Today was 10 miles and 1,000′ of climbing. Totals are 105 miles hiked and 4,400′ of climbing.

Sometimes, you score! After hours of hiking in the rain, we arrived at our stay last night to a beautiful fireplace and equally warm hosts!

This morning, they topped even that! The breakfast spread could have fed an army, but was only for our army of two!

Well fed, we were off in the day’s hike. The weather was more accommodating than yesterday, so we were able to enjoy the views and bit more.

After a while, the path descended towards the river. The intent was to follow the river for several miles and avoid a busy road that also follows the river.

As we went approached the river we saw a sign which said, “in case of flooding, go this way”. Okay, nice to know.

We continued along our primary path until we encountered a stream crossing.

Bill quickly found out that you couldn’t even approach the stone crossing without sinking 6+” into the mud. No thank you. And beyond the stone crossing was 10′ of open stream. No can do!

Well, the was the flooding detour. We can do that! So we back tracked and headed out on the alternative. 3/4ths off a mile later, we encountered a closed underpass. Now, there were 2′ x 2′ blocks all through the underpass to provide a way. Once again, though, the blocks ended 15′ before the flooding ended and the water was at least 18″ deep. Nope!

Option 3: go back out to the busy road. It was busy! Lots of traffic, going fast and barely a shoulder to walk on. It was possibly the most challenging section of road we’ve done!  But all things must pass, and we did.

We then crossed the mighty Taro river

And now we’re at our rest stop, showering and getting ready for tomorrow’s big climbing!

Languages: Okay, Google translate is really pretty good. If you need functional help (where’s the bathroom, who are you, can I see the menu), it’s really great. However, if you want to really talk to someone, it takes to much time and is awkward to use (says me …). We’ve found that some language skills really help break the ice with other human beings (versus transactional beings). Over 1/2 our stays have been with hosts that speak English. That’s easy. About a 1/4 are with hosts that only speak Italian. We’ve been working for a couple years on Italian and, while we stumble a lot, we have some good conversations!

Interestingly, about a quarter of our hosts/ restaurants spoke Italian and either French or Spanish but not English. That gave us a lot more options to find ways of communicating. And it’s been fun!

So, the editorial is; since our years are going to pass, anyways, why not try to learn a language a little bit each day? Who knows? It may open up some very interesting doors/ conversations later in your life.

Auf wiedersehen!

Today was 14 miles and 1,600′ of climbing. Totals are 95 miles hiked and 3,600′ climbed.

There are no photos today. 4 days ago, Bill used his phone to capture our hiking in the rain. The phone is still not happy. As such, the phone/camera remained in a plastic bag, out of the rain!

Rain? Here was the morning forecast.

We can testify that the day lived up to and exceeded the forecast! It rained a lot!

A qualifier about this rain. Yes, it rained a lot. But it was also serenely beautiful. Really. We were quite content with the walk … but we don’t wish to do it more than once or twice a decade!

Mud:  All this rain onto old farm roads made massive amounts of mud! At times, our shoes were several pounds heavier carrying that excess mud weight! By the time we arrived at our stay for the night, most of it had washed off. The host kindly took our shoes and washed them. They are now sitting in front of a fireplace, drying!

Fog: When not pouring, the moisture settled in as fog, sometimes rather thick. As a good deal of today’s path was through rolling farmland and old tractor paths (with no regular method of trail marking), it was easy to get lost in the thick fog. Really, we needed to stay close enough to each other not to get lost from one another.

We used the Francigena trail app to track where we were versus the proper trail in order to stay on course.

The red DOT represents where we are, and the red line indicates where the proper trail was. Without using this , it would have been easy to get lost!

Flooding: Okay, with all this rain, you’d kind of expect some flooding, right?  Well, we were within about 4 miles of the finish today and we’re thinking we were doing pretty well. Until we turned a corner on the trail and found a full-on raging stream crossing the trail. There was no possible way to safely ford that torrent!

We turned around and got back on a paved road that kind of went parallel to the path and walked on that. Eventually we found a bridge that crossed the stream and piecemealed a path back to our trail. All’s well that end’s well!

We arrived to a most gracious welcome here! And also, a very warm fireplace! Yes, sir.

All for now!

Today was 14 miles and 300′ is climbing. The totals are now 81 miles hiked and 2000′ climbed. This was the last full day of flat, agricultural lands and tomorrow we begin to enter the hills.

We’re averaging almost 12 miles per day, with a 12 – 20 lb. pack on the back, day after day.  Fueling (eating) is vital to keep the army marching forward! Or, so said Napoleon (who conquered much of Italy).  So, we are forced to find appropriate sources of nourishment. Last night’s stay (Hotel Mathis) boasted a Michelin rated restaurant! That could work, right? Unfortunately, the restaurant closes on Sundays (last night would be Sunday 😟).

We were forced to discover other options. We did okay.

