Tag: VF travelogues

June 10 2014 – June 16 2014

After getting my tendon & feet back in order I started out again last week (but didn’t want to advertise it until I was sure I could continue) and walked on the via for several days but then had to admit a (temporary) defeat when I had more feet problems. So would just like to update you as so many have written asking how I was, and to thank you for your support.

My versifying friend wrote:

Roaming Roman roads

really

reaps

rich rewards.  (chpt 1:3)

So, in spite of this setback I feel I have reaped rich rewards as I had some more wonderful experiences. Am attaching my impressions and will send a few photos also. If you have the courage to read all this, get yourselves a good cuppa & a comfortable chair…

Day 10 via Francigena – back on the via!! 8.3km

Thinking that my tendon problem seemed to be progressing very well and my feet had healed, I decided to rejoin the “via” to try to continue my walk. I had gone through my pack and removed several things but it didn’t seem much lighter… So this morning I took an early train to Milan where I had lunch with friends & I then took the train on to Santhia from where I had taken the train home. I decided to walk on, just over 8 km, to San Germano Vercellese to try out my tendon on a small walk but it was in a heat wave (when my friends drove me back to the station in Milan the car registered a temperature of 34.5C…). I walked out of Santhia and right on the outskirts of the town was a San Rocco chapel – I could see the fresco of him through the scaffolding on the wall of the chapel which was in very poor shape & (hopefully) being renovated. Just after this junction the directions were not clear & I couldn’t see any VF signage so asked a little wiry older man working in a field nearby & he insisted that the town was just 5 kms down the straight (& very busy) main road. So when I said ‘no, I’d like to take the alternate path’ he insisted it was far too long & I should come down this track over the road & go over the railway line! I didn’t think this was a good idea ( and I just wanted clarification of which road I should take) but he insisted I come to see & all along the track he was chatting & laughing & remembering his ill-spent youth & saying he used to cross the railway tracks at 4am but I said “that was some years ago…” We got to the end of the track & of course there was a concrete barrier at the top of a little but steep incline (falling away to a canal at the side) where the railway track was, so I said “No” again but he was up the incline & literally hauling me up with my ruck-sack saying that we could see in both directions & there were after all only 2 tracks to cross (!) so off we went! Then on the other side I got directions as to how to get on the “via” again & the main landmark was the “cabina della luce” (literally the house of light which sounded lovely) so I asked what form this took & he said it was a square building! Then his friend came along the road towards us & said the same thing “go right at the ‘cabina della luce’ “. Eventually I found this landmark in my guide book translated as “brick electricity tower” but this doesn’t sound quite as good, does it?   I was walking not far from the railway line and every time I saw a train speed by I shivered at the thought of my crossing the tracks. I was now in the heart of rice paddy country & it was most interesting to see the paddies up close with the canals and dykes running between them. I was worried about mosquitoes but a young man I’d spoken to on the train had said there weren’t many this year & when I told him I had an anti-mosquito bracelet he wasn’t impressed at all – “won’t work” he had declared but I will try it out tomorrow anyway.

Terrible hotel in San Germano – supposedly 2 star – but more like a Chinese doss house. However I met my first pilgrims in the cafe of the hotel. A couple of Dutch men who started walking 6 weeks ago in Rheims (in north-east France with a fabulous cathedral & which is the home of champagne). They had walked 900km and when I asked whether they’d had any foot problems they said “no” & “didn’t expect any now”… It was by my guide book exactly 777km to Rome from there.

Lovely anecdote with the taxi driver on the journey from the Milan station to my friends’ home when I commented on driving in the atrocious traffic & he replied that he doesn’t complain as it’s so much worse in Rome & Naples! Lesson in there for me…

Day 11 via Francigena – San Germano to Vercelli 22km

(Remind me to sleep through the 2nd day of my next pilgrimage…)

Poor breakfast & I went to the “alimentari” (grocery) to buy food & when I asked what the population of the very small town was, the woman replied only 1900 (was previously 3000) now with young people leaving but with “Maroccans, Roumanians and gypsies!” arriving.  However workers were planting flowering plants outside the town hall which was a positive sign. Walked through all the rice paddies which were flat, flat, flat…but a beautiful apple green with water channels & dykes everywhere. There were many deserted farms. Lines of poplar trees reminded me of the magnificent film “The Clog Tree” which won the Golden Palm at the Cannes film festival in then 1970s. Many tree plantations everywhere, perhaps for wood?

At the outskirts of the next village (Cascina di Stra) there was a man working in his beautiful vegetable garden who offered me cool water on my way back from the only bar where I’d had a cappuccino (the owner had opened up for me and although it was with with curdled milk it was at least hot so pilgrims, like beggars, can’t be choosers!). A little further on there was a moving monument of a broken column to two young resistance fighters who were killed 2 weeks before the end of the war…

In the next village Montonero there was a resting place for pilgrims with a grassy space with a couple of trees, seats and a fountain.

Walking between the rice paddies was on “vie sterrate”, dirt roads covered with gravel, which, I think, are the worst surface for pilgrims!

I walked & walked & took a wrong turning for 1.5 km and when I was looking perplexed a local man stopped to tell me the path was further back & drove me there and when I thanked him he said “pray for me” so Vito will be in my “pilgrim’s” prayers this evening.

