For the first time since the beginning of my walk to Rome, I was going to walk a stage with friends. So happy that Charlotte and Cindy will join me for a week. I woke up very excited. We had a three persons bedroom in hostel Bastimento and we had all three slept very well. Charlotte had left some clothes on the balcony to dry and a pigeon decided that this was the perfect spot to drop some poo. By 8h, we were ready to go. Ready to walk? No not yet, it was sunday and we deserved a good breakfast. We found it in hotel Mathis, a buffet for only 6 euro per pers. Afterwards, it was really time to go.
Walking out of a city is always complicated and Fiorenzuola is no exception. We got confused by signs pointing in all directions and had to do some up and downs before finding the way out. Via a cemetery, we entered the corn fields. Even early in the morning, it was already hot. A water cannon on a field was too tempting to just pass and we took a little shower. A rainbow appeared in the falling water. On the fields we also saw tomatoes and sunflowers. We stayed on concrete roads and so we always had to be alert for cars. Time goes faster when you have lots to talk about. We passed another cemetery and decided to have a look. We started talking to a lady who came here every week to clean the family grave. You are only really dead when you are forgotten. After 8 km, we arrived at the abbaye of chiaravalle. It is one of the best preserved cistercian abbayes in Italy. This is a tourist attraction with bars, restaurants and a big parking. Today, it was really quiet. The sunday mass just started. We had the time to have a good look around and received a pilgrim stamp. It is a very peaceful place which makes you step back in time. Afterwards, we had a cool drink on a terrace. This bar had a huge collection of hats. They were decorating all the walls.Time to move on, there was still 15km to walk. We passed the highway on a bridge and continued on some quiet roads through the fields. The village of San Rocco had no services. Along a gravel road, we came to 116 pilgrim stop. A local man had installed a bench and a hammock on his property where pilgrims could rest. We decided to have our lunch here. It was an old farm in the middle of nowhere. After a while, owner Massimo joined us. This warm person made us a free coffee. He had kept his pilgrim guestbooks with notes people left over the last 12 years. The man was a teacher to children 11-14 years old, a teacher with a mission. He explained he wanted children to respect the law. If you can drive 50km/h, don't drive 60. If you think 60 should be allowed, lobby to change the law. He also was into the battle against the maffia. He even had a t-shirt with the face of a young man who was murdered by the maffia. It is still a thing. His wife Claudia lives here in summer. She moves in winter because it gets too cold. We stayed here an hour and a half. Then Massimo went for a 30km bike ride and we continued our walk through the fields. Lots of hay bales on the fields are wrapped here in the colours of the Italian flag. In Castione Marchesi, we topped up our water and had some fun on a playground. By the time we reached Bastelli, we all started struggling with the extreme heat. We took an extra break in the shade before doing the last 5km to Fidenza. There we passed the railway station and went straight to our hotel. Our room had airco. We took some time to recover and took a well deserved shower. I sew a hole in my pants and I was so proud. After sunset, we went to a pizzeria and had a walk around town. The cathedral is impressive on the outside. By 23h, it was bedtime. I knew it already but today confirmed it, Cindy and Charlotte are amazing. Tomorrow, we head into the foothills of the Apennine mountains. Another 22km and temperatures will again go above 35 degrees. The heat wave will continue for minimum a week, but it won't spoil our hiking fun!
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AuthorMy name is Dimitri and I'm turning 40 in 2023. Through the years, I have tried to live my dreams. Everything is possible, the sky is the limit as long as you believe in your dreams and work hard to make them happen. Do what you never did before. Go where you have never been before. It will be scary, but it will also be worth it! Archives
July 2024
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