This morning, it was really quiet when we woke up in our B&B in Bardone. We were the only guests. Where are the other pilgrims? Cindy and Charlotte slept in the double bed. I took the third bed with the scooby doo comforter. When we went downstairs for breakfast at 8h, everything was already set up. The friendly owner was not there, but she had left us a friendly note. Her husband waved us goodbye when we left around 9h through the garden with roses.
Behind the church, we enjoyed the view over the valley. Today, we had to walk 20 very demanding kilometers while heading deep into the Apennine mountains. There was no time to take it easy in the beginning. We immediately had to climb more than 500m in temperatures above 30 degrees. The concrete road to Terenzo was packed with grasshoppers. They jumped in all directions. As we climbed higher, the view over the valley got wider. When we reached Terenzo, we were already sweating and not a little bit. Along this stretch of the trail, there are old concrete waymarkers with the image of a pilgrim. The church was open. We have a system for this. I go and check if the church door is open. If it is, I make the sound of a seagull. After a quick visit, we continued and an even steeper path followed. A buzzard flew high above us looking for prey. By the time we reached the summit, we looked like we fell into a swimming pool. This was hard work. Luckily, there was a rest area where we could eat something and dry our clothes in the sun. Another Italian pilgrim passed. He wore a hat with Rome on it. After we regained force, we continued and tackled a steep descent into Castello di Casola. Next to the path, somebody had installed 2 garden gnomes. All three of us took a picture at that time. Cindy photographed the gnomes, I took a picture of the view and Charlotte went for the Francigena signpost. Teamwork! To reach Cassio at the halfway point, we first had to climb steeply before descending again. The altitude is not impressive here, but the relentless up and downs make this terrain maybe even harder than the Alps. It took us 5h30 to do the first 10km. Luckily, there was a bar open in Cassio and they even served food. The Dal Vecio saved our lives. An elderly couple could not believe we were doing this route in this weather. We ordered pasta and even ice cream afterwards. Thunderclouds entered the valley. Just like the days before, they covered the sun but didn't drop any rain. The afternoon began easier with a 4km walk slightly descending along the road. Then, another very steep climb awaited us. There was a little monument halfway for a pilgrim who died here. We went to the summit on automatic pilot. Just afterwards, we arrived in the beautiful village of Castellunchio. Houses are very well maintained here with lots of flowers. Villagers even installed a little box in the main street with a stamp for pilgrims. From the church, there was a beautiful view over the valley. Charlotte lay down for a while and even fell asleep. But there were 5km more to walk. The path stayed closely to the road. In a field, people were picking up pieces of metal and glass. We asked what was going on? A camper had a bad accident here and not everything had been cleaned up by emergency services. We kept a good pace. While going up, Cindy takes the lead. In the descents, Charlotte is in front. I'm generally the one in the middle. Around 19h30, we were at the top of the hill overlooking Berceto. What a feeling! The sun was already going down which gave magical views over the valley. We entered the village and went straight to our b&b Gioli. The lady was very friendly, but spoke very fast and only in Italian. We had a hard time understanding her. She stamped our passports upside down. We received the room with the name Daniella. After a good shower, we went into town for pizza. The city center was very busy with lots of people enjoying the terraces. Berceto is at 1000m and the evening was a bit chilly. For the first time in more than a week, temperatures went below 20 degrees. We can recommend pizzeria Romea. Then it was bedtime. Tomorrow, we will get up at 6h. The stage to Pontremoli is 28km long with 3000 altimeters. Another beautiful but challenging day before my fifth rest day. Sadly, that is where Cindy and Charlotte will have to leave again.
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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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