Arriving in Vercelli, It was very hot & I’d had enough & couldn’t walk another 3-4 km to the hotel & wanted a taxi.  But none to be found so I asked a woman putting her recycling out to call one for me which she kindly did but it appears that the number in her phone was for a the taxi company in another city!! So I went into a bar where the woman called me a taxi – but by this time I was nearly fainting & he drove me to the hotel & then robbed me with a fare of €20 without a meter but…  The owner of hotel drove me to town (lesson! In future get a hotel in the centre of town) & arranged for someone to bring me back after dinner. At a fruit & vegetable stall in the centre of the town I bought some fruit & tomatoes and asked a man (who really knew his fruit & vegetables) to recommend a restaurant and he walked me to a place with lovely traditional food which was closed until 7.30pm but a woman in a shop opposite told to ring the bell & reserve. So I went and walked around the pretty centre of the town & had a drink until 7.30 – it was an excellent traditional restaurant with very good service and a beautiful meal with the risotto speciality. It was just as well to reserve as the restaurant was set up for a meal for more than 50 people (mostly women) and as I left they were arriving & the noise level was going through the ceiling!   Then I met “Matteo” who drove me back to hotel.

Of course, not having bandaged my feet with anti-chafing bandages, I had bad blisters again!!!

Day 12 via Francigena Vercelli to Robbio. 18.3km

From my hotel I walked 1km to rejoin the “via” – then through both rice paddies & corn fields. I am now using a set of “strip” maps which one can tear off with 2 stages, one on each side & very well done. The country is very flat. Before arriving in Palestra, on a little bridge over a dyke, there was a welcome board for pilgrims with a map of Palestra & its facilities, & also a sheet for pilgrims to fill-in with their names & where coming from & going to, nationality etc. For today I saw the names of the Dutch pilgrims I’d met in the terrible hotel two nights ago as well as an Irishman so there are apparently very few pilgrims along the way. The province of Pavia is very welcoming to pilgrims on the “via”! In Palestra I had a wonderful sandwich on focaccia made by the woman in the grocery store which I sat down and ate in the street.

Walking again, I checked with man on a tractor ( twice!) to make sure of the track as it’s so easy to get lost on these little tracks.

As I was walking into Robbio a car passed me & stopped suddenly and a man with a mop of grey curly hair got out & after ascertaining that I was a pilgrim asked me what I thought of the rice paddies & what struck me the most – when I replied that it was the flatness & the colour & that I knew nothing about how rice grows, he cried “water!” He said there were bores everywhere & then explained how rice grows. He said it would be harvested in July when “golden” (not “yellow”, as I’d asked!) and that rice grows like wheat with sheaves (I’d thought that the grains must be under the water). Upshot of all this is that he was fighting to get the rice-paddies listed as a Unesco world heritage site & when I told him about the Lavaux vineyards between Lausanne & Montreux which have been similarly listed, he took my arm & kissed it & then was off blowing me kisses from his car as he left…

When I got to town, no hotel as the only one there was being renovated so I walked to the town hall and was shown the free accommodation in a courtyard behind it where I met my Dutch pilgrims again & they invited me to share dinner with them (friends for 30 years they’d been planning this 3 month pilgrimage for 6 years, and accumulating enough leave to complete it) – salad with roasted chicken & potato salad followed by yoghurt with white wine, all from the supermarket…they both said they were the cooks in their families & their wives were missing them! Very nice evening. It was the first night of the soccer World Cup & I thought it might be noisy but I didn’t hear anything except chiming church bells….all night! I’d also gone out previously to buy a long-sleeved shirt as my arms were getting burnt – I don’t mind being a pilgrim but showing one’s age with wizened skin is another!

Blisters & feeling the Achilles tendon a little.

Day 13 – via Francigena – Robbio to Saint Alcuino abbey – 19.6 km

Started off earlier than normal as another heat-wave day predicted & what an interesting day it has been…

The dedication in my guide book is wonderful “For all those who begin their journey as a walker and end it as a pilgrim; and also to xxxx who helped me with several of my guidebooks.” What a difference in the two parts of the dedication but both are meaningful & today with all that has happened I might even become a pilgrim…

Through much of the same flat terrain with rice paddies and corn fields, dykes everywhere with some mosquitoes, windbreaks of poplar trees, small plantations of trees, and several farmers out on tractors working in the fields. Every village still has barking dogs. One of the best businesses in Italy must be that making the signs on every gate “Attenti al cane” (beware of the dog) as long as this business hasn’t been sent off-shore to China…

I started walking to the first village where in a cafe there was a very helpful woman (as everyone in this province seems to be toward pilgrims) who, after my cappuccino, said to go to the “chiesetta” (little chapel) to get my credenziale stamped & get fresh water from the fountain opposite. Started off again & when I arrived in next big village & asked some young people the way as I couldn’t see any more way signs I found out I was in the wrong village so somewhere along the dirt roads I must have missed a sign… All they could advise me was to walk 6 km along the busy main road to the small town I was looking for…but some gentlemen sitting outside a cafe over the road heard & advised me to go back to where I’d come from & take another dirt road which would avoid the main road.

This I did & with the help of another farmer on a tractor I was back on the right path & was so pleased to see the fresh traces in the dirt of my Dutch pilgrim friends’ boots. When I arrived in the next village I saw them again eating lunch & I continued on to the destination village where they caught me up & said they hoped to go to a pilgrim hostel. I said (modern pilgrim that I am) I’d go also if there was wifi (none the night before!) & they confirmed that there was. I telephoned to book & also to verify their reservation & the priest said “no problem”, but not to come until 3pm.

So I looked for a place to eat something and asked a cook sitting on the step outside a pizzeria-restaurant with frosted windows & looking almost closed, where I could get a good sandwich. He shrugged me off a little & then said he’d make me one. When I went inside it was a very nice restaurant with three adjoining rooms & with at least 30 people eating! He asked me what I would like on the sandwich & I asked for some ham with grilled vegetables but then I saw the anti-pasti buffet & said I’d like some. “And not the sandwich?” he asked. So I said I’d have both. Upshot was that I had a beautiful selection of fresh marinated anchovies, fresh salmon marinated, grilled zucchini, grilled aubergine, cold spinach & salad as well as a beautiful sandwich, a quarter litre of white wine, water & cafe & when I asked for the bill it was a special price of €10 for everything ( I must really have looked like a pilgrim!). So after taking a photo with the chef and thanking him I set off for the hostel & saw a temperature of 37C registered outside a pharmacy at 3pm.

