Category: 2015

15th May 2015  Il Tugo to Pontremoli (over the Apennines via the Cisa Pass)
24.7 km
Bad, bad, bad weather

Short version:
After finally deciding to set off instead of waiting for Fausto to drive to Pontremoli, reaching the Pass in not-too-bad weather for an early cappuccino I set off on a 20km descent in terrible weather. Stopped for a “workman’s” lunch at a trattoria to get out of the rain & walked quickly to arrive in Pontremoli…where I’ll spend two nights.

Longer version:
Had to drag myself out of a warm bed at 7 & went down for a typical breakfast but with a choice of corn flakes or chocolate rice bubbles – not to my taste, so I ate the remains of last night’s bread. It was not promising weather and raining on & off. After much discussion the Irish walker set off as he only has 6 days to walk (& in good Irish style “it’s only rain”). One German decided to go down with Fausto (he came on a 6 hour drive from Karlsruhe in Germany for a 4 day walking weekend over Ascension) & the other decided to walk but I set off before them in damp and very windy weather (with very low clouds over the pass) but not really raining. It was 6C so it was off with the sun-hat, on with the water-proof vest, up with side air-vent zips in my trousers, and on with the waterproof cover on my rucksack…

After going up 2.5 km to the Cisa Pass at 1041m I went into the bar for a cappuch and discovered another option for an Italian breakfast as the young woman, who’d taken over the bar in January after the death of her aunt (“God bless her soul”), was serving a hot ham and cheese focaccia to her “regular” client with a glass of red wine at 9h00! It seems that this lonely pass was once a very dangerous area for pilgrims as robbers lay in wait for them so that the medieval statutes of Pontremoli decreed that trees along the road should be cut down to a distance of a crossbow on either side (so perhaps I do have something to be afraid of…)
Because of the overnight rain I decided not to take the 500m path down through the woods to cut off a loop in the road and walked down the road. Strangely enough, the official VF way-markings pointed to the state road which Napoleon built in 1808 while the guide book & map signalled an older small local very winding road down the mountain which Sigeric would have taken. By sticking to the road I probably did 1.5 km more but thought it worth it as it was now lightly raining. Down, down, and down with hairpin bends, very lowering clouds but once or twice I saw a break in the clouds further down the valley. There was very little traffic but I was feeling my thighs & thinking that I’d sooner walk down this road than up, as Sigeric must have. I finally arrived in Gravagna San Rocco where there is a little modern church dedicated to this patron saint of pilgrims but of course I couldn’t get in to see it as it was locked.

However above the door was a lovely low-relief in marble showing the time in San Rocco’s life when, as you may remember from last year, he was lying ill in the woods and a dog was bringing him food every day (& perhaps trying to cure him by licking him), until the dog’s master, intrigued to see where the dog was going each day, followed him and discovered the sick San Rocco & took him in.

I continued on and two cyclists stopped to speak to me. They were going on the Via from Ivrea to Rome “in bici” – said they’d be there in 6 or 7 days – and both had their GPSs to guide them. I said they were the anti-Giro (the main Italian road race in which my nephew is participating at present and whose team has had the pink jersey, leader, for the first few days) but they were thrilled to hear of my connection with the race and knew the name of Matthews (the current leader)! All this time there had been spectacular displays of flowering laburnums and other flowers so the scenery was not all doom & gloom.

Walked on further and it started raining more heavily then it calmed a little when an older couple in a utility vehicle kindly stopped to ask me if I’d like a lift but as I’d seen sun shining on little villages further down the valley I thanked them but declined the offer and they said something about a bridge being washed away but I said I’d be staying on the road (which I hoped was OK?) so they drove off. Then the thunder rumbled and reverberated around the valley & it started pouring…I was trying to follow where I was on the map in my transparent pouch but I needed to turn the map over to the next section but it was not possible as it was raining too much.

The general state of the road was pretty awful – I could see that there were no “case cantoniere” here & they were desperately needed – and in places it had fallen away up to 30% – another winter and perhaps a single car wouldn’t be able to drive through… So I continued on (valiantly if I do say so myself!) and eventualy after 13km I came to a little village where there was a bar and a trattoria.

Anything to get out of the rain, I chose the latter and I saw that there was a “worker’s lunch” on offer. As it was just midday I could go straight into the dining room with the workers who’d been having a drink and waiting until midday to go in. What a relief to take off my rucksack and outer clothes. There was a choice of 3 or 4 types of “primi piatti” (of various types of pasta) and I chose the testaroli as I’d never tasted them before – in fact this a specialty of the area. They look like pieces of a crepe, cut into 4-6cm squares with fork holes in them with a pesto sauce, and are made of flour and water, perhaps the original type of pasta.

Delicious! Then as it was Friday there was, among other possibilities, a fritto misto of fresh small fish and seafood (calamari, octopus, etc) fried whole in a light batter which was delicious, with a salad. There were 6 tables occupied in the restaurant, withgroups of men all talking to each other and I was the only female client. I had a bottle of water, wine and a coffee and the total bill was €12!

I’d put my waterproof jacket and gloves near the half-hearted heater to try to dry them out, although I was perfectly dry inside my (very-expensive-and-finally-worth-it) waterproof jacket. My shoes also were fantastic and my feet were dry and cosy – only the legs of my pants were wet – so you might well ask what did I have to complain about but my guide book in the trouser pocket suffered a little (more!) with the rain. Anyhow I had to venture out again after an hour and a half and it was raining still and I had another 8.5 km to go.

I struggled on and was constantly watching the metres go by, then the kilometres go by as my little feet were doing all they could to help… But, even when one has the highest hopes and dreams, one must remember to keep one’s feet firmly on the ground – I was looking ahead to a bend and thinking that when I got there I’d have done 18km and the next thing I know I’m flat out on the ground as I hadn’t seen that the road had subsided a little and I had fallen forward, but more on to my side as the brunt was taken by my right elbow and knee… So, I thought, how to get up from here with my back pack, but I managed, no worse for the wear than grazing a knee and elbow with fortunately no damage done to my jacket or trousers!

Continued onwards paying more attention to the road. At one point I saw a snail crossing the road and I knew exactly how it felt to carry all you have on your back… Of course, towards the bottom of the valley the skies cleared a little and I finally arrived in Pontremoli, very relieved to be there & decided to stay two nights (to get over the trauma! But also to see this very old town). Saw briefly that Pontremoli, which is nestled into the base of the hills of the Apennines, is at the top of a valley, at the junction of two rivers, which I would walk down but also very strategically placed on the main thoroughfare from Sarzana to Parma. This would explain a turbulent history of being conquered, bought, given away in marriage, etc. It once had many inns and hospices for travellers, and in fact my British friend (whom I will just miss seeing by 3 days as she is to arrive here on Tuesday) who had bought and renovated a second home “apartment” in the old town (after working between London and Milan for some years) said that inside her building it is a warren of courtyards going down to the river and must have been originally a caravanserai or hostel, etc.
I walked to the tourist information office, which I saw would open at 15h00, in order to find a hotel (as I wash staying two nights I preferred staying in a hotel rather than a hostel). As it didn’t open I finally just went to the hotel mentioned in my guide book & booked in. However I went back to the tourist office before closing time at 17h00 to get information on what to see in the town. Then I read the sign again & saw that in fact it only opened on Saturdays! Disheartened, I consoled myself with a nice gelato from a shop nearby producing them artisanally. I didn’t need to eat dinner that night. However my feet are not too bad at all…are they getting used to the Via? And I didn’t melt in the rain… I will stay here tomorrow for a rest, washing, and visiting Pontremoli.

