Another installment of the Lo Greco giornata dell'isola. We decided to rent mountain bikes for a day trip around the Island (about 24miles). The climb is fairly steep in parts but, the views are totally worth it. The streets are narrow and the people here are not used to many cyclists so we had to keep our eyes open and prepare for a bail out at moments notcie (luckily, we didn't have to).
The narrow streets and traffic as we leave the capitol city of Lipari.
Behind us is the Castello. Now an archaeological musuem; it was once the castle fortress of the island. It was built by the normans and the walls were reconstructed during greek rule. Within the walls are many sarcophagi and a greek theatre. Beautiful views from up there.
Behind me are the famous "faraglioni". The three rocks purportedly thrown by cyclops after Ulysses blinded him. (Trivia question: according to that epic poem, who blinded Cyclops?)
A sister island of Lipari behind us: Salina. Famous for capers, malvasia (a dessert wine) and the movie Il Postino.
A refreshing downhill with vistas of Panarea and Stromboli in the background.Stromboli is an active volcano. We could see the plume from the eruptions everyday--hard to make out on the photo.
Lunch on the spiagga (beach) of Acquacalda. Pizza of course! The cement forms are water breaks shaped like jacks! After lunch, we took a nice little dip before heading back to return the bikes.
Our reflection in the "hidden street" mirror!
A very fun ride despite ill-fitting and very heavy, old rusty bikes! Can't beat a day of sunny cycling, lunch and a swim in the warm mediterranean waters ...more to come!
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