On the way to the abbey several people stopped to ask how I was and one woman insisted on giving me two peaches & also wanted to give me cold tea, and another pointed me to a fountain for pilgrims… When I arrived at the abbey, the custodian said it was not possible to stay as there was a group of 14 pilgrims already booked into 10 beds & that the priest who “always forgets” had made a mistake & there was nothing else she could do.  So I said “oh dear oh dear, what can I do?” & I said that the Dutch pilgrims who were also coming had tents & sleeping bags… Then the priest telephoned to say that 3 pilgrims would be coming…so she told him they had the other 14 booked in but then said “don’t worry I’ll manage”… So she went & got a foam mattress & pillow from her apartment & put them on the floor in the big entrance hall for me, put a chair next to the mattress for my pack, and went to the fridge and got me a big bottle of cold water!   Eventually the 2 Dutch pilgrims & then the group arrived (4 accompanying people with 10 “hopefully” recovering alcoholics, although one had apparently found & drunk a bottle of alcohol the night before & had to be counselled by the priest…) & took up residence in the big dining-sleeping hall. I sat in the big wide hallway using the wifi and was the guardian of the mosquito net hanging over one door, asking everyone who went in & out to please close it properly as the huge mosquitos were everywhere! We were all served a good meal prepared by the custodian. We 3 asked for wine which she gave us but only with us sitting at the end of the big horseshoe table so as not to tempt the others… The board & lodging (including breakfast) were free but one was expected to give a donation if one could afford it! During the night there was a big storm but the Dutchmen survived in their tiny tents OK (after their satisfaction with the Dutch victory in their World Cup game). Also I had to get out my ear-plugs during the night as one of the group snored loudly enough to wake the dead!! And the custodian provided breakfast at 5.30am for the group & for we 3 at 7am. Altogether a very interesting experience although I went to bed with problem feet!

Day 14 – via Francigena. Saint Alcuino Abbey to Galasco. 20 km by train

As my feet were too sore to walk today I took leave of my Dutch friends this morning but tomorrow night I’ll be in Pavia (although I found an offer on-line for a 4 star hotel while they’ll be in a pilgrim’s hostel) so perhaps I’ll run into them again…

I walked 2 km to Mortara station (no ticket office open so I tried to purchase a ticket from the conductor on the train who had no change so she let me ride for nothing which will certainly not improve the Italian train system…) and I took the train to Galasco which is another of these very sad small towns which is on the decline because of the economic situation. A couple of different people said it mainly survives now on agriculture (corn fields & rice paddies all around) as the small factories around have all closed – I was told that there are lower & middle schools in the town but for secondary school all the students have to go to Pavia (20 km away) every day…

Not a pleasant day so I spent most of the day resting my poor feet & reading in the hotel lounge. The manager kept asking me if there was anything I’d like & provided free tea and nice biscuits. I ventured out for dinner near the hotel just as a horrific storm was starting & it was nice being inside eating a delicious meal while virtually all Hell was breaking loose outside, visible through big plate glass windows! Managed to get back later without getting too wet as the hotel manager had loaned me a very large umbrella!

Day 15 – via Francigena Garlasco to Pavia 20km by train

As I couldn’t walk again, I took the train to Pavia and the hotel manager offered to drive me to the station. Because the train station was also closed here I had to buy my train ticket at a newspaper shop on the way there (& as there was no machine to frank it at the station nor a conductor on the the local train, as I was getting out I gave it to the lady I had been speaking to on the train). Rainy morning but fortunately the hotel in Pavia was opposite the station (as I learnt when I asked a taxi driver to take me there!). This is a very old historic town of 75,000 people with an interesting historic centre which was founded in pre-Roman times.

This afternoon I took the train to visit the very old and magnificent Carthusian monastery about 8km outside the town. Absolutely huge and still home to an order of monks who give free guided yours. The outside was a symphony of white and in-laid green marble and sculptures. Sculpture, paintings & frescoes, inlaid marble, wooden marquetry all in abundance inside the building with a beautiful cloister adjoining and then a big second private cloister with all the individual monks’ cells around (no pilgrim accommodation here!). Back in the city I wandered around the old part of town & then I had an early evening drink in a piazza near the university before having dinner in a good local restaurant.

One of the things which strikes me (& always has) about Italy is the communication between people – one always sees young & older people speaking warmly and patiently together or sitting around a table together not to mention all the groups of men one sees sitting together outside cafes or having meals together all in vivid discussion. People go out of their apartments to meet together!

This evening as I was sitting in one of the main squares of Pavia which is a (prestigious & very old) university town, so full of young people, I saw that there was a constant movement of people of all ages meeting friends for a drink then moving on which was lovely to see. I have seen no violence or drunk or drugged people in any of the places I’ve visited and walking back to the hotel at 10.30pm I had absolutely no reason to be afraid. Am wondering if the Italian tradition of “fare una bella figura” (cutting a fine figure or dash) means that people dress and behave in a more civilized way, even though in reading any newspaper one does read so much about corruption and crime…

Day 16 – Pavia to Geneva – by train & tram

So unfortunately, once again, my feet have forced me to be sensible & return home until I can find better shoes for walking long distances on difficult surfaces and carrying a heavy pack (if anyone knows the ideal brand of walking shoes for very narrow feet please tell me) to restart again next year. An old friend who also has problem finding adequate shoes wrote “So sorry to hear about the feet! I thought I was the only one who had problematic feet! Mind you I think our foot development hasn’t kept pace with our paving one i.e. evolution is having problems catching up with technology! Perhaps that’s it?”

