From Peschiera to Mantova
28 June 2019
The Mincio Cycle Path from Peschiera del Garda to Mantova, where the heart opens unexpectedly wide
That on this trip my heart would open wide I was expecting, but that it would happen after the first 3 km — well, that surprised me.
The start
I set off at 7:30 after a very quiet night at the Le Sigalette agriturismo in Salionze, a few km from Peschiera, run by a smiling and helpful family. A short downhill from there leads directly onto the cycle path alongside the Mincio. Everything is easy and everything is clear — you just have to pedal and breathe.
Here and now
The cycle path follows the river, which in that area alternates dams and changes to the riverbed before settling down. There are points of absolute solitude and cool shade, where water, wheels and breath follow a single time and a single rhythm. And it’s right there that, all of a sudden, everything becomes painfully perfect. I am completely here and now — it’s a new happiness that crashes against an absence I’m trying to protect from the flow of time. It’s a resistance within the resilience, but it’s a fragile wall that comes down in front of an instant of absolute beauty. It’s a great liberating moment that I needed.
Valeggio and the Chiosco dei Mulini
Borghetto di Valeggio sul Mincio, where I arrive after about ten km, is a gem. I’d like to stop to visit it more thoroughly but I’m afraid the heat will arrive and I prefer to push on. I stop for a moment to photograph the splendid point where the river and the cycle path pass under the arch, and I set off again straight away.
I do decide to stop for a few more minutes to stock up on cool water at the Chiosco dei Mulini in Volta Mantovana, a delightful meeting point for the early-rising elderly (also a good number of cyclists), but where in the evening the average age probably drops dramatically. As someone in between, I’d happily come back for a nice aperitivo, but I have to push on.
From there on the route gets a bit boring and it starts to get hot. Luckily it’s breezy even if into the wind, but that’s fine. As soon as I stop to drink, the heat stuns you — and it isn’t even 10.
Things happen for a reason
I push straight on to Mantova; I had miscalculated and the route won’t be more than 40 km, which as a first stage is fine. And Mantova welcomes me with a beautiful stretch that runs along Lago di Mezzo, one of the three lakes formed by the Mincio that surround Mantova.
The first stage is done — I avoided the excessive heat and now I’m resting at the Beatilla agriturismo, a place where at the entrance I find a sign that reads “Things happen for a reason”.
And I wonder whether it’s true.
