Day 6: Wind & Tomatos: Palazzo San Gervasio – Lavella - Candela – 35 miles (224 Total Miles)

 

Definitely approximate; lost of rerouting.

Another day of strong headwinds. We changed the route, eliminating 10 miles and a tough climb into Melfi. Starting with tired legs from the previous day's headwinds, we had more of the same today. Farmers were finishing harvesting tomatoes and the apple harvest had started. In addition to the headwinds, we had two difficult climbs:
  • When approaching Lavella, we had to push up a steep cobblestone road. I'm not good at estimating slope angles, but it had to be +20%. 
  • Candela, a hilltop town, had a 2 km climb. I was at 3 mph in my lowest gear and had to walk in places.
Recommended Cycling Route. A white road, lower level of maintenance, and sometimes used for professional bike races.

John's First Tomato


Missed by the Harvester. Tomatoes are picked by machine (never saw one), loaded into huge crates, picked up in the field by a huge forklift, loaded on trucks, and then driven to the processing plant.

Vine Clearance. Here they are gathering the tomato vines, piling them in stacks, then burning them, presumably to prevent disease carryover to the next planting.

Dog of the Day. Pretty agitated when we first approached, but the pack of 3 soon calmed.

Ready for Harvest. Everything we see is cited as San Marzano, both plum and cherry. 

Not the Best Road 

+20% Slope Bike Push. We diverted for coffee to Lavella, not realizing that the straight road went through 4 sharp ravines and then ended with this cobblestone push into the center of Lavella.

Coffee in Lavella. Cost was 1.30 euros or about $1.50 for a cappuccino.

Depopulated Countryside. Southern Italy is quite poor. Houses are abandoned everywhere, and vendi signs are frequent. In an apparently misguided effort to develop more housing, we rode by dozens of nearly identical abandoned houses. This was one more elaborate than most.

Carefully manicured, young olive trees.

Asparagus

Kale

Apple Orchard


Nothing to slow the wind. Probably 20-25 mph, and in our faces.

(From the web)
Candela: The southern Italian town of Candela is offering —€2,000 (about $2,300) for anyone that takes up residence. Mayor Nicola Gatta hopes to bring Candela back to its glory years during the 1990s, when the town boasted a population of 8,000. With only 2,700 residents left, Gatta decided to get creative in attracting newcomers to town. The medieval town is located in Puglia, just an hour's drive from pristine beaches, and surrounded by lush green hills and forest. Since pitching the monetary incentive, which began in 2016, 38 residents have moved into town, bumping up the population and instilling hope that the area can reserve its fortunes.

With plenty of empty houses to choose from, there's no shortage of real estate—it's under two hours from Naples. The community is also active, promoting its newly restored center with guided tours of palaces and hosting a number of festivals throughout the year. There is the food. From a summer festival celebrating orecchiette—Puglia's famous ear-shaped pasta—to town-hosted wine and food tastings.

Candela Government Building

Candela. The mayor of Candela started a program that grants 2,000 euros to anyone who agrees to move to Candela and purchase a home.

Candela Cathedral.

Dog of the Day. One of the few that was not barking at us.

Candela Grocery. Biggest selection of pasta I've ever seen.

View from Candela. As noted, the 2 km climb up was brutal.

Candela

Walking back from the center of Candela to our B & B.

Pizza Professional. We encountered 3 generations: Grandpa (retired) was having a drink, father (shown here), made the pizza, and son was our waiter.

Dinner

Our B & B Dining room. No, we had breakfast in another room.


Leaving Villa Jenny. Alfonso and his wife, Jenny, converted his family home into a B & B. He inherited it from his father, who was a soccer and billiards star. On arrival, he didn't get the info from booking.com that we needed separate beds, so he moved us to a twin room. 
Via Regina Margherita 3, 71024 Candela, Italy






Comments

  1. robineri@gmail.comOctober 11, 2025 at 7:38 PM

    Challenging winds, cobblestones, and climbs. Home made pizza and nice digs.

    ReplyDelete

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