For Australians, I must sound like the Nellie Melba of the pilgrimage trail. I regret not continuing but one has to accept what happens – as my wise Egyptian friend says “life is what happens to you when you are busy planning it”. However I feel I’ve really had some wonderful “pilgrimage” experiences and challenges as well as a little time to reflect on my life now & in the future. I can really recommend the walking experience.

Arrivederci from the “via”until next spring perhaps.

21 May – Approx 255km Piverone to Bernex (by car, train, car)

After consultations with my physio/Nordic walking teacher/friend Catherine, after hearing from my wonderful “readers” of their various “tendon” experiences, and after not having had a miracle cure from San Rocco’s angel or dog overnight, I decided this morning to be wise & take a break in the V F “pilgrimage” & head back to Geneva for treatment of my tendon, starting tomorrow. I will be really sorry to stop (& not receive all your mails of encouragement on such a regular basis) but I just hope this is a pause “pour mieux recommencer” ( to enable me to restart better) as the French say.

This morning I awoke in my wonderful B&B & to a beautiful morning and to an even more sumptuous breakfast – fresh fruit salad, juices, some cereal, nuts, hard boiled eggs, prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, toaster & bread, home-made jams, sweet home-made biscuits, etc, a table laid with beautiful crockery & glass-ware, served in a room which looked like something out of an old Dutch still-life painting.  Photo attached which I hope does it justice. This B&B is officially 2 star as it doesn’t have air-conditioning (because it is Eco-friendly) but warrants much more as the lovely hostess does whatever she can to make the stay pleasurable, not to mention the beautiful garden. When I told her that after all I would not stay an extra day but intended to return to Geneva & asked her what time the local bus left for Santhia station, she insisted on driving me there. As a follow-on from yesterday she also confirmed that the Val d’Aosta is in fact an autonomous region now (& said that this is why it is so prosperous). A lovely encounter.

However the day had its excitement when a woman sat down opposite me on the train & spoke to me in perfect English.  I learnt she was Italian, 57 years old, a members of the old bourgeoisie who had the right to use the title “cavaliere”, but living & lecturing at a university in Manchester. So for an hour, without stopping as there was no opportunity to stop her, I played the agony aunt & heard the whole story of her life & problems, etc… Talk about “the life styles of the rich & famous” & how one can complicate one’s life… I was glad to descend at Milan station but this experience certainly passed the time as I had nothing to read & no wifi on the regional train. Reminded me a little of taking the bus to the city in Brisbane where one has often heard the fellow traveller’s life story by the time one arrives…

Forgot to mention yesterday when speaking of map reading from a little local map that, unlike Switzerland which has the most fantastic detailed maps for walkers, all detailed maps of Italy up to a scale of 1:100,000 (except for around Mt Blanc mountains area) are reserved for the army. Perhaps this explains why Italians are often not familiar with their immediate surroundings – so I have been pleased to have my wonderful guide-book (thank you Alison Raju) which is the only detailed one for walkers so far in any language of the Sigeric route from Canterbury to Rome.

For the information of any future pilgrims among you: I have read that the ancient pilgrims wore sturdy lace-up boots or stout sandals, a heavy cloak of untreated wool (reasonably waterproof) & carried little else other than a gourd for water and a staff of up to 2 metres with an iron spike at the end, as a defence against wild animals & dogs! Also before setting off, not knowing if they would reach their destination, let alone return home, they would make their will, make a generous donation to the poor & needy, and generally put their affairs in order. They also, like me, got their “credenziale” which was stamped along the way and enabled them to get into pilgrim hostels en route which were provided by religious organizations. But they also had to walk back home once they completed the pilgrimage to Rome…

So different to my setting out with a modern pack of 8-9kg with all I needed, modern equipment like Exped bags, water bottles & eating utensils (including my titanium “levitating” spork), light retractable walking poles to help me move forward, modern trekking clothes, staying in relatively (& sometimes more) comfortable places, mostly good restaurants & “alimentari” for purchasing food, the iPhone & iPad to be able to communicate with the whole world (but only with access to electricity & the phone networks!), a fantastic guide book ( mine is already battered with being consulted so many times a day) & the reassuring way-markings along the way! Fabulous weather all along the way has also helped and being able to get by in Italian has enabled me to converse with local people. And finally, being able to walk into a small station & purchase a train ticket home in the time it took to flick the “plastic” through the credit card reader is a privilege unknown to early pilgrims.

So I have sat in this station restaurant using the wifi & also reflecting on my journey so far… How privileged I feel to have the good health and energy to undertake this walk, accompanied all along the way by your wonderful & supportive emails, verses, news, etc. I have had 9 days of freedom without any appointments, any access to media, or books (except my guide book) as well as being alone, taking the time to observe life around me & having the luxury of choosing what to do when, but also with the challenge of motivating myself to keep moving forward each day (& to learn when to take a day off!) – in short a break from everyday life. It has been a very rewarding, stress-free and also exciting experience (excepting blisters, but thank God for Compeed) which is I hope only being temporarily interrupted. I am going home refreshed & hopefully having learnt a thing or two. For my birthday, an artist friend whom many of you have met gave me a female wire figure with one leg stepping out entitled “the first step” and I feel that this is what I have taken. I am sorry to disappoint those of you who have said that reading of my doings had become part of your daily routine but as I had allocated until the end of June for this adventure perhaps I will be able to return to the “via” soon & you can tune in again. So this is perhaps just an “arrivederci”.

