My first Ride to Olmo

Today was the second time that I got out on my bike to escape the busy city center of Florence. Last week I headed south, but got very confused with all the traffic circles getting out of town, and decided to turn back (in spite of my Garmin, which I still can't figure out). Today I rode north through Fiesole, up a few good climbs, to find myself in some of the most scenic and tranquil country roads anywhere. The traffic getting out of Florence is fast and frenzied (but safe in it''s sense of organized confusion)and the cobblestones in town are unstable and dangerous to ride on....so getting out of town is more of a hassel than I thought it would be. But once you get a few miles out of the city, it's like being in God's country. My ride was very peaceful, not to mention, gorgeous, covered with vineyards and olive trees and dotted every here and there with castellos. After 40 miles, I ran out of water and got hungry...and had to ride for miles to finally find a source of nourishment...a macelleria where the clear choice of food and drink was a panino di prosciutto and a bottle of arancina. I stuffed the provisions in my jersey pockets and found a terrace in Fiesole where I ate my panino, while overlooking a dramatic panorama of Florence in the distance. Tough day.