Day One continued
The Sicignano-Lagonegro Line
All of a sudden Antonello came running back, hand on his forehead, and jumped in his car was gone down the road without explanation. Franco was unable to explain what had happened and we gathered he had hit his head and was going to the hospital.
After our bikes were assembled, Arne and I headed off toward the first tunnel. We knew that once inside the the tunnel tracks would be clear of blackberries. Antonelli told us that on the other side of the tunnel there was a stone viaduct and then immediately after that another tunnel, so the line would be clear for at least that distance. We had to carry our bikes to the first tunnel and this is where I discouvered why Antonelli had hastily departed. He and I both stepped on a bee’s nest! I was painfully stung ten times. Fortunately I don’t have an allergic reaction and there was no way I was going to abort our ride, so we pushed on.
Emerging from the tunnel we found ourselves dwarfed under the huge towering pillars of a massive freeway bridge, the little rail line looking tiny and insignificant in the shadow of this modern concrete monster. The second tunnel was a bit longer, but at the far portal the line was completely blocked with trees and bushes. Our first round trip could not have been more than two kilometers, not a promising start to our railbike adventure.
Arne stands in the center of the
stone bridge which was
sandwiched between two tunnels.
The modern Italian freeway
system soars overhead.
Peter peers out of
the end of the second tunnel
where the undergrowth
forced us to turn around.
Antonello had returned from the hospital so we headed off by car to the second section where a very long arched stone viaduct carried the railroad across the neck of a wide canyon. We had seen photos of this bridge and were in great anticipation of a beautiful ride. But again, the tracks were hardly visible beneath the dense cover of blackberries and lush undergrowth. So thick were the brambles that we were unable to even get onto the bridge, which now, covered with vines and ivy climbing up hundred foot high columns, looks similar to an ancient ruin one would find in an Asian jungle.
The above photo was taken two years ago.
Now the viaduct can barely be seen
from this same spot as the trees
have grown up around it.
At right, ivy has climbed
up many of the stone columns
and small trees and bushes
have grown in the ballast on top of the bridge.
We headed back to Pollo where Antonello insisted I go to the hospital for treatment for my bee stings. Antonello thought the nurse at the reception desk would want a list of my prescription drugs. After reviewing the list she asked me which drugs I was taking. I told her all of them. She looked shocked and told me they didn’t have any of them and why was I there? After some very confusing moments at the “Pronto Soccorso” I decided I would rather die of bee stings than be treated in an Italian urgent care center. I was on my way out the door when they called me back, as they had summoned a doctor to examine me. He took one quick look and seconded my prognosis, “No problomo”. So we headed downtown to the abandoned railroad station were Antonello got the chance to ride one of Arne’s railbikes and the day ended on a pleasant note.
Although the amount of our railbiking was a big disappointment, our unusual experiences compensated for the loss, and the first chapter of our adventure came to a close. We packed up and headed south toward what we anticipated would be the high point of our exploration, a 950-meter narrow gauge line that spiraled through the mountains connecting picturesque hilltop villages, with dozens of tunnels and soaring stone bridges.
With heartfelt apologies, Antonello explained that the line had been clear the previous year and he was totally surprised to find it impassable so quickly. This explanation, as was all of our communication, was difficult. Antonello speaks no English, and we no Italian. He and Arne struggled in French and at times the interpretations were confusing.
Arne and Antonello
hike up the track in an
attempt to find the next bridge.
Antonello gets his first railbike ride at the station in Polla.