Continue reading “Day 9 (2014) Piverone tomBernex”

20th May 2014 – 14.9km from Ivrea to Piverone

Today I left Ivrea on the southern route (Sigeric’s route) towards Santhia but because there is not much accommodation on the way I had to book a B&B at Piverone (up on the northern route) which took me a couple of km out of my way as the one place which has a B&B on the southern route was booked out. Before leaving the hotel in Ivrea I met a German couple who had walked from Aosta and were looking at the southern route as they thought there would be too much traffic on the other. They intended to get to Santhia in one go which is quite a distance!

Surprisingly I have never seen other “pilgrims” walking the Via Francigena so far, so I have had the route to myself!

So off I set and as it was quite late I had to have my morning cappuccino before leaving Ivrea ( also because there were no bars on the route I had chosen). The weather was overcast but warm & then it continued to try to rain but not enough to make me pull up the waterproof cover of my rucksack or to get out a rain jacket. After 30 minutes of this there was no more rain. The country was very flat & the mountains disappeared into the distance.

I walked along tiny flat roads among fields of wheat, already about 2 feet tall and a gorgeous bluish-green, and fields of corn, not so advanced. And to my pleasure there were many gorgeous brilliant blue corn flowers (in the wheat fields & not the corn!) as well as some poppies. Many many roses in all the houses/farms I passed.

One thing about the Italians is that they often don’t know the names of the roads on which they are driving or which are near their homes… With my change of plan I tried to book accommodation with the least detour so I could get back on to the route again tomorrow and this meant navigating using a local map of the area (as there are virtually no signs on the tiny country roads) so when nearing where I thought the destination was I had to turn on to a dirt road whereas all the others had been paved. I came across a construction site with modern wire-enclosed boxes and two work-men cleaning up the site & the boss in his big Mercedes. When I asked if this was the road to Piverone, they said they weren’t from here & were just the construction company building (wait for it) a very modern refuge for an association looking after stray dogs. What an impressive place it was. But the boss insisted on looking on both his iPhone & also the SatNav (I said I’d just go on & see but ‘no’, I had to wait while he tried to find where we were & what places were around us) but this wasn’t conclusive so I finally (after about 15 mins) set off & the road became tarred again ( the boss said that if I didn’t find it and came back that way he’d drive me there but am not sure how he would have done that). I arrived near the main road where I thought Piverone was but no, when for the last couple of km I’d been having pains in my Achilles’s tendon, it was up on top of a hill…so up I went bravely & arrived in the beautiful little piazza of the village only to find out the B&B was further up the hill again. So I sat down & had a big pot of tea to give me the strength to go on… When I got there it was worth the effort as it was a gorgeous restored old place ( not cheap!) with a beautiful grassy garden on the side of the hill and the room was 4 stars! So I had a shower & washed clothes as it was a warm sunny afternoon & then I connected to the wifi to get your welcome emails.

Have since been in touch with my physio/Nordic walking teacher & friend to check out the pain in my leg & perhaps I have a problem with my Achilles’s tendon (which may be my own fault as with all the problems I’ve had with my feet I had forgotten to do the obligatory stretching routine after walking for the day) so…not sure what the next step will be.

Not much history today except to say that I was intrigued by seeing in every town/ village in the Val d’Aosta that there was a street named E. Chanoux, so I looked up this person on the internet. He was a lawyer who at 21 had already written a thesis on ethnic minorities & who became a politician & was in flavour of autonomy for the Val d’Aosta region (which speaks French) & perhaps even in its becoming a part of France. Unfortunately he was captured as a resistance fighter by the Germans & killed in 1944 in Aosta at the age of 38. He has not been forgotten in the region.

Have come back to the trattoria in the town square for dinner & this was definitely not a culinary experience although it was very pleasant sitting outside! The night however is fresh & earlier I had thought of sending a couple of warmer clothes home in order to lighten my heavy pack but will think again… However I must admit that I stole a cherry out of a basket of cherries on a table at the entrance to the restaurant so they must be ripening already.

It is so peaceful in this little hill-top piazza on a beautiful evening with the church bells pealing out the hours & a few local people with children coming & going that one can’t really believe that there is a world of problems not so far away. How privileged I am.

So will now return to my 4 star room & send this off ( no wifi in this restaurant) and we will see what tomorrow brings… I certainly don’t want to get into a chronic problem with my Achilles’ tendon… If I walk tomorrow to Santhia I may continue along the northern route (now that I am on it) as it may be shorter than going back to the southern route ( & I have a new local map to guide me).

18th May 2014 in Montestrutto

Taking the Lord’s Day off was a very good idea and my feet improved no end – a couple of the blisters have nearly healed… However don’t think that Sunday in downtown Montestrutto was boring.

Firstly, I haven’t had a day like it in years as I had my breakfast brought to me and as I don’t even have a book I had nothing to do but leave my feet in the fresh air, relax, study the forward route and plan my future! However, I realized that Montestrutto is not so cut-off from the outside world as a main road runs around it. So I walked up to a bar on the main road for my late morning cappuccino (& small amaretti biscuit) to use the wifi ( password was”mercedes”!) and there were quite a few people through there, lots of cyclists & (moto) bikies (often not as svelte as the cyclists!). As with other bars I’ve seen there was a wonderful selection of little canapés on the bar for those having an alcoholic beverage.

Then there was the park just along from the B&B where there were many many cars & dozens of people as there was an sort of mini theme park of all activities to do with climbing etc all along the walls of rock of the hillside behind. I had seen lots of people, including smaller children, each person attached to wires, climbing along horizontal swinging bars as I first entered the village on Saturday. One could also see all types of constructions up amongst the rocks and in through the trees so I can see why it was so popular. And, last but not least, my hostess told me about the “agri-gelateria” about another 150 metres further on, in a field, where they make the gelati from their own organic milk! So, as it was Sunday and I was entitled to a treat, off I went & here again, dozens of cars & people so I joined the queue to get my triple-flavour gelato which was delicious.