I received a mail from pilgrim Charles warning me about walking down the alternate track which he had taken the day before in good weather (Google Maps must have taken him there!) as it was a real experience including the bridge being washed away! It arrived too late but there was no way I’d have taken it anyway.
Off to bed for a good night’s sleep.

14th May 2015  Cassio (813m altitude) to Il Tugo (near the Cisa Pass at 900+m)
16.5km

Beautiful weather all the way but becoming very windy

Shorter version:
Fantastic walk through these absolutely beautiful mountains, which have to be seen to be believed, and which seem to go on forever. Some quite steep climbs up and down with incredible winds. Arrived in Bercetto & visited Duomo church and then walked to the hostel further on up the mountain and glad to be there!

Longer version:
It was hard to get out of my cosy bed when the alarm sounded at 7h00, but I could already hear the other pilgrims up and about (a German man and an Italian mother and daughter). Andrea informed me that the match was a draw and that Juventus would be in the European Cup final! He also asked me not to tell the people in the next hostel that he provided flannelette sheets, etc…
I had some breakfast of fruit, bread and tea, and set off in perfect conditions with of course incredible views on all sides. The Apennines are absolutely beautiful mountains so I can really recommend that you visit this area, especially in spring when the wild flowers are fabulous. When I go home I will be studying the atlas of this area to see how these mountains are situated geographically as they seem to cover such an extensive area.

Most of today’s route was constantly uphill on the road with a few sections of mountain tracks some parts of which were quite difficult. At one point a snake about 60cm long was indolently sunning itself across the track and I hissed at it (but of course it couldn’t hear, could it?) and then I scraped around with my sticks so it slithered away into the grass – I was relieved! At another point the path was steep and difficult and I feared I’d have to go up the track backwards on my bottom but finally managed to get a non-slipping foothold on the path – where was my Belgian Army Reserve (since disbanded) captain now when needed? Some parts of the paths were water-logged but I managed to get through without having to remove my shoes!
I have avoided the most difficult alternate paths noted in my guide and marked on the map as the specified paths were difficult enough to cope with – some of the “alternate” paths have been marked by walking groups, often just to take one off the road or to make it more “interesting”, but Sigeric did not in fact walk these paths.

The last part of the path into Bercetto was what was left of a Roman road which was, however, well-maintained and still used in the town centre. After a delicious cappuccino (which was finally very hot!) in the piazza, the waiter agreed to let me recharge my sports watch (which had run down and which I needed to measure distances) while I visited the Duomo.

The church is the Cathedral of San Moderanno, the Bishop of Rennes in France and patron saint of the Duomo, who retired to a Benedictine monastery here in the 8th century on his return from a pilgrimage to Rome. It is a Romanesque building, originally built in the 11th and 12th centuries, but altered several times, and very simple inside. I followed a small group of people in, one of whom was a local & who knew how to illuminate the church and get into the museum of the cathedral’s treasures, so I tagged along listening to his explanations. The most beautiful object I thought was a perfect glass chalice of Murano glass probably dating to the 7th or 8th century which had been found in the ruins of a previous church.

There were also beautiful stone reliefs of the Stations of the Cross on the walls of the church which had a high wooden ceiling in the main nave but gothic vaulting in the side aisles.

I also went to the Bancomat, one of the privileges of the modern pilgrim (did Sigeric carry cash with him for the whole trip?). Bought a huge piece of a delicious Torta d’erbe which was a covered fine pastry tart with a mixture of potato, onions, zucchini, leek or spinach inside. I set off along the road towards the Pass to go to the hostel in another casa cantoniera where I am to stay the night (fortunately dinner and breakfast will be provided). Absolutely fabulous vistas but the wind was so strong that it nearly blew me away, even with the weight of my pack, and I had to make an effort to advance…and to keep my precious hat from blowing away. Also clouds were covering the top of the range which was a little worrying.

After another 6 km I arrived in a cold biting wind but no one was home so I sat out in the sun and ate my late lunch. Once Fausto (who is a state forest worker) & his wife Catarina arrived they let me in and started heating the living/dining area (you’ll remember no heating in Italy after 1st May, even at 850m…) with a fire in a artisan-style tin stove which worked really well, and also the hot water! It is 6C outside! There are 3 other male pilgrims here tonight.
Fausto told us that this building was a hunting lodge in the much-loved Duchess of Parma Maria-Louisa’s time and the carriages used to drive into the building.**(history below if interested and I first heard of her when I visited Parma last autumn)

The building was renovated in 2000 (Jubilee year for this “casa cantoniera” also?) and was closed from 2007-2009 and re-opened when Fausto & Catarina were prevailed upon to take it on. They live in Berceto with two young children, so they went home after dinner (they set the self-service breakfast up before leaving).

It is a very big house and the external walls are 60cm thick & I was pleased to see double-glazed windows but the terrible wind was coming in around the ill-fitting windows. Fausto said that this is the only road in Italy, because of its strategic importance, which is a national road i.e. maintained by the Italian State. It originally went from Pavia to Sarzana and was built by Napoleon (who else!) in 1808. It also used to house, in addition to the person responsible for looking after the roads & his family, many other road workers. He is a very interesting person & we chatted while he was doing his fire-making duties & was happy that I could help with translation with the other pilgrims. He confirmed the importance of the bar/trattoria in Cassio & said if it closed the village would die.
Later…We have now had an excellent meal in a warm atmosphere – an aperitivo of Parmesan cheese, salami and some pressed meat with bread & red wine, home-made ravioli with pesto, hot meat-loaf with sauce & a salad of delicious tomatoes & wonderful sweet little fresh white onions which one can just munch away on! I was the chief translator for the Irish and German walkers so it was for me to ask for more red wine to accompany this good meal but no problem at all… Everyone was happy to fall into bed.

If it is pouring, as predicted tomorrow “brutto tempo”, Fausto had said that he will drive those who desire it over the pass to Pontremoli in Tuscany…but the sun always shines in Tuscany, doesn’t it?

Highlights of the day and things I have seen, learnt,
-vistas, vistas and more beautiful vistas!
– yes, it’s going to be a good year for cherries again, now just many little green fruit on the trees
– surprise of the day was an extraordinary fig tree beside the road (I love figs!) which in mid-May at 850m already had at least a hundred, if not more, tiny fruit on the branches!

-the beautiful simple Duomo of Bercetto with its Stations of the Cross and the perfect Murano chalice. I lit a candle there thinking of all friends and family.
-the warm welcome of Catarina and Fausto in such cold conditions

** from Wikipedia:
Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Therese Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was an Austrian archduchess who reigned as Duchess of Parma from 1814 until her death. She was Napoleon’s second wife and, as such, Empress of the French from 1810 to 1814.
As the eldest child of the Habsburg Emperor Francis II of Austria and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Marie Louise grew up during a period of continuous conflict between Austria and revolutionary France. A series of military defeats at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte had inflicted a heavy human toll on Austria and led Francis to dissolve the Holy Roman Empire.