(Bill’s pizza!)

This morning, we were able to dine in the nice restaurant … but it was only buffet style. No fancy, but tasty!

Once fueled and on our way, it was a delightful hike!

And all along the way, there was very helpful signage!

And also, very friendly locals!

(An agrarheute, a relative of the beaver).

10 miles into it, our energy was flagging. Fortunately, we met a Swiss couple, walking our direction!

(Andrea and Claudio).

They provided us with fascinating discussions of hiking trails, food, and life in Switzerland. In almost almost no time, four more miles passed and we were in Fidenza! Thank you, Claudio and Andrea! Buon jornatta!

Finally, a phone update:  The wireless charger was magic! Bill is back up and using the phone for navigation, photography, and blogging!

Ciao!

Today was 10 miles and 300′ of climbing. Totals are 67 miles walked and 1700′ of climbing.

Last night, we stayed at a beautiful Agriturismo, El Capitolo.

The hostess was a remarkable chef, so dinner was amazing, and the host, her husband, was a native Italian who lived in San Francisco for several years!

While wonderful, it was also a couple miles off the Via Francigena. Therefore, the first detour was to get back on the Via Francigena. Our alternate path did allow us to pass through some very nice farmland

, with a constant view of the Appinnines … our future hiking target!

Once on the Via Francigena, we followed the signage to a well-noted stream crossing. The guidebook tells you not to pass if there has been recent rain. Well, it’s been raining recently!  When we got to the stream, it was mud and knee-deep. No can do.

Detour #2 was walking a couple extra kilometers out to the busy highway of yesterday to find an alternate crossing.

Now, Detour #3 requires some background. 3 days ago, we had a major downpour, In taking photos of our adventures, Bill’s phone got very wet! It is supposed to be waterproof. Nonetheless, every time Bill attempted to charge it, the phone said, “Danger danger, water detected in charging port”. Not a really happy thing.

Every so often it wouldn’t say that warning and Bill was able to charge. Not so, yesterday. We tried:  air drying, blow drying, charging with the phone turned off, buried in uncooked rice … nothing was working.

Well, what about wireless charging? No “charging port” involved. Hmm. Only problem? Where in the world can we find a wireless charger? No Amazon deliveries here! And no car to drive around to find an electronics store.

Well, blessings do happen. Not far from our stream detour, was a hypermarket (think Walmart superstore). They might have one!

We “googled” a walking path to that store, then entered with guarded hope. The clerk spoke no English, but with Google and Bill’s limited Italian, we finally found …

In Bill’s right hand is the much hoped-for wireless charger. And so ends Detour #3!

Now, the double blessing is that, the detour to the hypermarket actually shortened our route to Fiorenzuola! Nice!

We’re now in our room and the charger has been successfully charging Bill’s phone now for an hour. Yippee!

All for now, Ciao.

Today was 14 miles, for a total of 57 miles walked and 1400′ of climbing. The climbing is coming. We are in view of the Appinnes off in the distance!

We left Piacenza, a large city in Emilia-Romagna, and quickly found ourselves on a well-trafficed highway. Not fun!

Our stop for the night was well off the Via Francigena trail, so getting there either involved following that highway for another 4 miles, or staying on the Via Francigena and diverting later on small country roads, but at the cost of a few extra miles walking. Easy choice! We stayed on the Via Francigena, and enjoyed the country miles, before arriving.

Today’s post is short.. Bill’s phone continues to be having difficulty charging. Life on the trail …

Today was 13 miles (plus a 3 mile boat ride) and 400′ of climbing. Totals are 43 miles walked and 1100′ climbed.

Yesterday, during the downpour, water got into Bill’s charging port. On trying to charge the phone last night, the phone was not happy. Some time and dessicant later, it was back up and running. This afternoon, it is complaining again. More time and more dessicant and hopefully it will stay happy.

The start of today.

Today’s stage crosses the Po river,  the boundary between the Lombardia region of Italy and the Emilia/Romagna region. This crossing was a significant challenge for Archbishop Sederic in 990, and continues to be an important event for modern Pilgrims.

For the last 30 years, a boatman, Danilo, had provided a boat passage for many of the Pilgrims.

The journey lasts for about 3 miles, downstream on the Po.

Once on the far shore, you must go to Danilo’s home to get your credential stamped and your “vitals” entered into his book of records.

He now has 5 volumes of his book of records

These books contain the story of every passenger he ferried across the Po for more than 30 years. This was a must-see event!

After the river crossing, another 10 miles of farms and towns and cities remained. We are now in our B&B, cleaning up and preparing for tomorrow’s journey … and hoping the phone dries out! Enough for now!

Today was 8 miles and 200′ of climbing. Totals are 30 miles and 700′.

We knew it was going to rain. And it did! We started out dressed for moderate rainy weather.

Regular hiking clothes and a poncho. Then we stepped outside!  The wind was blowing, the rain pouring and we weren’t making the right fashion statement.