In the evening I was the first person in the trattoria at 7pm & had a delicious fresh seafood spaghetti, as only the Italians know how to do it, with fresh prawns, clams, mussels, tiny octopus, calamari, fish – I was worried that I should not have chosen seafood although the waiter assured me that it would be fine but when I saw so many people subsequently ordering sea-food dishes I was reassured & of course it was fine. I heard the church bells chime 10 but not 11 and my feet felt soooo much better.

19th May 2014 – 13.5km Montestrutto to Ivrea

This morning I tended to my feet again before leaving my little haven, and I set off for Ivrea. I was very relieved to see a little sunshine, followed by cloud, as the forecast had been for rain but there were only a few almost non-existent drops as I arrived in this city. It was an up and down walk and quite uneven (for sore feet) on old Roman roads, dirt and rocky paths/roads, through vineyards and lots of the time through woods. Don’t know how Sigeric managed all this in (I presume) leather sandals… I came across an area of “5 lakes” and walked around one which was very pretty.

The villages I walked through didn’t seem as prosperous as those I’d seen previously but they were tiny places. Still, with many poppies, roses everywhere, slowly-ripening cherries, I didn’t see much farming as it was principally a wooded area and one could see the valley widening out further and the mountains getting lower. I saw a couple of older women walking their dogs and one stopped to ask me “E’ sola?” (are you alone) so perhaps she feared for me in the way an old family friend feared, when she stayed in anything less than a 5 star hotel, that she’d be “raped, robbed, and murdered” (doesn’t leave much else to happen to one, does it?)…but I have never had any such fears so far. I have seen several older women driving little utility vehicles around the tiny roads and not one of them had the “telefonino” to their ear.

I walked past several chapels, mostly closed, and there is always a chapel dedicated to San Rocco, who is the real patron saint of pilgrims, every day. For a little bit of history ( skip to next paragraph if not interested) – San Rocco was born into a rich family in Montpellier, France (father was governor of the city) around 1295 with a red cross on his chest which increased in size as he grew. When his parents died when he was 20, he decide to hand over the governorship to his uncle, gave his fortune to the poor, and set off on a pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped on the way in Aquapendente north of Rome which was stricken by the plague and devoted himself to looking after the victims and curing them by making the sign of the cross. He then visited other cities before reaching Rome which were also plague-stricken and in each place he cured people. He remained in Rome until 1321 where he also cured plague victims. On his way home he visited various Italian cities until he reached Piacenza where he himself was stricken with the plague and the disease left him with an unsightly sore on his thigh, so to warn people to stay away from him he kept the flap of his coat up so they could see this and he pointed it out to all he came across. He withdrew to live in isolation in a forest nearby and the story is that a dog brought him bread every morning until the dog’s owner followed the dog & found San Rocco.  He took him to live in his home until either (2 versions) the dog licking the wound or an angel cured him. Then he returned to Montpellier and, refusing to reveal his identity, was imprisoned as a spy posturing as a beggar for five years until he died in 1327, just 32 years old. When the red cross on his chest was discovered his true identity was revealed. He was given a public funeral & numerous miracles occurred and he was proclaimed a saint for the sheer number of people he had saved in a few short years, mainly along what has become known as the Via Francigena in Italy. Many of the chapels, often with a fresco showing him with coat flap up & wounded thigh and a dog, date from the 17th century, when the plague was particularly rife, and were built either by the local population or private benefactors in thanksgiving for their survival.

I arrived in Ivrea, which was founded as a Roman colony in 100 BC on the Dora Balthea river, at lunch time & found a hotel as I didn’t want to torture my healing feet too much by walking quite a way further to a hostel. Well, when I saw the incredible antipasti buffet (with at least 2 dozen dishes) I knew I’d come to the right place (& there was also a discount of 25% on room rates for pilgrims!). So I sat straight down for some salad and various grilled or marinated vegetables. This afternoon I walked around the old historic centre of Ivrea and saw the beautiful Dora Balthea for the last time as my way will take me further eastwards from now on. This is a gracious town centre with pedestrianised streets with beautiful squares and classic buildings, all well maintained, in pastel colours of oranges, creams, greens, ochre, yellows, all with contrasting painted wooden shutters and wrought iron balconies.

Modern day Ivrea is most famous for being the “Olivetti town” whose typewriter factory was founded over 100 years ago by the enlightened Camillo Olivetti who innovated both in modern working conditions and in the living conditions and education for workers & their families. The old Olivetti buildings can be seen as part of a 7km walking tour of modern architecture in the town (which I had recently seen in a presentation by a Milanese architect on industrial architecture in my university Italian class) so I preferred to forgo this 7km option!

I have 2 route options now to get to Santhia – the modern “northern” route which goes through medieval villages on the northern side of the Lago di Viverone, and which is quite up and down or the “southern” flatter route mostly along little paved roads which was taken by my now friend Sigeric and which is 6 km shorter but has very few options for accommodation and food. I am taking the southern route and will get to Santhia in two stages as it is a distance of roughly 34 km (but am still working on a solution to tomorrow night’s accommodation at the moment).

17 May 2014 – 17.5km from Bard to Montestrutto

Last night I dined like a queen in Bard after having had an atrocious meal the night before when I had to walk to the next village because the restaurant in the hotel was closed, as was the one over the road, for weekly closing day. For those who are interested I had a menu in my 4 star hotel of the local specialties:  mini home-made dumplings in a delicious butter & chive sauce with a fine slice of the local lard (a specialty of the region) wrapped around them and lots of grated dried goat’s cheese on top – sounds heavy but was very light; this was followed by veal cheek braised in red wine with mashed potato which melted in the mouth (& a green salad as I can’t live without one) and then had a local muffin, fresh out of the oven with a cold lemon sauce, all accompanied by a couple of glasses of red wine… I went to bed a happy little pilgrim who even forgot her feet for a while. Of course I had to do the 4 star hotel proud so pulled my other pair of walking pants, still clean, out of one of my wonderful Exped bags (Merci Marie-Jose) and wore my one decent polo walking shirt (thanks for encouraging me buy this, Helen) along with my Crocs thongs…

I have now changed my Hedrena long-sleeved top (thanks so much Liz O) for the Icebreaker short sleeved one (also fine wool) & it was perfect with my trusty little down vest. Soon I won’t need wool at all and will have to start applying sun-cream as it is much warmer when in the sun even if there is still wind. Big wash coming on my day off!