The end of the War of the Fifth Coalition resulted in the marriage of Napoleon and Marie Louise in 1810, which ushered in a brief period of peace and friendship between Austria and the French Empire. Marie Louise dutifully agreed to the marriage despite being raised to despise France. She was an obedient wife and was adored by Napoleon, who had been eager to marry a member of one of Europe’s leading royal houses to cement his relatively young Empire. With Napoleon, she bore a son, styled the King of Rome at birth, later Duke of Reichstadt, who briefly succeeded him as Napoleon II.

Napoleon’s fortunes began to change dramatically in 1812 after his failed invasion of Russia. The European powers, including Austria, resumed hostilities towards France in the War of the Sixth Coalition, which ended with the abdication of Napoleon and his exile to Elba. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau handed over the Duchies of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla to Empress Marie Louise. She ruled the duchies until her death.

13th May 2015. Sivizzano (248m) to Cassio (813m in the Apennines)
13km
Beautiful weather!!

The walk from Sivizzano to Berceto is supposed to be the most difficult and tiring in the Italian section of the Via so the guide book advises to allow more time to do it.

Short version:
Everything fine. Beautiful uphill (on road) walk to Badone then Terzano (no bars anywhere) then steep climb up through a bush track then up again to the tarmac road to Cassio (from 200m up to 800m) in gorgeous weather and the views everywhere are splendid. Finally landscape is a mixture of Switzerland and Tuscany (but without the cypresses). No cafe anywhere. Arrived at 11h00, the end of the day for me so am now on holiday today. All goes well with feet.

Longer version:
Put the alarm on for 6h00 and just got up when the church bells started to chime (which Charles managed to record so I’ll send you the first audio recording from the Via!). Was surprised to see that Charles was still sitting outside eating his breakfast as he could not get himself moving. So he suggested we walk together which I declined as he had so far to go but he insisted so I said I could be ready for 7am. We had breakfast outside (he had ridden Enrica’s bike to a store yesterday to get bread, bananas, pizza, chocolate, which he shared with me) & I used the last tea-bag I had and it was a gorgeous morning. He advised me on taping my good heels (or part thereof) as the expert, and we then set off uphill along the road to Bardone where the church bells in the beautiful little stone Romanesque church played Ave Maria as we arrived there (8h00).

No bar, but there were women in the piazza as a shop-truck selling fruit, vegetables and other products was there and when I asked if the church was open they said No and anyway we’d have to pay to see inside!

So further on to the next village, still no bar, but a lady let me use her outside toilet. Then the fun began in earnest on a steep mountain path. I was laughing as I remember reading in “Like a Tramp, Like a Pilgrim”, retired British Army Major Harry Bucknall’s account of his walk along the Via from London to Rome a couple of years ago, that he got lost in the Apennines and it must have been on one of these tracks.  When I told Charles this he said that he was a Captain in the Belgian Army Reserve (since disbanded) and he would not get me lost! He was also surprised at how fast I could navigate the tracks.

As we walked up we saw more and more views in the distance and finally we came out on a road at the top with simply beautiful vistas everywhere but no bar, closed on Wednesdays! Via walking is obviously not for faint-hearted coffee-addicts…
From then on we had to climb up via the road for another couple of hundred metres (to an altitude of over 800m) and we met a woman who had just driven up to see her mother whose home was in the most magnificent spot, south-facing and dominating the valley below.  While speaking to us she picked up the mother’s bread which had been left on the shrine outside for her (I almost thought it was an offering!).

Incredible vistas everywhere as we had such wonderful weather.

We had to continue a few more km uphill, past the infamous Kilometre 80 which is the steepest part of the road and causes many problems for vehicles, especially trucks, in winter. Today there is only local traffic as all other vehicles use the tunnel under the Pass.
We arrived in Cassio at 11h00 and finally got our cappuch at Michele’s bar/trattoria which is only closed for lunch once a week, but thankfully not on Wednesdays.
We sat out on the terrace with the most glorious vistas as we were really on top of the ridge and, before Charles left me and continued on towards the Pass, he gave me a couple more tips about my iPhone. You perhaps don’t realize that the real objective of my walk is to learn about the iPhone as each pilgrim I meet has taught me useful things. (**see below if interested, perhaps for you with new phone Margaret K?)
I then went to the hostel just further on from the cafe which is in a “casa cantoniera”, the house of the person who used to be responsible for maintaining a section of the road. There are many along this road and they are all exactly the same – solid dark red square buildings of 2 or 3 floors.

Andrea, a former barman, runs this hostel and it was like a doll’s house inside stuffed full of everything (including clothes on the walls up and down the staircases) and all the tables in two dining rooms were fully set up for guests, quite kitsch, but he put each guest in a different room with private bathroom (although there were four bunk beds and a single bed in my room) which was really thoughtful of him. He stamped my pilgrim passport & I paid him. He said he’s been there 4 years and when he goes to Parma, only 30km away, he goes mad! The sign on the door says that if he does not reply, he’s in the bar up the road!
I returned to the trattoria terrace for a salad lunch and the wifi!! I was finally the only person left except for the locals who came in and out of the bar. This was really the social hub of the village as several men were there (consuming very little) to watch the Giro cycling race in the afternoon and were there again in the evening to watch the European Championship semi-final soccer match between Real Madrid and Juventus.
I walked up the road to see a strange rock formation called “The Jumps of the Devil” (as if the devil is jumping from one rock to another)

I noticed a plaque on a building for 10 WWII victims, 2 fathers and their 4 sons, all in their early 20s, and 4 other students of the same age who were shot by a firing squad in 1944 – such an event must have had an enormous effect on such a small village… Coming back I came across the same shop-truck as I’d seen in Bardone earlier in the morning and bought some fruit. The woman explained that she went to many villages, even on Sunday mornings.

In the evening I went back to the trattoria for a drink sitting on the terrace with the views all around but, as it was getting cool, went inside for a light meal of a super mixed salad and mushroom risotto (very delicious) and then fell into bed with cosy flannelette sheets which were most appreciated as it was cool at an altitude of 813m..

Day’s highlights:
– the bells chiming at 6h00
– the incredible beauty of the Apennines and the vistas we had of them, with many ranges and valleys as far as the eye can see
– flowers everywhere, even honeysuckle growing in the woods
– the kindness of ordinary Italians whom I have met
– free afternoon in Cassio, almost like having a day off in a little part of Heaven (& with my feet holding up well)

Words which were said to Charles when he turned up at an ostello unannounced which really show the spirit of pilgrimage :
“A pilgrim is a message from God so thanks for coming!”

** I now know (which you all probably already are aware of so skip to end of paragraph if iPhone expert) about the Health application which turned up with a recent OS update, how to use the compass in case I get lost in the woods, how to take a photo without having to log on to the IPhone, how to do a screen shot which will then be shown under Photos, how to turn off options which consume charge and also cause longer charging time, how to make sound waves which are saved in voice memos, etc.

12th May 2015 – Medesano to Sivizzano (248m)

16.9km
Fine warm weather again

Short version:
Much better day with good walk to Sivizzano, through woods along a river, into the town of Fornovo on market day! Finally, after walking along roads without footpaths, arrived in the haven of the hostel in Sivizzano with the wonderful Enrica & who was there waiting for me but Charles who had had a problem with his leg. Delicious simple meal in the only trattoria in the village. An early night. All is well.

