The weather forecasts I saw before my trip projected possible rain today, so I had reserved the motorcycle for only two days in order to be back before the rain came. However, it was still sunny and good riding weather so I decided I was going to be a little late in returning the bike. I left Perugia and headed towards another hilltop city called Orvieto. I made my way down more winding country roads before making the ascent up the side of the hill leading to the city. The hill is actually a little more like a flat bluff with cliffs on most sides of the city, so from a distance it looks a little different then other hilltop towns. Once inside the city I parked the bike and walked around a bit. It's a nice town with the same comfortable relaxed feel as most that I have seen. I really don't know too much about the city, but I do know the big cathedral has the most beautiful facade I have seen yet, even better than the one in Florence I think.
The level of detail on the facade is incredible. It's covered with mosaics, either depicting scenes from the past or just colorful designs, every piece has been carefully decorated. The inside is also nice and very well lit with light from outside coming through the large circular windows and beautiful arched stained glass panels. I grabbed a little lunch and sat against a wall opposite the Duomo and took it all in, just amazed that after all this time I can continue to find such unexpected treasures. After my break I found a pay phone (still mad that my cell phone was stolen) and tried to get a hold of the rental place to tell them I would be late, but nobody answered. Oh well, I'm sure they'll understand when I get back. 
I took a look at my map and found a nice crooked line leaving from Orvieto towards the south, so I got on the road to see what it was like in person. Of course it was nice, and it gave me a great view of Orvieto as I rode away.
I followed it to a small town on the map called Bagnoregio. It wasn't much more than some houses and shops surrounding the main road. I found one side street that seemed to run parallel to a valley and at the end there was a small parking area and a little shop with some picnic tables out back. I got off the bike to have a look around and then I saw it.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this one isn't enough to describe the view of this town. I was totally blown away by the site of this place just barely clinging to it's spot atop a large rock sticking out of a very large valley. I had seen this place before in a video, but my finding it was totally by accident. I rode as close to it as I could, but only foot traffic is allowed on the bridge and I didn't really have the time to walk all the way up there and back, so I'll have to come back again to see inside the town. 
From Bagnoregio I continued south, but instead of taking the more direct route to Rome I veered west towards the sea, which always seems to have some sort of magnetic pull over me. I stopped in Rome's main port city called Civitavecchia. There was a large marina with some ships waiting, but nothing really looked too interesting so I just found my way to the water and had a snack by the sea before heading off.
This time I decide to head inland instead of just keeping to the coast because the roads looked like more fun. I stopped at a gas station just outside of town to fill up and a kid on a new motorcycle pulled up and came over to talk to me. He started asking me where I was going and such, and I responded telling him what I had been doing and actually got of a sentence or two before he realized I wasn't Italian. I told him I was American and he invited me inside for a cafe. We chatted a bit about the roads in the area since Marco was from Civitavecchia, and he gave me some suggestions about where to ride. We exchanged emails and I told him I would call him to go for a ride the next time I was in the area. That being only my second cup of espresso ever, needless to say I was a bit fired up for the next few miles, which was good because the road was a blast! Thanks Marco for the directions and the energy boost. The clouds had just dropped a little rain on the road so it was a bit slippery, causing me to lose the wheels mid-corner at times, but that just added to the fun. I rode hard until I found the top of a hill in a tiny town, then headed back down towards Rome. 
I reached the ring-road on the outskirts of the city shortly before sunset. With not far to go I thought I would be able to return the bike that evening, but I proceeded to get thoroughly lost. Somehow I completely lost my bearings and didn't even know what side of the city I was on, and to make it worse the traffic was pretty heavy at that hour. I eventually asked a guy at a gas station how to get to the city center and he gave me directions to Trastevere. Somehow I went from the north-west side of the city all the way to the south-west side. I scrambled around a little more until I finally saw some things that looked familiar. I think I was lost for about two hours, so by then the shop was closed and I just went home. I've been having great rides but for some reason the last part of the day is always hard work. Oh well, I had a great time and I made it back in one piece, so it's all good. When I returned the motorcycle the next day the guy just looked at me as if to say "where were you" but he didn't say too much. I explained that I tried to call several times but nobody answered. He said he was there all day, but it's likely he was taking a smoke break most of the day. I told him I was having too much fun to come back and how I wore out the sides of the tires on all the curvy roads and he lightened up. I said I would pay for another day, expecting it to cost 75 euro, but he only charged me 45. I just love the way these people never seem to sweat the small stuff.
From Bagnoregio I continued south, but instead of taking the more direct route to Rome I veered west towards the sea, which always seems to have some sort of magnetic pull over me. I stopped in Rome's main port city called Civitavecchia. There was a large marina with some ships waiting, but nothing really looked too interesting so I just found my way to the water and had a snack by the sea before heading off. This time I decide to head inland instead of just keeping to the coast because the roads looked like more fun. I stopped at a gas station just outside of town to fill up and a kid on a new motorcycle pulled up and came over to talk to me. He started asking me where I was going and such, and I responded telling him what I had been doing and actually got of a sentence or two before he realized I wasn't Italian. I told him I was American and he invited me inside for a cafe. We chatted a bit about the roads in the area since Marco was from Civitavecchia, and he gave me some suggestions about where to ride. We exchanged emails and I told him I would call him to go for a ride the next time I was in the area. That being only my second cup of espresso ever, needless to say I was a bit fired up for the next few miles, which was good because the road was a blast! Thanks Marco for the directions and the energy boost. The clouds had just dropped a little rain on the road so it was a bit slippery, causing me to lose the wheels mid-corner at times, but that just added to the fun. I rode hard until I found the top of a hill in a tiny town, then headed back down towards Rome. I reached the ring-road on the outskirts of the city shortly before sunset. With not far to go I thought I would be able to return the bike that evening, but I proceeded to get thoroughly lost. Somehow I completely lost my bearings and didn't even know what side of the city I was on, and to make it worse the traffic was pretty heavy at that hour. I eventually asked a guy at a gas station how to get to the city center and he gave me directions to Trastevere. Somehow I went from the north-west side of the city all the way to the south-west side. I scrambled around a little more until I finally saw some things that looked familiar. I think I was lost for about two hours, so by then the shop was closed and I just went home. I've been having great rides but for some reason the last part of the day is always hard work. Oh well, I had a great time and I made it back in one piece, so it's all good. When I returned the motorcycle the next day the guy just looked at me as if to say "where were you" but he didn't say too much. I explained that I tried to call several times but nobody answered. He said he was there all day, but it's likely he was taking a smoke break most of the day. I told him I was having too much fun to come back and how I wore out the sides of the tires on all the curvy roads and he lightened up. I said I would pay for another day, expecting it to cost 75 euro, but he only charged me 45. I just love the way these people never seem to sweat the small stuff.
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