The sky was gorgeous last night, all rose-colored at 9pm before it got dark and I went to bed a happy little walker. And then the breakfast! Muesli, wonderful heavy wholemeal bread (please tell Terry, Caroline), beautiful farm natural yoghourt, fruit, fresh juices, a selection of the local hams, goat and cow milk cheeses, etc, etc – I was in Heaven (& all this included in the price of the room which reminds me of the adage that “expensive is not expensive” for what one gets…)

So this morning I set off (late!) up through the medieval village on a beautiful morning & again splendid scenery. I was now leaving the Aosta valley and entering the province of Piedmonte (meaning the foot of the mountains) & the valley opened out and the mountains were less enclosing. Have still seen some ruins of castles & forts on elevated terrain but fewer than before where there were many all the way down from the Great Saint- Bernard Pass. Much agriculture (rather than light industry) on the flatter terrain. All along the way farmers were out cutting and harvesting hay in the traditional way with wide rakes to form it into lines and turn it over to dry, perhaps profiting from the glorious weather. At the end of the day I saw many tractors hauling huge round bales of it towards their barns. As I walked through a small town today a sign said it was 25C but it felt less because of the wind (which has been responsible I think for the beautiful weather). Once I head a little further south & out of this area I’ll have to start off earlier in the mornings to avoid the worst of the heat… Everywhere along the way there have been water fountains one can drink from, which is great, but I think this will change from now on so will have to make sure I have enough with me.

Today I have walked along the main tarmac road, Roman roads, dirt tracks & dirt roads, through vineyards, along tracks of grass & also rocks, down rocky steps, etc but I can assure you that for unhappy feet the bitumen roads are not the worst thing! Am so pleased to have my telescopic walking sticks (thank you, Catherine).

As I entered Pont Saint-Martin I saw a health food shop & deli so in I went & bought a selection (in 7 little plastic containers as the fellow weighed everything separately…) of delicious anti-pasti things which our Zoe would love & the fellow put them all in a plastic bag which he attached to my rucksack. Will try & attach a photo. So along I walked to the famous bridge & through the town to the next village when I heard a noise & looked back and three of my little containers were behind me on the footpath as they had cut through the plastic bag what with it swinging from my knapsack…so my delicious lunch nearly didn’t happen…but I eventually ate it in a vineyard under the grape vines which were above me on elevated wires as they seem to grow them like that here (perhaps makes them easier to harvest?). Many vineyards everywhere and I walked alongside many of them often on the man-made terraces on the hillsides.

“Feet first

Feet fine

Philosophy follow”

These are not the words of Confucius but of my wise versifying friend (she only needs to add a few syllables to have a haiku!) & also reflect what several of you have said.

Today I walked 17.5km from Bard to Montestrutto, a little more than I (& my feet) would have liked but I could not get accommodation in the village I’d chosen (it’s Saturday night) so I came on to here to a B&B where I have an apartment! When I asked about washing some clothes the owner went up a few steps from my living room into the laundry (the pilgrim’s needs are few but one is washing one’s few clothes!) & from there up a few steps out onto a covered terrace with drying lines plus comfortable easy chairs. I straight away decided to take the Lord’s Day off & stay for two nights, so perhaps I’m finally acquiring a hint of wisdom… Just thought of Tony Kevin (who wrote “Walking the Camino”) who had blisters from Malaga to Salamanca, walking by the southern route to Compostela…hope this will not be my fate…

What I have seen / learnt today:

1. Dogs also bark from behind closed doors in medieval villages as well as from parked cars

2. The whole valley seems to support the Juventus football team as many houses have the team’s flag hanging from their balconies

3. Not to panic too quickly – when I left the 4 star hotel the manager took a photo of me on my iPad & then put it in the zippered pocket which I’d left open in my rucksack, but when I went to take it out in Pont Saint-Martin to take a photo of the Roman bridge the pocket was open but no iPad…I panicked but them looked again & he’d put it in another pocket at the top of the pack which I didn’t even know existed…

4. One has to look on the road, above one and behind one as well as in front to see the way-markings of the via Francigena route! As the route is very old but had been virtually been forgotten until several years ago when an association was formed and started doing the way-markings again, there are variations on where one can walk. I must admit I have not always chosen the “higher” options as these have been marked out by hiking associations (& the original pilgrims wouldn’t have walked on them) and add distance (& perhaps also some better views) to the route, but might prove more challenging especially with a heavy rucksack. My wonderful guide book gives the various options which is great. By the way, the route was first documented by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric, in 990 when he returned to Canterbury from Rome but has existed since AD313 when the Roman Empire became Christian (with the Edict of Milan) & pilgrims started going to Rome to visit the tombs of Saints Peter & Paul (but they were aided by the well-maintained infrastructure of Roman roads…). Another interesting piece of information is that in the year 1300 which the pope declared to be a Holy Year,  2,000,000 pilgrims went to Rome (& 20,000 stayed overnight in the hospice at the Grand Saint-Bernard Pass) as they could get a complete remission of their sins if they confessed on 15 successive days in the basilicas of both St Peter’s and St Paul’s (this was usually only possible if one did a crusade).  This also proved to be a great financial success as the Vatican made the equivalent of 7,000,000 pounds sterling in today’s money!  My culture (historical at least) is slowly being increased a little!