Longer version:

I think I heard Charles get up but he had inspired me so I put the alarm on for 7 but awoke at 6 anyway (just as the bells were about to strike again) & got up & on opening the shutters I saw the sunrise!

When I went into the bathroom I found a lovely note from Charles written on toilet paper. As I had to decide which foot protection option I would use it took me a little time to get away.

Went to the local bar which was open & had a breakfast with real bread and proper cheese, as opposed to the plastic sort, and even an orange which the girl didn’t charge me for! I set out for a walk of 17km but stopped after 4 at the first town (opposite a tomato canning factory), Felegara, at a bar with gorgeous climbing roses outside for a cappuch & the woman (after hearing my accent!) told me she’d been in England 25 years ago & had forgotten her English but she now has a BBC TV channel and can understand the news! Every time there is any conversation everyone in the bar joins in – what an important social role bars play. Walking on further I came across a very prosperous-looking Parmesan cheese factory.
Then I went into the woods along a river and was surprised by all the flowers I saw there – yellow Broom everywhere, many others. At one point I turned a corner and there before me was a stage set as the ground and all the vegetation was covered by white “fluff”, like white smoke, which was perhaps from the acacia trees and which rose well above the ground.

Quite magical to see! Further on downstream I walked along the side of a gravel business which went on for at least 500 metres if not more! At the end were the modern offices but also some accommodation for, perhaps, foreign workers.
By this time I was arriving in Fornovo di Taro and had to walk over a 500m-long bridge over the river as the town is situated at the junction of three valleys. There was a Via Francigena sign at the start with two arrows, one to Canterbury and one to Rome.

And it was market day, in every available piazza, and Fornovo’s name in fact derives from ‘Forum Novum’ (market place). Fantastic! There were even lots of live birds for sale – chicken, ducks, other birds. I bought some grilled vegetables, fruit, a carrot and a tomato! Walked to the centre of town and sat down in a cafe for a tea and had the best tea since I’ve been in Italy, beautifully served in a ceramic cup and pot on a big ceramic saucer. And it was Darjeeling (Margaret’s Hope, only second flush but what can you expect for 2 Euros) from Le Palais des Thes in Paris which I know. I asked a man whether the road here was the main road out of town but, guess what, he “wasn’t from here”! However he asked was I only “walking” or was I also interested in seeing the “monuments”? I said it was the trip and not the destination which was important so he told me a few things to look out for.

I walked on to Respiccio, still on a tarmac road without footpaths, and then saw a cemetery off the road, these are often very ugly affairs, but with a stone seat outside! So I sat there and took off my shoes to cool my feet & air my socks, in the shade and breeze and listened to a cuckoo singing to its heart’s content. I checked on the taping on my 1 & 1/2 good heels, but I think my taping technique needs some refinement…so will revert for the moment to my Compeed stick. I think I’m going to have to look for lighter socks when I get to the next sizeable town as I have heat rash on my legs (although have now opened the vertical zips of the air-vents which I discovered in the legs of my trousers and they make a difference)! However, I have decided to stop obsessing on my feet and just let them be and go with the flow – I certainly have enough “options” in my travelling chemist shop to affront what happens!
Finally arrived in Sivizzano which is a long straggling village beside the road (for 2 km) and then found the hostel. I was not looking forward to it as it was described as a hall with two beds and lots of mattresses and a shower…but in fact it was in what was left of a Benedictine cloister attached to the church and the “hall” was a beautiful long stone-vaulted room and the guardian was the wonderful Enrica.

As she opened the gate for me she said I’d have to reserve in the trattoria for dinner and that there was another pilgrim, which turned out to be Charles whose leg problem had become worse, so I gave him more antibiotic cream from my pharmacy. I was pleased to see him again and he said he had already reserved for us for dinner!

Enrica gave us advice about the road ahead, and possible accommodation, and stamped our pilgrim passports. She was so busy talking to us that when her 93 year old mother came down from their upstairs apartment she realized it was already past 16h00 and she hadn’t open up the church for people coming to say the rosary!

Charles & I went to the trattoria (when reserving he had asked if we could eat outside, he thought under the tree opposite the little restaurant but there were now men playing cards there) but the owner had set up one table in the summer area (which had not yet been prepared for summer) under beautiful big trees with views to the hills beyond. We had a very simple but delicious meal (no choice) of fresh pasta with mushrooms followed by lemon scalopinni and fried potatoes. The bells were supposed to ring at 20h00 but didn’t (Enrica said a technician had just been for an annual “greasing” but they were quite irregular in ringing). But they did at 6h00 the next morning!
Charles says his favourite expression in English is
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift and that’s why it’s called “present” which I’d never heard before.
We turned the lights out early as he was getting up at 5am to set off again for a long walk, hopefully with a better leg…
Just thought that a couple of friends have said that they could never go on such a pilgrimage without books (even in electronic format) but I have so far had no time at all to read except the guide book. I also brought along several cryptic crosswords cut out of my FTs which I hadn’t had time to do & haven’t even looked at them.
As well, there’s a change of attitude as anyone I encounter now who asks if I’m alone just says “what courage” and not any reference about being careful…

Highlights:
– first sunrise on the Via
– seeing my pilgrim friend Charles again
– Enrica’s warm hospitality
– a wonderful cup of tea
– beautiful flowers everywhere

Wise words on the pilgrimage… as well as those which I liked of Charles’s grandmother who used to say
“L’experience est un manteau qui ne s’use que sur ses propres epaules” which roughly translated means “experience is a coat which can only get worn out by your wearing it” (better translation would be appreciated please by you bi-lingual readers).

11th May 2015 Fidenza to Medesano
21km.    Fine weather

Short version:
Walked from Fidenza through Santa Margherita, Borghetto (bar open as it is closed on Tuesdays!) and on to Costamezzano, where Olivero, the patron of the closed trattoria (it’s Monday), kindly offered to give me food and drink which I declined, walked on in country becoming more interesting with hills and very prosperous-looking farms, duped a dog into letting me eat lunch on the steps to a nice house, had another extraordinary “fording” experience, before arriving in Medesano, exhausted to find another pilgrim in the hostel, sleeping in the bed next to me! Good dinner.

Longer version (very, so,advise you to get a cup of tea if you have the patience):
As I walked off through the piazza I noticed that there were 5 banks around it (!) and then saw another pharmacy just 50m further on on my way out of the town on the old Via Emilia & I walked dead straight for 2.5km before turning towards Santa Magherita on a smaller tarmac road. The sign at the crossroads said 4km but it was only 2.5…but I had to pay attention walking along the verge in the face of oncoming traffic. At the entrance to almost every village there is a sign saying there are radars but I feel these should be on the roads between villages!

After lamenting the overgrown sports field behind the church which is sadly no longer used…I turned left onto a smaller road towards Borghetto (2km away & the guide book said it would be busy and it sure was with constant traffic, but why?). On the way I saw a garbage collector who had to get out of his truck at each house, collect the garbage, & drive on to the next house. Not much later I met another such garbage man & commented that he was alone & he said, yes & collecting the “umido” (vegetable waste). I thought of the study I’d read of the bus conductors on London buses having less heart attacks than the bus drivers, so figured that he’d be like a conductor. Later on I passed him again & he slowed & waved to me.

