Another day that required the rain gear to be deployed, but as the path began to head up, and the volume of rain heading down was inconsequential, it was soon stowed once again. Wearing rain gear in light rain usually results in you geting wet from the inside out. Once past the town of Massa … Continue reading Day sixty-four: Massa to Camaiore
Category: via francigena
Day sixty-three: Sarzana to Massa
This is written from the end first: the Ostello run by the Capuchins no longer hosts pilgrims, and rather that back track, I resorted to booking.com. After some trials and tribulations - including a dying phone for reasons that will soon be revealed - I found myself in an Airbnb type lodging. When heading out … Continue reading Day sixty-three: Sarzana to Massa
Day sixty-two: Aulla to Sarzana
Actually I'm in a town a few km past Sarzana, figuring that adding a few extra km to a shorter day will ease the burden on the following, longer day. Come to think of it, I'm not even in a town, just that curious outcome of planning that leaves huge swathes of the countryside not … Continue reading Day sixty-two: Aulla to Sarzana
Day sixty-one: Pontremoli to Aulla
According to the guide book - which I don't have, but I do have the key stats recorded - today was scheduled to be 32km, which is a few more than I felt up to, so I made some judicious use of the road to pare down the total. It was a pleasant day walking, … Continue reading Day sixty-one: Pontremoli to Aulla
Day sixty: Cisa Pass to Pontremoli
Despite it being a short day in km terms, I was up at the crack of dawn to make it to the pass in order to see the sunrise - which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, but it never hurts to get an early start on the day. Most of the … Continue reading Day sixty: Cisa Pass to Pontremoli
Day fifty-nine: Casio to Cisa
Another short day when you arrive at your destination before it's even time for lunch. Casio to Cisa Pass is only 19 km, but the only Ostello is 2km before the actual pass, and after that it is another 19 km to the next town. So the crew from last night's accommodation are slowly drifting … Continue reading Day fifty-nine: Casio to Cisa
Day fifty-eight: Fornovo to Cassio
The first of three comparatively short days to go up Andover the Cisa Pass, one of the most famous of the routes through the Appenines. As my B&B was at the top of the hill, the first section was easy: down the other side to the road at the bottom. Of course this section up … Continue reading Day fifty-eight: Fornovo to Cassio
Days fifty-six & -seven: Fiorenzuola to Fornovo via Costa Mezzana
I'm slacking off and taking a bi-daily approach to today's post. Last night I stayed in an off itinerary hostel, but there were three other pelligrini and we were all native English speakers and therefore writing stuff took a back seat to talking about stuff. It was a pleasant day walking from Fiorezuola to Fidenza, … Continue reading Days fifty-six & -seven: Fiorenzuola to Fornovo via Costa Mezzana
Day fifty-five: Piancenza to Fiorezuola
Actually the full name is Fiorezuola d'Arda, because it is on the Arda river. Today was a beautiful day strolling through the farm lands - once I'd blanked out the memory of the first few kms, which were a brutal walk along the edge of a major road, with precious little room to maneuver between … Continue reading Day fifty-five: Piancenza to Fiorezuola
WordPress review: half a star
I wrote an earlier post on the short-comings of WordPress, but I deleted it. That was short sighted. If you are considering starting a blog, please be sure to test drive the alternatives. WordPress gets all the great reviews, but for a mobile user, its deficiencies are very frustrating. They have an app, bit it … Continue reading WordPress review: half a star