Day 6 in Lucca - great exploring through Mostiano and the Brancoli towns.

Lots of pictures today, so I will let them do most of the talking.  I was planning a day off, but with Emily's encouragement, I took off on an exploration ride, planned at 2 hours, but taking 3.  This happens when you don't really know where you are going ahead of time.  It was a great tour.  I checked out a new way to access things from where we stay, which is beautiful, has a few options, and is a great road.  I rode up and through around 10 very tiny towns, all named "something" di Brancoli.  I don't know any of the history, but the family must have settled the area at some point.

Really great riding, incredibly beautiful roads, some so tiny I wondered if a small car could happily drive there.  My map reading let me down, as a place I though would connect did not, or at least did not in a reasonable paved manner appropriate for a road bike.  But, I could not have had a better time on the bike.  Even had a very small rain shower in the sunshine around 15 minutes before returning to the bar for the post ride beer.  Great day, and I am really loving the riding here as I get to know it better.  Ciao.

More exploring - Brancoli towns and Mostiano by ridingwithcosimo at Garmin Connect - Details

This bell tower way on the super curvy, switchback filled road descending

from Pieve di Brancoli on the way home.  An amazing road.  So fun to ride.

On the way out, I went through Mostiano, which gave me this

view on a beautiful road with only 150 meters of climbing.

Piazza di Brancoli.  This is the street above the church, which

pretty much represents the town.  A family of kids were playing

soccer in front of the church, and I even located the water fountain,

which had very cold, excellent water.

The church and bell tower in Piazza di Brancoli.

Umbertoni di Brancoli, just after Piazza Brancoli and before 

Dieccima Brancoli.  Pretty bell tower.

The road to Dieccima was so tiny, I hope the picture shows it.  

The road also was carved into the steep hillside, reminding me

of the Million dollar highway in Colorado.  So fun, and amazingly 

beautiful.