Last night, I slept with the window of my bedroom open. Absolutely recommend it! What a bless to wake up and feel the fresh morning air come in. I don't think the temperature went below 20 degrees last night in Ivrea. At 9h, I was the only one in the tiny breakfast room of Albergo Luca. The Chinese owner was friendly as ever. When I thanked him for a great stay, he replied with yes hihi.
Time to go, but not before having a look around the center of Ivrea. Castle hill was much more quiet than yesterday evening. Some homeless people were hanging around and some tourists were taking pictures. First, I couldn't find the entrance to the cathedral. Luckily, I found a sidedoor open. The interior is stunning. On top of that, the crypt is also free to visit. Some murals go back 800 years. I started wondering how life must have been like then. A couple clearly didn't share the same interests. While the man didn't stop taking photos, the woman was in the back checking her facebook. Afterwards, I walked out of the city via the main street. Here as well, people explicitly asked me for money and the police was clearly present. Life is not always easy here it seems. I passed a Via Francigena info point and an old man chased me to stamp my pilgrims passport. I refused. I didn't want to be rude, but I collect stamps from special places and locations where I spend the night. If everybody randomly stamps my passport, then it loses its value. At a real estate office, I saw a studio for sale for 24.000 euro. Imagine that in Belgium. Pretty quickly, I excited Ivrea city and ended up on a quiet road which turned later into a path through the forest. Just me, my backpack and the road to Rome, that's how I prefer it. It was not as warm as yesterday, but still 28 degrees. Later, I walked around Lago Campagna. Very peaceful and largly untouched by civilization. Some people came here to have a quiet lunch. I pushed on through the little villages of Burolo and Bollengo. Next to a cemetary, there was an official pilgrim rest area: a bench under a little roof and a water tap. What else can you wish for? Perfect spot for my lunch. Afterwards, the path went back into the fields. Without mountains, scenery is less spectacular but it is still beautiful here. The last hills giving way to the plains. It is still not flat here. Today, I went through the Serra Morenica, a last couple of hills before the flatlands of the Po river begin. That is for tomorrow. I passed a beautiful old roman church, but it's only open on Sunday from 15h-18h. You have to time your visit. When I came to Palazzo Canavese, I had hoped for a fresh drink on a nice terrace. But bad luck, there was nothing open here. So it was an apple on a bench next to the church. There is a water machine here, you get 1 liter for 7 eurocent, a good deal if you ask me. But why it would be better than tap water was not clear to me. The next 3km to Piverone are uphill. Not very steep, but enough to make you sweat. And along a road, you always have to pay attention for cars. There is a little shop in Piverone and it was like everybody wanted to go in at the same time. There were more people in the shop than inhabitants in that village. I scored an evening meal and started my last 5km of the day towards Viverone and its lake. From Piverone to Viverone, no joke. The path makes itself a way through vineyards and pretty quickly, you see the lake below. At the ruin of another roman church, I bumped into a Dutch couple with their huge mobilhome. They were planning to wild camp here. The lady's name was Dorien and she was super excited about my hike. She even started walking with me. Luckily, her husband asked her to come back. Time to call it a day. I arrived at the lake and checked in on campsite Il Salice. The owner spotted me right away. After the paperwork, I told him I was a pilgrim. Oo what an honour for him. I only had to pay half price and got free tokens for the shower. When I asked him to stamp my passport, he got really excited. This was the first time somebody asked this year. He was very confident, but he stamped upside down. And he had also a request. If I could send him a whatsapp when I arrived in Rome. He would like to know if I made it safely. I definitely will. Quickly, I set up my tent and went to watch the sunset over the lake. Absolutely beautiful. Sadly swimming is forbidden here and there is another big problem: an army of ferocious moquitos. They eat you alive. Deet saved my life. The campsite is a bit neglected. The showers are hidden in a big shed and not very clean. There is no bench or chair or whatever. But back to basics has it charm and the stars gave a show. Just before bedtime, the owner came round to wish everybody goodnight. I just hope it doesn't rain overnight.
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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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