Arriving in this village I spoke to a woman working in her beautiful garden & complimented her on its many flowers and flowering shrubs, and I smelt the beautiful perfume of the first peony roses I’d seen, my favourite flower, growing out through her fence. When I asked was there a bar & would it be open, being Monday, she said she’d make me a coffee which I declined saying I just wanted to know about the bar. She confirmed it was but offered again for the coffee! Arriving at the bar (closing day is Tuesday…close call)

I sat outside with my cappuch (as they say here) & a fine kindly-looking gentleman came out of the bar & sat down & we started speaking, although he was a bit hard of hearing. When I asked if he was retired now he laughed and said he was 93 (am convinced all these pharmacies serve a purpose but of course having the bar to go to & having social intercourse does also) – a retired farmer. Told me the whole area produces milk (for the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese) & cereals. From then on the countryside changed to rolling hills, all very green and richer looking. Walked past prosperous looking farms & fields, much hay being cut & aired with machines, some of it even being packaged into enormous round bales.
Walked on to Costamezzano, with the road often going uphill a little now. When I walked into the village, the trattoria was closed (it’s Monday!) but Olivero, the patron, was trimming plants on its terrace and greeted me and asked if he could get me something to eat or drink. I declined with thanks but we exchanged names and where I was from. Walked on towards Medesano by taking the road which was now running along a ridge with great vistas on each side, and it was possible to look back on the flat plain of the Po.

However I also now started to see the Apennines in the distance & wondered where I’d be crossing them… Since leaving Fidenza I’d been seeing signs to promote the area “Valli e Sapori” – “beautiful valleys and flavours (food & wine)” as there is so much good produce around here, which made me think of my versifying friend’s words when I restarted the Via (but haven’t yet been to any vineyard villas!). I started to see some vines, mostly around the farms, I’d say for private use, and of course so many flowers of all types and flowering shrubs.

On these roads there is absolutely nowhere to sit so when I saw a beautiful modern house in a big garden set back from the road on a hill with oak trees planted outside the fence and thus with a shaded set of concrete steps up from the road, I approached tentatively to see if there was an “Attenti al cane” sign & sure enough there was but no barking dog! Stealthily I sat on the steps and prepared to eat and then dropped my food container which clattered down the steps, being sure this would awake the dog but, fortunately, not so…breathed a sigh of relief and took off my shoes to air my feet (have been receiving so much good advice about how to avoid foot problems…) and discovered another blister! Ate my lunch.

All done eating I set off optimistically again to face a 5 km route (from Hell) through fields which the guide book said was not waysigned… Firstly took the wrong turning off the road but realized and managed to only lose 1km with this mistake…got onto the track which was not easy to follow, even with a map as one could pass a fork in the grassy path among fields without realising (now how could Sigeric know all these paths turning left and right and which way to go at a T junction?). So was finally going along merrily when I reached another “dry” stream which was awful – not only flowing water but debris and mud everywhere. I cursed but then thought again about Sigeric, took off my shoes in the least inhospitable area nearest to the water (mine are very “city” feet which have almost never gone barefoot…) and tried to find the best way through the mess, often sinking into the mud and once almost over-balancing with my heavy pack…but I survived to the other side and tried to find the least-worst muddy spot to sit down. Definitely an experience to be forgotten. Then, praise be, some of the things I thought I shouldn’t perhaps be carrying as they were “doubles” came into their own! Some stronger paper towels which my old experienced-walker Swiss neighbour suggested I take, my wet tissues, as well as hand washing gel. So I put down one of these strong towels in order to sit in my navy (just freshly-washed) trousers and used another to wipe the worst mud off, finished cleaning my feet as best I could with the wet wipes and was finally able to wash my hands with the gel!

Was I pleased when I was finally back on a hard road surface and came across one of the houses mentioned on my map, after which the signage started again! Continued on into Medesano on Via Giuseppe Verdi but with no strains of “Va’ pensiero” which I think I merited! On arriving at the hostel, the priest announced another pilgrim had arrived to share the only room with two beds and a double bunk in it – Charles (a consultant/coach) from Brussels who has walked from home! He knew about me as when he had also seen Olivero in Costamezzano he’d been told about me as I, Lyn, was No 150 in this year’s pilgrim record book which Olivero keeps and he was No 151! Olivero had opened up to provide Charles with a meal which Charles said was excellent but not enough of it.

I asked Charles about the various “fording” experiences but he’d had none as he is using Google Maps (21st century pilgrim) and so hadn’t gone on any of my paths (many roads to Rome). Guess what, there was a washing machine in the bathroom with at least 8 different products, often super size, so Charles put a load on & I added my few things (but he was not an expert at operating a washing machine and put it on for a very long programme…) He had a problem with a bite (he doesn’t know what bit him, so I asked if it hadn’t been a snake!) and I was able to give some anti-biotic cream I’d bought in Fidenza as this was stronger than what he had in his organized “pharmacy”.
Charles taught me about another form of blister-avoidance – now don’t laugh Liz F or Catherine K-F – taping! So on our way to dinner we went via the pharmacy & we caused much hilarity while trying to explain what we needed and which finally was provided.

Into a good restaurant according to the pharmacist (see again how important they are!) and we had a Prosecco, a “primi” of risotto with mushrooms, truffle oil and a little red wine and it was delicious, then a tagliata of beef with rocket and Grand Padano cheese and a little balsamic which was also good, all with an excellent local red wine. Charles was an interesting person and good company. He has been walking incredible distances, with almost no rest days, as he wants to get to Assisi by a certain date, and as he wished to get up at 5am for an early start (middle of the night for me!) he considerately put all his things outside the door so he wouldn’t wake me up in the morning. I asked him if he snored (in case I should use my ear-plugs) but he said No, and he didn’t!
I slept for an hour at a time until the bells in the adjoining church struck each hour (I don’t think I heard them at 4h00)…

Highlights of the day
– the incredible (& worst) “fording” experience
– the kindness of people I came across
– the very-marked change of terrain and countryside
– a good meal in good company

 

This is a non-photo of the worst fording experience which I didn’t think to photograph…

10th May 2015  Fidenza in Emilia-Romagna

Short version:

Attended  mass in the cathedral & studied routes for next few days.

