Nice, quick fall ride with lots of climbing

A couple of things before I get into today's ride.  Last night, Nicco invited us to a "gala" for Florens 2012.  It was at a beautiful pallazzo, and we were looking forward to the night with some reservations.  We did not think we would know almost anyone there and figured that everything would be in Italian.  So, a social situation which is not my natural comfort area, not knowing anyone, with a language that I struggle with to put it nicely.  When we arrived, it seemed like it would be as we thought.  But, as we made our way out of the crowd, and up a number of sets of stairs, it was just incredible.  At the top level, there was food, wine, prosecco, and a series of terraces with simply amazing views of the city.  It is hard to describe, it was just marvelous.  We spent a fair amount of time on the terraces, watching people's eyes light up as they were able to take in the surroundings.  All I can say is Wow! and thank you Nicco.

This morning, we went into town to see the three crucifix in the Baptistery which are together in one place as part of Florens 2012.  The line was super long, and the doors were not open, so plan B.  We ended up walking through Piazza Republica, which had an amazing food fair going on.  We sampled and purchased a number of things, and it was great.  We walked back to the Baptistery, and although the line was still long, the doors were open and I decided to hang in there.  Emily had a number of events to attend this afternoon / evening, so she took off to scout the bus lines that would work.  The wait was not that long, and the three pieces of art together were wonderful.  Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Brunelleschi.  Really a sight.

My totally amateur shot of the three pieces of sculpture.  

A shot of the ceiling in the Baptistery - Wow!

After returning home, I got in a quick 2 hour ride.  I rode up Via Bolognese through Pratolino to the turn off for Casselina and Viliano.  Up from there to Bivigliano, then the very little used and slightly rough back road over to Polcanto.  From Polcanto, there is a pretty good, but relatively easy climb back up to Croce all Vetta, then a fast descent back into town on Via Faentina.  Nice fall temperatures, and although quite cloudy, the leaves were very pretty and were defining autumn here.  Click the link for more specifics, but the summary of the ride is:  25.5 miles in 2 hours 7 minutes of rolling time for an average speed of 12.0 mph with 2800 vertical feet of climbing.  Ciao.

Here are a couple of shots of the back road to Polcanto - Fun!

Nice, quick fall ride with lots of climbing by ridingwithcosimo at Garmin Connect - Details