Monte Circeo or Cape Circeo is a small promontory overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the entrance to the Gulf of Gaeta.


The fourth stretch - After  Sabaudia I continued along the coast passing through the seaside resorts of Terracina, then took the coastal dirt road and then I was back on the provincial road where I stopped for a break in a local shop and  I was eating a sandwich  and chatting with the owner named Maria,  a nice person who had a nice little dog.


Then, in the same place  while I was eating a sandwich I had the most exciting and enriching encounter was meeting a German man I met by chance who stopped, exchanged a few more words and asked me where I was headed? I'm going to Reggio Calabria and incredibly but true he was also headed there but  and would have taken the ferry to Sicily at Villa San Giovanni (before Reggio Calabria). After meeting we cycled together for a few days and quickly became good friends and good cycling partners.


Hartmut, also called Arturo left his job and set out on his bicycle to see the world he would never return to. He has been traveling for the last 15 years living a solo and nomadic life and everything that belongs to him is in his bicycle bags which weighing a total of 80 kilos, he lives simply, choosing a sustainable lifestyle and as he says: more human. He has made many bicycle trips and continues to do so and lately every year he travels from Germany to Sicily where he spends the winter. He has a great desire to never stop traveling and new adventures!


The third stretch - We continued along the coast passing by the famous seaside resorts of Balneari of Gaeta, a charming village  medieval sorge  on a promontory al centro del golfo Gaeta western coast, between the cosmopolitan giants of Rome and Naples. Next we reached Sperlonga. a medieval village built a top a cliff overlooking a stretch of  the Tyrrhenian Sea Offering some of the best beaches and the  the last stage Formia it rises in the center of the gulf of Gaeta.


The last leg - Once we arrived in Formia he already had a place to sleep with a friend while I had found the Albergo del Golfo but I had to go back because it was located near the Formia train station and in the heart of this seaside resort and close to the center of Formia in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio.


The last leg - Once we arrived in Formia Arturo already had a place to sleep with a friend while I had found the Albergo del Golfo but I had to go back because it was located near the Formia train station and in the heart of this seaside resort and close to the center of Formia in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio.


After I had put the bicycle in the hotel garage I went up to the room and after a shower I went for a walk in the center of Formia and I found a very small local shop that sold some pre-cooked foods which I bought and ate in my room.


Then I contacted Arturo and we agreed that tomorrow morning we would meet at the point where he was heading to his friend and it was mine that I had had to return for this accommodation. After my evening routine I fell asleep and who knows what tomorrow's adventure would be!





BLOG I DAY 8 I  ITALY'S FOUR SEAS: A cycle tour along the italian peninsula

September 21, 2023  Lido dei Pini, Lazio - Formia, Latina , Lazio  I  124.0 Km - 76.9 Miles