The end of the Roman Road

 It was about 5pm on Saturday Sep 21st when we reached the town of Ostiglia, the terminus of the Padana branch of the Via Claudia Augusta, and got our first glimpse of the River Po, the all-important transport link to the Adriatic Sea, as well as to points up river.

Ostiglia marks the end point of the VCA for us. Here it joins the River Po.
Hostilia was it's Roman name

An interpretive sign, similar to others we had seen along the route, marked the end point, plus a replica of the stone mile markers the Romans had placed along the route. That was it. 

The interpretive sign at the end of the cycling route

Replica Roman mile marker at the end

And the town proved to be a very  rundown and unappealing. Earlier we had checked out Booking.com for a place to stay and found nothing available, so we assumed everything was full. On Google Maps I had found a 2-star hotel with a phone number and I phoned ahead and talked to a man who didn't speak english but understood enough to be able to promise me a room for two would be no problem. Well it turns out it is the only joint in town!

Outside Ricardo's restaurant and hotel. Pretty basic, but great
 traditional Italian food

Anyway, Ricardo gave us a warm welcome and the firmest handshake I'd experienced in some time, before getting us our room and taking our bikes inside to store them safely. The hotel was above his restaurant where we had dinner, and it was very good. It may have been the only restaurant in town too! The room was basic and outdated but suited us just fine. €60 was a fair price we thought. Most hotels have been costing us closer to €100.

My meal is a local speciality - pumpkin-filled ravioli.  Melt-in-your mouth nummy

Frank found the grappa very much to his taste! He said this one tasted
more like good brandy 

Menu

The video shows Ricardo pouring Frank's grappa. He took great delight in surprising him with this!

Total distance so far: 1167 km                                                                  Still only one puncture, and no broken bike or body parts 🤞


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