5. Italians are great cyclists as I’ve seen so many in all places – am not sure whether the fact that the Giro d’Italia is taking place now (my nephew Michael is riding in it!) has an effect on them or if it’s just the good weather getting them out, but they are everywhere. Also bikies (moto) have been out in the good weather today in packs.

6. The marriage season is starting as I saw several wedding processions & celebrations & even came across a couple being photographed in a vineyard and when they came out again (she with bare feet crossing the road) I asked if they were already married but the wedding hadn’t yet taken place…

I have been writing this in a pizzeria/trattoria in this tiny village which the B&B recommended as being very good. It is amazing as it is large (dining room can seat at least 70 people) and has been packed with people coming & going since 7.45pm when I arrived until now, 10.30pm, so I must go home to bed & will try to attach a couple of photos & send tomorrow.

This is a (too?) long account of my day but rest day tomorrow so hopefully (for my tootsies anyhow) it won’t be too eventful.  To give you a laugh as it did me, I’m sure my friend  won’t mind my sharing with you what she said today:

“Sounds lovely though and I agree that the valley can seem very ‘dark’ although I’ve always thought very interesting with the forts strategically located along the way etc. Makes me laugh thinking what you would do if you were the poor sod stuck up there on lookout and you actually saw an army approaching…. No mobile phone network!!! Guess you’d have to run for it. My, how the world has changed!”

Much love to all & I love receiving your emails (when I can access wifi)

Attached (I hope as am a neophyte at this and any advice how to do this better on the iPad would be appreciated) some photos of first couple of days, including my 4 star & delicious anti-pasti lunch, as well as the typical funeral notice (which are everywhere) where the 90 year old had the right to a beautiful road to Paradise & the 62 year old is bare chested, but then I suppose we came into the world naked..

16th May 2014 – 21km from Montjovet church (in Berriaz) to Bard

Today I decided to try out my poor feet again & they stood up to, but not without some complaints…, 21km from Berriaz (where the church of Monjovet is – I can confirm this as I heard the church bells peal at midnight!) through Verres and then through several little villages (all beautifully clean and well-kept with gardens & flowers everywhere) to finally Hone and then to Bard where I am spending the night in a **** hotel! Who said the pilgrim’s life had to be dull? When I got to Verres I tried to find a grocery shop & got many directions in the bar where I had my cappuccino so ended up going into the “municipio” (town hall) to ask for a map and ended up with the local police assisting me…also had tried to reserve a hotel in Hone but the number was wrong so asked them to check this number. Upshot of all this was that one policeman had walked to Compostela 2 years ago & the general opinion (after finding the hotel didn’t exist any more) was that I should walk much further as this was just too near (I did advance that I’d already walked 8 km to get there) and then another woman knew of this wonderful hotel with excellent restaurant but they decided it would be too expensive for a pilgrim…so I said “how much?” So she called them & I negotiated a “pilgrim’s” discount of €10 so I’m here & so glad to be, as are my feet! I’ll be tucking the serviette under my chin as soon as the restaurant opens at 19h30!

Another beautiful day weather-wise (although it clouded over for a couple of hours in early afternoon & I was worried about a storm but brilliant sunshine again now) & fabulous scenery what with the mountains on each side of the valley in high relief and the beautiful Dora Balthea river accompanying me all the way. Everyone has flowers growing! Roses, irises, rhodos, peonies, geraniums, Spirea bushes, etc and then all the wild flowers and red poppies everywhere. Everything is so green before the heat of summer. Saw many people, mostly older, out planting & discussing their vegetable plantings.

I have come down this valley many times in the car but am now seeing it with new eyes from ground level instead of from the autoroute – I often thought it was enclosed and a bit depressing, perhaps I saw it more in bad or overcast weather -but it is beautiful and seeing these beautiful little villages appears to show that the people make a quality of life for themselves. Anybody I’ve asked for information etc has been so helpful and welcoming.

From what I’ve seen so far I can tell you

1. It will be a bumper year for cherries

2. that many Italian women smoke

3. that every second Italian drives with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding the “telefonino” to the ear

4. that as well as many impressive forts, castles and churches all down this valley there are so many small and medium-size enterprises (all impressive and well-maintained offices and factories) mostly concerned with the building, quarrying, construction and related industries everywhere. No wonder so many of the people of this valley went north to work as masons and builders in Switzerland (like my friend Giacomo Schiagno) Businesses such as these, mostly apparently locally-owned, are the backbone of the Italian economy.

5. Local industry looks prosperous & there are many renovations of old buildings going on (as well as new buildings being built)

6. Every house has a barking dog, often looking very ferocious, but fortunately most of them are either fenced in or chained up (am not sure whom or what they are protecting…)

7. There are video-surveillance cameras EVERYWHERE ( same previous comment applies here…) For any of you who may think of coming to walk with me, I now have a full “foot” pharmacy and can cater for any eventuality…stocked up with more Compeed today although am not sure how my current bandages are doing but am consulting various experts in Geneva for advice… Sorry this is so long but am using this as diary – haven’t had any profound philosophical thoughts yet as I have been busy encouraging my little feet to keep going, and they did speed up when they thought the hotel was near..

“Do a good job and let others talk”

15th May 2014 – 14km from Chatillon to Montjovet Church

14 May 2014- 28km from Aosta to Chatillon

13 May 2014 – 7.5 km from Gigoud to Aosta

These are photos as I was setting off which Cinzia sent me. If we’d come out if the tunnel about 45 mins later the weather would have been brilliant and perhaps I could have walked from the tunnel (but then I’d have been colder in the hotel at the higher altitude…).