This morning I obviously woke up early, I had had breakfast in the hotel, I texted Arturo that I would join him in the place where we had left the previous evening.

The first stretch - I leave the hotel in Formia and retrace the route I had already taken the previous evening on a cloudy but not cold day and I had found a coffee shop near a police station so it would have been a fairly easy place to find.

The second stretch - After 30 minutes my cyclist friend had arrived and together we cycled on a quiet, easy road passing on our right was the Regional Natural Park of Gianola and Monte di Scauri, a protected rocky promontory located on the coast surrounded by the sea and views of the mountains from behind. It is located in the extreme south of the Lazio region in the municipalities of Formia and Minturno.

The third stretch - Next we continued pedalling on the side of the road with little traffic. There was an abundance of fig plants everywhere and we couldn't help but stop to taste that wonderful fruit. Arturo had the idea of picking some figs that he had peeled very delicately to avoid getting hurt by the thorns. He had peeled them for both of us. How good they were and thank you!

At another time of the day we had stopped for a break and Arturo had asked me if I wanted a coffee? I replied yes thanks and in a matter of seconds he had pulled out the a real Italian mocha and Italian coffee from somewhere on his bicycle, woah! It is a coffee machine that was designed by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 and then also produced by other names and models. After a good cup of coffee we continued pedalling.

The fourth stretch - We then arrive at Domizia Mare, a seaside resort now closed but there was one open because they were rearranging the place for the winter closure. Luckily there was still only one type of ice cream, which we had ordered while sitting in such a quiet corner overlooking the sea to enjoy the ice cream.

Afterwards my friend asked if we could take the shower located near the beach where the changing rooms were. And they kindly told us we could use it. After a cold shower we continued cycling passing other coastal towns  until arriving at Lake Fusaro, a place that he already knew and he often stopped there for the night on his previous trips.

THE CAMPANIA REGION

Campania, regione, that extends along the mid coast of the country and is confined to the regions of Lazio, Molise, Puglia and Basilicata on the Tyrrenian sea.

Lake Fusaro is a coastal lagoon that derives from a sulphate volcanic formation and salty waters. It is located in the municipality of Bacoli on the outskirts of the province of Naples. The lagoon is separated from the sea to the west by sand dunes, it is a naturalistic oasis and mussel and oyster farms.

The Quarantine park located on Lake Fusaro was built after the war during the fascist regime. The park's name comes from exotic animals from Africa kept in quarantine before being used in Italian and European zoos. The park is surrounded by woods and paths, there are some picnic tables and animals such as goats, peacocks, rabbits, chickens and a horse. We camped one night here tents and then continued the next day towards Naples.

The last leg - Once we arrived in this incredible park surrounded by many animals, Arturo saw his friend who looked after the park, asking if we could put up our tents for a night and kindly let us stay, saying that we could stay wherever we wanted. We had pitched our tents under some trees overlooking the lake.

While I was setting up my tent Arturo was preparing the dinner, he had preferred to set up his tent later. A dinner of spaghetti and salad. After dinner he immediately washed the dishes, left them hanging a container being The ORTLIEB water bag, then he set up his tent.

And finally we had a chat and he told me about his experiences traveling by bicycle and I about mine and with goodbye we went to sleep and obviously before sleeping I had updated my travel notes and even a few text messages. And I can't wait for tomorrow to pedal with him and discover his routes which he had done several times in different ways since every year he pedals from Frankfurt in Germany to Sicily, plus he speaks Italian very well and loves Italy!

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