Longer version:
After another good breakfast (sooooo important as my dear mother used to impress on us) I Skyped my sister who is now joining all the doubters about the safety of my walking alone. Apart from the risk of an accident which can happen anywhere, I don’t think potential robbers or murderers would take to the paths of the Via (they’d have to ford the streams)…so I won’t have to worry like an old family friend did that she’d be “raped, robbed and murdered” when she stayed in anything less than a 5 star hotel!
I arrived at the cathedral for the mid-morning mass just as it was about to start and one of the museum volunteers came and asked me to sit next to her. There were about 150-200 people in the cathedral as there was the baptism of little Martino (9 months or so and beautifully dressed for the occasion) so perhaps, along with it being Mother’s Day, this accounted for the turn out, although my new friend insisted they always had a similar turn-out. There were at least 25 children in the church and they were active in parts of the ceremony, as were the 8 or so choir-girls and boys, which was very warm and relaxed. The cathedral is a beautifully proportioned building, very simple high pink/red brick interior with two levels of clerestories, and with all the lights on and the organ accompanying the singing it was a very moving and warm mass. It’s the first religious ceremony I’ve been to on the Via this year so it was fitting for it to be here in such an important staging point. At the end of the mass my new friend ensured that I had my passport signed & also introduced me to her sister (who also feared for my being alone!), and then I took leave of them & walked once again around this beautiful building. Back to modern day reality I stopped in a nice bar for my morning cappuccino and wandered around before heading back to the main piazza for a drink, all in warm sunshine.
This afternoon I have been studying my guide book and maps to see how I’ll affront the next few days which, all being well, will take me up and over the Apennines and down into northern Tuscany. I have reserved in a pilgrim hostel for tomorrow night. I’ll try to be on my way early as it promises to be a hot day. Forgot to say, unfortunately no signs of fresh asparagus…but what I perhaps forgot to mention about Fidenza is the remarkable gelati! Not only because they are truly delicious but there are served as a real work of art…each one is served in a flower shape, with each different flavour like another layer of outer petals. The one I had the first day was the best, served by the smiling gelati maker himself, but I forgot to take a photo before eating it and those I have had the last two days (yes, I have been making sacrifices to get the right photo for you!) have not been as well done as other people have been serving them. Imagine a white centre of lemon petals, then petals of raspberries around it and another layer of outer petals of the bitter dark chocolate from Modica in Sicily (which I have eaten in Modica but the gelato is better than the hard chocolate…). Anyhow you’ll have to imagine it from the less than perfect photo I’m showing you.
In the late afternoon there was a concert in the piazza which finished with a rousing rendition of “Nessun dorma”
In the evening the restaurant I wanted to go to was closed so I ended up going into a pizzeria (not the best and I won’t be eating another for a while…)

Highlights of the weekend
– Time off to let my feet rest & heal (& me also!) as I’ve been wearing my open Crocs sandals all weekend
– The wonderful dottore in the pharmacy
– Participating in the mass in this beautiful and magnificent cathedral
– Soaking up the “savoir vivre” of the wonderful and resilient Italian people.
– Gelati, gelati, gelati (fortunately I’m walking enough to not put on weight, or at least I hope I am…)

9th May 2015
Fidenza – now in Emilia-Romagna

What good fortune to have the small attractive and historically-interesting town of Fidenza on my path for a weekend of rest! Population about 25,000.

Short version:
A lazy day walking around Fidenza & looking at the sights, hopefully followed by a nice meal tonight. No storm this evening!

Longer version:
After a decent (!) breakfast in this 3 star hotel, I went out to visit the town which looks prosperous and was bustling on Saturday morning with many people in shops, bars, piazzas. There is one straight and very long pedestrianized main street which changes its name 3 times through the old centre but is really the old Via Emilia which would explain the straightness. I first went to see my “dottore” in the pharmacy to check something & he kissed my hand as I left! There are 3 pharmacies within 20 metres of one another so are there so many ill people or is it such good service, as I’d had, that people come from near and far? They must however live long here as all the death notices posted up around the town were for people in their 80s and 90s so perhaps the pharmacists all give excellent service. After walking up & down the street I decided that my favourite shop, apart from the gelateria and my pharmacy, was that selling all specialties from Parma, which is only 20 km away – cheeses which are priced by age, many different types of prosciutto, take away dishes etc. I ascertained that they open at 8h00 on Monday so will perhaps go there to buy a sandwich for the road.

I’d noticed that the women, mostly smartly dressed, either had runner-type shoes or high stilettos, even on a bike, as people of all ages were on bikes in the pedestrian area. I walked to the street market which I’d discovered was a few streets away from the old historic centre and bought some fruit. The freshly roasted half-chickens, one of which I’d have bought, were finished & there was a queue for full chickens which were still being cooked! Also beautiful fresh fish and sea-food were for sale. I noticed, as in nearly all places I’d been to, an April XXV street in honour of the liberation in WWII.
One can’t walk through places such as this without soaking up some history and thus awakening an interest in knowing more. A very little history: Fidenza is in an area inhabited from the 4th millennium BC and the then “Fidentia” became a “municipality” about 82 BC (after a battle) and under Roman rule the Via Emilia went through here. One of the most important episodes in its religious life was the martyrdom of Saint Donnino in 293 (by beheading, so he is always shown in art holding his head in his arm) and which also changed the town name to Borgo San Donnino (only reverted to Fidenza in 1927). A place of pilgrimage and the site of many wars, it was under the protection of Frederick Barbarossa (who won a war against the Parmesans who had destroyed Fidenza twice in the previous century) that the beautiful cathedral was constructed in the 12th century (on the site of an ancient church) in Lombard Romanesque style with the most wonderful reliefs sculptured on the stone facade by the master sculptor Benedetto Antelami, even one with the three kings (Wise Men) riding on horses to Bethlehem.

Ever since reading Ken Follet’s The Pillars of the Earth I’ve been fascinated by the building of cathedrals and here was one with Norman style arches in the two levels of clerestories and gothic arches in the vault. This afternoon I went back to the cathedral to visit the museum and I had a personal guided visit with one of the women volunteers and saw the treasures including some of the most precious sculptures from the facade by Antelami and a painting of the Assumption of the Virgin with guess who by her side – our own San Rocco whom I recognised by the wound on his thigh! The other volunteer took me into the cathedral and up into the clerestory where the women used to go to attend mass (couldn’t mix with the men). She had a key to let us into a circular stone staircase and turned the key in the lock 5 times before it opened! Was most interesting to have a view down into the nave and she said if I go to mass tomorrow morning they’ll stamp my pilgrim’s passport with the cathedral stamp. As we left she went down into the crypt to get a San Donnino prayer card for me. Oh, I forgot to say that Sigeric stayed here in 990 on his walk back to Canterbury (it would appear that this had always been an important halt on the pilgrimage trail because of San Donnino’s martyrdom).
Am now in one of the best restaurants in town (after all it is Saturday night) which has typical cuisine of the area, a lovely unpretentious ambiance, and which I fortunately booked last night as it is filling up! I asked for the maitre d’hôtel’s advice on what to eat. As many of you ask what I am eating, here is my second good dinner. The appetizer is a delicious tiny slice of a fine-pastry covered tart which has a flan-like vegetable stuffing.

And the bread is Good & warm (usually Italian bread is not good & as a baker’s daughter I know my bread!) but I’d better not eat too much as I have much to come yet… My first dish was home-made tagliolini with Gorgonzola, prosciutto di Parma, saffron, in a delicious creamy sauce. Main course is pheasant, probably softly roasted (with steam), with smoked pancetta and a special type of onion in a sage sauce with roasted vegetables – it is succulent but I hope it’s not too rich for my poor pilgrim’s digestion! I may need a digestive after the meal… It’s now 21h15 and four young couples with 4 very small children (one woman is heavily pregnant) have just come in to eat at a long table – the men have put themselves at one end of the table and have shrugged their shoulders at the comments of the women who are at the other end with the children… To listen to them all ordering is a sheer pleasure, especially with the little ones intervening. … They are now being served and the children are just beginning to assert themselves in questioning what has been ordered for them… However the women have just clinked glasses together “cin-cin” while the men are in deep discussion. La commedia dell’arte…
Well, after a great digestive I’ve been able to eat a dessert of vanilla ice cream on a balsamic reduction with glacé mandarine and a little special oil over it, scrumptious (but never would have been possible without time and the digestive). Walked back through town and many people strolling or sitting outside bars, etc, with no anti-social behaviour and lots of good humour! Am off to bed for a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow I have to plan the next few days re distances and accommodation… I just read that as pilgrims started flooding to Rome in the 4th and then 5th centuries they had a well-maintained structure of Roman roads and pilgrim ‘hospitals’, where hospitality was offered, began to be built. It seems also that they had no linguistic difficulties as they were able to convey their needs in Latin (a language later spoken only by clerics). Unfortunately with the Barbarian invasions of 6th & 7th centuries pilgrim life became more difficult as roads & bridges ceased to be maintained, accommodation was not kept up & in areas no longer under Christian rule other dangers of all sorts beset them (robbers, invaders, wild animals, storms, lack of food & sickness, etc) so the pilgrim was not at all sure he would reach his destination let alone return home in one piece. This is known, it seems, from writings from the 6th century onwards. Not so many ‘hospitals’ today…but there are many less other dangers, thank goodness.

