It was the Giro d’Italia after all, so we expected crowds. We had no idea how traffic and parking were going to be affected so we decided to arrive early.
Stage 12 was starting from Città Sant’Angelo Village at 12:05 and was going to make its way hugging the Adriatic until it reached Porto Recanati 206 km later.
Based on the Gazzetta Dello Sport timetable it was going to pass Pineto at around 12:45.
We wanted to make a day of it and take in the atmosphere of the Giro but also visit some new places. Regular readers of this blog will know that I’ve spent quite a few sunny days in Pineto so since it didn’t qualify a “new” we included Silvi Paese in the plan.
Silvi Paese shouldn’t be confused with Silvi Marina which is a lovely seaside town nearby. Silvi Paese is perched on a headland and has fantastic views of the Adriatic and the surrounding country.
We got to Pineto at about 10:30 and did what any normal red-blooded Italian would do on arrival – we had a coffee. Then we walked around the town and back to our car along the beach, passing the time pleasantly as we waited for the cyclists.
The Giro wasn’t going through Pineto itself but was passing by on the SS16 (Adriatica) so at 12:00 we based ourselves on the roundabout where you’d exit the SS16 to enter Pineto.
Apart from traffic police and a local photographer there weren’t that many people waiting in anticipation.
After a few minutes more spectators arrived. Mostly they came on foot but a few amateur cyclists arrived to see their heroes in action.
We waited…
There was a sudden flurry of activity and lead police cars and motorbikes whizzed through.
Then, out on his own, came the stage leader quickly followed by his team support car. I don’t know much about cycling tactics but with about 4 hours cycling ahead of him I suspected he wouldn’t be the ultimate winner of this stage.
We waited…
Two chasing cyclists sped by with their support cars.
We waited…
The peloton arrived and charged through the roundabout looking unconcerned by the minutes between them and the leaders. The remaining four hours worth of cycling was going to be less painful for a chasing pack then a lone lead cyclist.
After the trailing bunch went by and a convoy of team support cars, the Giro, as far as Pineto was concerned, was over.
I could say it was all over in a flash. I could say we waited for an hour to see less than a minutes actual cycling. But that would be unfair. In a country that can sometimes get bad press for its organisation abilities the Giro seemed to pass though Pineto without a hitch.
Yes there were a few motorists that were unhappy the roads were closed for a period before and after the Giro passed, but there were plenty of signs up saying when this was going to happen. There were also plenty of traffic police ensuring that the safety of the cyclists and that of the spectators was in hand.
I’m really glad I was there. Since I was based within easy driving distance of Pineto it would have been a shame not to see the Giro d’Italia as it passed. Next time I may try to park myself near the finish line or perhaps a stage starting line where I bet the atmosphere is more intense.
Feeling a bit hungry we walked back into Pineto hoping to find somewhere nice for lunch. Earlier it didn’t look like the seasonal restaurants on the beach were open yet so we went into the town centre.
On the way I took a few photos of some of Pineto’s impressive houses and also a town model of house miniatures.
After finding nowhere suitable to eat we asked a local and he gave us directions to a restaurant called La Braceria on the road to Atri, not far from Pineto.
It was really good. We shared ravioli with ricotta, rucolo and spec, and after that some agnello alla brace.
Back into the car we drove off to Silvi Paese. I was told by friends that Silvi Paese was a lovely little town with fantastic views of the Adriatic. They were right. As we approached the views from the road were getting more and more spectacular.
After parking the car we wanted around the new walls and stopped practically every 50 metres to take in the scenery. It’s well worth a visit. The town is very pretty and the relatively new fountain outside the church is a nice addition.
Well we’d had a damn fine lunch so there was nothing for it but to sit down and have some gelati taking in the views and watching the world go by.
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