In Montepulciano the hotel was so nice that I hung out until midday and then had a beautiful ride through Sienna, a province in Tuscany – the long rolling hills were magnificent. The motorcycle does not have power brakes, so I was able to turn off the engine and coast downhill a long way from time to time and enjoy the silence and views.
I then went to Verona only to find that all of the hotels were full due to a very important convention, mama mia!!! I ASSumed that I would get lucky and find a hotel like in Montepulciano. When I first got there, I saw a bed and breakfast sign in a residential area and thought: BINGO so I followed the arrow but didn’t see any more signs. I asked a local about the B&B, who didn’t know of it and tried very hard to find something for me on his smartphone. When he wasn’t able to find anything, I should have realized there was something was wrong… Concern started to creep in to my head as the day was grown longer and this guy was taking so long. I then checked for myself and spoke with a hotel clerk, her suggestion was to get away from the center of the city. I noticed that the outskirts were a bit sketchy so I headed to Sirmione knowing that it was an nice tourist (thanks to Stefano). I figured there was no large convention there.
Just as night fell, I got to Sirmione to find that the first hotel I came across was booked. Consternation was starting to set in, and I figured that I would end up in a field somewhere to sleep – I didn’t really want to ride at night on the motorcycle. Another call, another full hotel. Another query for a suggestion and then Italian conversation with a colleague on the other end of the phone. Ah yes, Hotel Du Park. Google maps took me there in a jiffy and omg what good luck I have, the hotel was marvelous, with a pizza place next door. A salad and pizza hit the spot and the leftover pizza was just what I needed before bed.
Preparing for the ride to Verona