Today’s highlights:
– a lazy day discovering modern Fidenza and its history
– the private visit to the cathedral and its museum
– a delicious evening meal but regret that I forgot to pick up the bread which the maitre d’hôtel had prepared for me to take away (for tomorrow’s breakfast)
– a beautiful soft evening as I walked back through the town

8th May 2015 Fiorenzuola d’Arda to Fidenza
16.1 km on foot    Fine weather all the way

Short version:
Worst breakfast at hotel which I think was almost a “truckie stop” as lorry drivers were just next to hotel & one was even washing his vehicle down at midnight! Set off through flat fields & saw first tomato plantations. All very pretty countryside, great cappuccino in a beautiful spot, on to Fidenza (home to the Via Francigena Association and a very historic little town) where I’ll spend the weekend & seemingly a great place to stop. Have a hotel right in the middle of town (but the train line very close…) so can stroll out for a gelato or aperitif! Go to end to view photos!

Longer version:
After an even worse breakfast than yesterday ( the choice between 6 different types of sweet croissant-type “things”) when all I wanted was a piece of ordinary bread but no luck…
I was fortunate in that my extra walking to the other side of town last night gave me a 1.5 km advantage on today’s walk towards Fidenza. A very pleasant day through flat country and principally between fields, mostly on small tarmac roads, but also some gravel roads and, best on all, some grass roads/tracks (& fortunately no streams to “ford”!). Fields of various cereals and then I finally saw the tomato plantations for which the area is apparently well known. Half-way to my destination I walked into the village of Castelnuovo Fogliani & went into a little place selling fruit and vegetables & managed to enrich my miserable ham pizza-bread sandwich for lunch (bought from the hotel bar this morning) with a tomato, cucumber, an apple and some strawberries (you may not think this important but when the closest thing to eat at any time is around pizza or bread…). Then in the village I sat outside a little chalet-type bar in the grassy piazza for a cappuccino & I finished off all the strawberries! The only other clients were a couple of groups of retired men in lively discussions (but not consuming much which didn’t worry the owner as she was more worried that I was walking alone) – the owner told me they are there most days (as they are retired – the wives are at home & sometimes come on Sundays!) – so nice to see as one realises that such people will not die alone while their neighbours are oblivious to their plight. This whole Po plain must be a hay-fever sufferer’s nightmare as for the last few days the air has been full of “debris” from spring flowerings floating in the breeze.
Then onwards through fields in more interesting green slightly undulating country, past some fine villas, beautiful flower displays of irises, roses, many flowering trees and shrubs (and even a small lemon tree in a pot with at least 100 fruit on it – tell me the secret!) before entering Fidenza (entering over a river which was flowing fast despite the guidebook saying it would be dry…) which is a most pleasant and very interesting small town of great history and is also the headquarters of the Association of the Via Francigena! I walked over the ruins of a Roman bridge (not longer used as the bed of the river has shifted since those times) and through an arch to see the beautiful cathedral in its piazza. Tourist office was closed but there were details of a some accommodation on the door so as I wanted to stay the weekend I chose to stay in a hotel (2 were listed) so I asked a local which was the closest and went there. The woman looked & ummed and erred a little before saying she could give me a room & when I asked for it to be away from the street she replied that it was the last room so I accepted with alacrity! Much to see over the weekend I’ll spend here (every pilgrim needs a day off although I’m not sure Sigeric would have been of the same opinion…)
As I was sitting having a drink in the main square late in the afternoon the sky turned grey and then thunder rolled around and it started to rain so perhaps this will be a regular event…will have to make sure I’m safely housed for the night before then.
Must admit that I was a little worried about a blister which looked as if it might be infected but a trip to the pharmacy and a check by a pharmacist seems to have allayed my fears so am hoping the weekend off will arrange the situation.
Have washed almost half my wardrobe (am wearing the other half). I think there must be some sort of festival here this weekend as so many people about this evening and some structures set up in the main piazza.

A quite uninteresting meal in the hotel restaurant (scaloppine al limone which was literally two thinish slices of pork in a flour-thickened clear lemon juice sauce) but tomorrow have booked to go to the one of the best restaurants in town with typical food… Am exhausted and falling into bed!

Today’s highlights
– the wonderful old-fashioned pharmacist who took me in hand and allayed my fears re my bad blister with advice & a suitable cream
– a delicious gelato which was a work of art with three flavours served like a flower!

Continue reading “Day 24 (2015) Fiorenzuola d’Arda to Fidenza”

7th May 2015 (my birthday).
From Piacenza to Fiorenzuola d’Arda – 27.25 km
Fine weather, mostly with a light breeze, but at the end very threatening thunder and black skies to the west, with rain for the final kilometre.

Short version:
Bad breakfast, long stretches walking along a dangerous main road, good cappuccino stop, finally off the main road & zig-zagging over country roads in cultivated fields, having to “ford” two fast-flowing streams, doing many more km than the guide book said, finally arriving at the destination on the edge of the threatening storm further away and then having to walk a further 1.5 km to the hotel in rain, but very happy to arrive! Very so-so birthday dinner but good glass of Prosecco!

Longer version:
What an eventful birthday!
I have never had such an awful birthday breakfast. The Italian breakfast (especially in cheap accommodation, although not in Belgioioso!) is really bad with mostly sweet breads and biscuits – how could so many extraordinary constructions of all types and beautiful works of art have been created on such a breakfast?
Anyway I set off with a high heart and then walked 4.5km on a straight very busy road through the outskirts of Piacenza. At the beginning there were footpaths but these soon disappeared and I kept crossing the road to find them when I thought “the grass looked greener on the other side of the fence” but only to be often disappointed…
After a couple of km who did I see coming towards me but my pilgrim friend Gonzalo walking back into Piacenza to meet a pilgrim friend for lunch(?). He was intending to go to the same town as me this evening…
I stopped for a cappuccino to have a break from the awful traffic careering beside me and went into a renovated cafe which had plate glass windows at the back onto a lovely old-fashioned garden so I sat out there and savoured my morning treat. A big shrub of my favourite peony roses was about to bloom.

