Rob reported his box checked in, with no airline fee. Except for long flights (and layovers) he’s on his way home, intact and with bicycle. I can’t do more than that!
Arriving at the archeological site for Ostia Antica, the nearby castle hadn’t opened yet, but Ostia Antica had. Ostia Antica is the remnants of the old port city for Rome, at one point having a population over 100,000 people. The ruins are immense; the guide that came with admissions proposed two walking routes, the short route being three hours, the long being seven! I kept hearing in my head Rob saying, “wow” and then realized it was me. Just incredible. When I had arrived I mostly had the place to myself. By the time I left crowds engulfed the ruins.
Crossing back to the castle, still closed. A more detailed examination, with some assistance from Google Translate, determined that the castle only opened on the weekends in May, and it was Tuesday.
By the time I left at 11:30 am, I’d cut off a large chunk of the day. Nothing to do but wander forwards. Campgrounds littered the coast; I’d just keep cycling until I reached the end of the day, and stop at the nearest campground.
Most of the rest of the day I rode along the beach, from one grubby little beach town to the next, each clearly preparing for an influx of as yet unarrived tourists. Occasionally I would route a bit away from the beach to more scenic back roads.
Along the way I ran into Forte Sangallo and an associated museum, a mix of modern art and prehistoric relics. Every museum in Italy has marble statues. The overall quality of the museum can be determined by the number if statues with noses (and heads).
From there are I had a lot more riding along the beach. Near the end of the day, with only one campground indicated ahead of me for the next 30 km, I cast about for wild camping options, in case the campground wasn’t there. About 2 km from the campground I spotted the perfect spot, down a road that led to nowhere. Exploration found a flat space tucked back into the woods. I set up camp and settled in for a quiet night.
One minus to wild camping is the missed opportunity to rinse off the day’s grime and layers of sunscreen. In this case I had a beach nearby!