Stage 10: Venice – Rome

Just like in Venice, I wasn’t expecting to see too much of Rome, a city I had visited two times already and one of my absolute favourites. However, I did hope to have a bit of scenery along the way, knowing that my ride would take me through parts of Umbria, Tuscany, Lazio and the Apennines.

Italian countryside

Still waiting for the blue skies

And indeed, the short drive through the Apennines range was a modest highlight, not as beautiful and breathtaking as the Norwegian fjords, but because of the conditions a bit more of a surplus then the Alps covered in the darkest of nights.

Appeasing Apennines

Leaving the main Italian mountain range didn’t mean the landscape became more mundane. I still had a streak crossing the beautiful green Umbria ahead of me. Driving through Italy is quite a pleasure. Even along the highways you have beautiful vistas and sometimes a small village with its characteristic houses or a renaissance church appears out of nowhere.

History is always around the corner

Beautiful Umbria

As the sun was setting I kept on driving through the same hilly landscape with a small village appearing out of nowhere. Sometimes I crossed a small stream or river. I loved the tranquility of this stage, as a resting point between the touristic  Venice and the touristic and hectic Rome.

Hills to the left of me

When nearing Rome, I left Umbria to enter a new Italian province with a stunning name and a rich past. Lazio, center of the Roman Empire and the Papal States. I was just a humble truck driver entering though.

Umbria -> Lazio

Rome itself is huge, though I didn’t enter the historic center and remained on the outskirts. Still, it was an impressive sight. All ways lead to Rome, and once again I was shown that is absolutely the case. I couldn’t have forgiven myself if I skipped the opportunity to pay a small visit to this biggest and most beautiful of cities.

Roma

Stage 9: Zurich – Venice

Where to go next? What could match the Swiss jetset of Zurich? I had a few logical options. Either I could remain in Switzerland, and go to the capital of Bern, I could head to the east to Slovenia or Croatia or I could, as I set out to do on this trip, enter Italy. I decided to choose the last option, and what better destination as Venice, with one of the most romantic city centres, although my truck wouldn’t come near the bridges and canals (not to mention the potential hasard of the pigeons). It was a win-win situation as I would pass through the Alps, towards Milan and from there on bend eastwards, into the Veneto region. However, I made a mistake. I decided to leave at night.

Like a thief in the night

Not long after leaving Zurich, I saw a familiar sight, a sight that I had first seen, to a lesser extent, in Austria. There they were, the mighty Alps.

But my problem, or my miscalculation, becomes instantly visible. I drove through the most impressive parts between 2 and 4 AM, with my headlights and the occassional road lightning as my main source for a better look. The combination of light and darkness can create magic, as the Belgian painter René Magritte proved in many of his paintings, but a ray of light would have done wonders for my Alp experience as well.

Towards the Gotthard tunnel

Giants looming in the dark

Black mountains, not the Welsh ones

So it was only once I left the mountains behind me that the sky was getting a big clearer. But not before I passed another natural landmark of the region, lake Lugano, which, rather significantly, meant that I was nearing Italy.

Entering la bella Italia

Crossing the border, I had another large part of the trajectory ahead of me. First I had to pass Milan. I decided not to make a detour, I had been driving for almost 6 hours and wanted to get to Venice without having to take a long break. I did enjoy the view from afar, though.

Passing Milan

The part between Milan and Venice was mostly highway, but it did prove the added value of sunshine. Ordinary stretches of road became beautiful when bathing in the morning light.

Everything is prettier in the  morning light

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes, it’s a plane

The closer I got to Venice, the more beautiful the weather became. And to be honest, I did hope to get some blue skies in Italy, even at this time of the year.

Hoping for blue skies

After 9 and a half hours and more than 372 miles I finally reached Venice, although it was the part that few tourists would remember the Floating City for.

No tourist traps here

I was happy, melacholic and a little bit disappointed at the same time. My passage through the Alps was a bit of a let-down because of the late hour. My entrance into the North of Italy was memorable because of the rising sun. And most of all, I was almost there. The trip from Venice to Catania is about 800 miles. Still enough time and distance for some wonderful discoveries and experiences, but not enough to postpone the arrival at my final destination. Luckily, my journey would take me to at least one more must-see. I would travel to the Eternal City.

Venice Harbour