 

Back on to the road which is the ancient Via Emelia going to Rome and the locals still refer to it as that. I walked on for another straight 8 km on this road praying for my life before being able to get off onto small paved roads/gravel roads which zig-zagged all over the countryside and which eventually led me to my destination. I found that it was better to keep on the bitumen (or even on the gravel) than to go on the grassy verges which are uneven, take longer to walk over and cause the feet to slip around… The land was very flat and although I only saw fields of corn, wheat, etc, Danilo had said that this is a major area for tomato cultivation. There were many big important looking farmhouses & buildings but also many deserted and dilapidated buildings. In several places I saw signs for asparagus festivals this weekend so these must also be grown here. Hope I find some this weekend.

At one point I had just stopped to tighten my shoe laces to stop my feet slipping around in my shoes, then encountered two horrible barking dogs on the road which I had to fend off with my sticks, when I came to a stream which the guide book had said to “ford” but I didn’t think it meant literally this! A few times the book had said canals, streams or rivers would probably be dry but they were all flowing (it’s been a very wet spring) so I should not have been surprised to be confronted by 10-20 cm of water…but I was! So after considering my options and thinking of what Archbishop Sigeric had had to confront in 990, I got as close as I could to the water before taking off shoes and socks and tentatively walking through the fast flowing water…only to get to the other side (a little stone dirt road up) when a fellow comes the other way in a big 4 wheel drive and he had to wait for me to get out of his way. I started to greet him but he just ignored me and drove on by so I had no regrets at not waiting for him to come as there was no way he’d have been ready to back back across the stream with me on board.

So I got my self all kitted-up again and walked on only to find another such stream less than a km further on but this one much deeper, so I had to roll my trousers up to my knees & repeat the whole process. However it was very refreshing for my feet…so all was not for nothing. By this time, I was really beginning to have doubts about the kilometrage marked in my guide book as the route was exactly the same as my maps which predicted 26 km whereas the book said it would be 19… So forewarned is forearmed for the future. It is really good having the maps as they provide a visual guide to the descriptions in the guide book.

Over to the west it was getting very dark indeed and then I heard rolling thunder so my feet picked up speed as I didn’t want to be caught in a storm. I arrived in Fiorenzuola and asked two people where the street of my hotel, or the hotel itself, was but guess what, the first two people I asked weren’t from there – they were from Rome and Florence! But another local turned up and said I should follow “the Emilia” to the other side of town but to be careful with the traffic!

So I plodded on and by this time it was raining but I didn’t bother to put my waterproof jacket on or to put the waterproof cover over my rucksack (all my possessions are safely stowed in waterproof bags inside the rucksack) as I just wanted to arrive, after what finished up being more than 27km on the road.
I was so pleased to find a reasonable and clean room with bathroom that I thought I was in Heaven. One really has to study the possibilities for accommodation before deciding where to walk to as many small places have no accommodation at all.
I have had a glass of Prosecco and a so-so meal in the hotel restaurant and will be sleeping well tonight! Tomorrow I will go to Fidenza (the seat of the Via Francigena association which I will visit) and stay two nights and have a rest and wash some clothes. Both guide book and map agree that it should be about a 17-18km walk so we’ll see.

Today’s highlights were
– daisies which appeared in big clumps along a stretch of a small road

– a video surveillance sign on a deserted country road so I wondered where the camera was and why it was there

– a moving memorial to a 20 year old resistance fighter on a country road who was killed in 1944 by the German army but who has not been forgotten as there was a big laurel wreath placed there, possibly on 25th April the anniversary of the liberation of Italy

– first live encounter with horrible barking dogs which I had to fend off
– fording 2 streams and being none the worse for it!
– becoming aware that my guide book might be misleading…

6th May 2015 Orio Litta to Piacenza – 20km on foot, 4km by ferry (crossing the Po River)

Fine weather getting to quite hot.

Short version:
Set off early with Spanish pilgrim Gonzalo to meet the ferry to cross the Po (4 km ride down-stream in fast boat) which was great as was the whole “Danilo (boatman) experience”. A long walk especially going through the outskirts of town on a main road, often without footpaths Arriving in Piacenza. Visit the city cathedral, other churches & old centre. Finally first delicious dinner!

Longer version:
After a good night’s sleep in the beautiful hostel Gonzalo and I had an early breakfast & left to walk the 3km to the landing stage by 9h00. Danilo turned up for us about 9h15 and we had a brilliant fast ride to his home 4km further down the river.

When we arrived we went into his garden and he proudly showed us “Sigeric’s foot imprint” on a brick built into a seat around a tree. He then made us coffee & he stamped our pilgrim passports and had us sign his wonderful Visitors’ Book.  He then showed us a statistic of the more than 3500 pilgrims he had transported from the first Dutch pilgrim in 1998. So far there have been 54 Australians who have passed through there – last year there were 378 pilgrims who crossed but he thinks there will be over 500 this year.

When Danilo suggested to Gonzalo that he should telephone to the church where he had to collect the key to a hostel (where he intended to stay the night which was a couple of km further on from central Piacenza), Gonzalo replied that pilgrims didn’t telephone and just accepted what happened.   He was a most interesting and authentic young person with a warm heart. Then he left in front of me as I walk more slowly than he does and he had further to travel, towards the hostel after Piacenza.

I started off on what should have been a 17km walk but which turned out to be longer – and I am starting to have serious doubts about the distances marked in my guide book. Nearly all the way on tarmac roads, often with no footpath but some bike paths, in flat countryside with more unattractive industry as I arrived on the outskirts of Piacenza.  There was a straight 5km stretch through unattractive small businesses and other shops etc (often failed businesses leaving empty space which is for rent or sale) until I reached the old centre of town. I went to the tourist office to find a place to sleep and then had to walk another 1.5 km to get there (but it is thankfully very close to where I start from tomorrow morning!).

After a shower I took a taxi to a big sports store on the outskirts of town as I had a problem with my walking sticks (which was quickly fixed) and then went out to visit the old city centre with several interesting churches and squares. I listened to a couple of sung masses and sat in a cloister with a beautiful garden. This evening I have eaten in an excellent traditional restaurant just up the road from the hotel and tasted some delicious specialities – there was a little bottle of a mixture of what seemed like lard with ham & parsley to spread on dried pieces of bread (almost like rusks) which was very tasty, a plate of very crunchy mixed vegetables cooked in vinegar and wine which were delicious, followed by a plate of tiny home-made gnocchi with fagioli (bean seeds) in a wonderful sauce and a super mixed salad (I needed the greens after eating bread all day). Will be happy to go to bed, after of course caring from my feet!

Today’s highlights:
– The “Danilo” experience as he proudly showed us his beautiful visitors’ book and spoke of the experiences he has had because of this (side) activity. He explained that this crossing existed from Roman times. The Po is a mighty but polluted river.
“Service with a smile!” Just after crossing a very long bridge, with a very narrow footpath and heavy traffic, I walked into a service station and sat down at some chairs on its perimeter (as the guide book warned that there would be no place to sit & often with no footpaths for the next 5km through the outskirts of Piacenza). A young man working there gave me a Thumbs-up sign and then brought me a peach drink! Then I realized I was seeing something I’d not seen for a long time – 5 men serving petrol to customers as well as cleaning the cars, if desired, and the customers just kept coming in so it must be appreciated…I didn’t think to look how much more expensive the petrol was but business was brisk!
– Lovely meal My first delicious dinner of typical Piacentina dishes.