We took the long and windy road (actually, it is quite a straight road if you’re driving; it is long and windy if you’re trying to navigate along bike-friendly routes) from Bassano to Padua (Padova) through little regional centres that were by-and-large uninspiring. However, the best thing about touring by bike is that the pace is sufficient to observe the human detail of places…these snapshots of by-and-large-uninspiring-towns provide enough data to form a montage of a region that make it collectively fascinating. We rode past kiwi-fruit farms, bountiful vines of musty red grapes, peppercorn plants, hop vines, and market gardens bustling with tomatoes, cabbages, peppers and raddichio. Clearly very good soil; flat, well-drained terrain. It all makes for good riding, but there’s nothing classically ‘Italian’ about it…if you know what I mean.

Padua loomed as an intriguing destination. Like most European centres with historical and cultural familiarity, it came with expectations that were not met on arrival by road. The global phenomenon of an industrial outskirt lacing rows of ghettoised estates was as apparent here as in Melbourne. Interestingly, when we hit the historical centre, we sensed a disconnect between the parts, unfamiliar against the usually cohesive aesthetic one finds at the heart of Italian cities. We found our way to our accommodation, settled in and headed back out for a noodle along the cobblestones. Gradually, we came to appreciate the rambling layout of the city, and sensed a single-night stopover would not be crazily insufficient to realign our perception. Next time (so many ‘next-times’). Rather than force it, we thought we’d retire to our abode, make some dinner, and plan our next steps. Tomorrow we shall take a trip to the Orto Botanico before heading for Ferrara.

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