Within a mile, we were looking for some sort of dry spot to do a wardrobe swap! We found a bus stop and began adding layers; sweaters, rain pants, balaclava, gloves, etc. In short order, we were back on the road, warmer and drier!

Just to make sure we appreciated the rain, a train crossing closed in front of us during probably the most intense part of the downpour. And we waited, and waited. The train finally came and we went.

We are now in a very nice hostel in Orio Litta. We have met 2 Swedes (Elizabeth and Falke) and a Dutch woman, Marion. They are great company in this walk.

Everything we own is now on racks, drying. Such is the life …

Ciao!

Today was 15 miles and 300′ of climbing.  Overall, we’re at 22 miles and 600′ of climbing. Not a lot, yet, but the climbs are coming!

A beautiful rainy/misty day!

The first, most important, thing about today is … Diane was way  better today! No unplanned gastric events for her today!  What a gift!

The Hunter: So, we’re walking along in the back woods, enjoying the serenity when we noticed that we’re not alone! A man is walking nearby. In looking more carefully, we see that he has a rifle; a hunter!

We decided that we should probably make a bit of noise so that we’re not mistaken as pheasants! Shortly afterward, we heard the gun shots. Fortunately, not our direction!

The Hunted: about 3 miles into today’s walk we spotted several of these signs:

If you zoom into the sign, there is an English section, but the gist of it is: “Caution, wolves have been spotted in this area. Be very careful!” Well, that made for an entertaining add to our walk!

Okay, so we finally arrived at our night’s lodging. We found it online yesterday after our prior booking went out of business! Well, this place was a surprise! A combo gas station and hotel!

Can you beat that? Tomorrow, we will be staying at a hostel which is regarded as the nicest on the whole of the Via Francigena! We’ll see. It has some stiff competition from tonight’s hotel-cum-gas station!

Ciao!

Today was 7 miles and 200′ of climbing.  An easier start than most Caminos.

So, today’s challenge was 3-fold; the first and most significant was, Diane came down with food poisoning the night before we left Riomaggiore. Ouch!  She managed to muster enough energy to walk to the train, and (more of less) survived the 3 hour ride to Pavia.

Fortunately, our B&B was only a 5 minute walk from the train station. And our hosts, Avital and Rafael, were amazing!

There was a pharmacy across the street which provided the necessary treatments and Diane climbed into bed for the needed rest.

This morning, she felt much better!  Not “best”, though. She now has all the necessary background information to write a guidebook on “The Restrooms of Pavia”.

Fortunately, today was short, and we’re here!

Minerva, the Patron Saint of Medicine

The second challenge we faced was our reservations. We were having trouble confirming our reservation for tomorrow night (10/2). While we had contacted them several times to reserve and confirm over the last year, we typically confirm within a week of our arrival. No answer! Finally, our host at last night’s B&B called the restaurant connected with the hotel. The hotel went out of business! Ouch! Given Diane’s state of health, we couldn’t walk further to find a place, and nothing was showing up, closer! We finally solved the problem this afternoon with the help of our new hostess, Maria. We have a place about the same distance as planned. All Diane needs to do is make it!

The 3rd challenge is weather. Seems this is the rainy season and Thursday (2 days from now)  … it’s gonna rain!

Note the word “severe” in that warning ⚠️! But as a great sailor and dear friend of ours once said, “the best weather report is just to look out your window”! So Thursday, we’ll “just look out our window”!

Take care, friends.

Today’s walk was 10 miles and 2,800′ of non-Camino walking.

We left our home base in Riomaggiore before 9 am, headed by train to the northern-most of the 5 villages,  Monterosso.

After locating the trailhead, we were off! And up and down and up … always with great views!

Soon, village #2 was in sight, Vernazza!

A diet coke, a cornetto, and a rest stop, and we were in our way to Corniglia, village #3.

At this point, our “dogs” were aching, so we quickly got back on the trail to village #4, Manorola.

We were there yesterday, so we knew we were close to home!

Now, there are two roads from Manorola to Riomaggiore, the high road and the low road. We took the high road yesterday and it was the most difficult section of trail we have seen here! Our “dogs” said,  No!

The low road is the very recently reopened Via Dell’amore path, cut through the sheer cliffs by the sea. Very beautiful, very level and very short. Yep, that sounds just right!

The only challenge was, you need a special permit to travel on it. We had one! Unfortunately, the group of 30 or so in front of us did not have one! And they were vigorously arguing with the trail attendant (in Italian). Finally,  Diane raised her cell phone showing that permit towards the guard who saw the permit and said,  “Si! Si!” She called us forward, showed our phone to the arguing Italians and let us through. Yeah! Now we were less than one level mile from home!

Soon, we were back in Riomaggiore! We’re very content, but ready for the shower and dinner that wil revive us!

Ciao!