In a different world

Stage 37: Lido di Camaiore to Capannori (36.23 km)

I leave the beach and head towards the mountain range that I need to cross westwards towards Lucca.

A proper mountain pass (although not very high) in Italy of cause features some madonna to pray to...

the rest of the day is easy hiking until I reach Lucca. There I realize that the reason the area is completely booked is not the long weekend but the Lucca Comic & Games, the largest European Comic festival. So the town is overrun with drunk adults playing dress-up. Funny enough, that might actually be my cup of tea on a different day, but not today. Today it just p***es me off that I have spend the night in a mediocre bed&no breakfast for 150+$. 

Screw capitalism

Stage 35: Fiumaretta di Ameglia to Lido di Camaiore (28.91 km)

In my mind, I would be walking along the beach promenade see the ocean the whole day and be happy.

In reality I walked along a busy road (the beach promenade) and looked at closed building, gates, fences and hedges. But no ocean. 95% of the beachfront property here is concessioned for private beaches, which - since it is off season - are all closed and boarded up. A disgrace. At least the mountains to the other side offer nice views.

The stage is not too long, nevertheless I can't seem to find a rhythm. It is time for a break.

So I find a decent hotel (actually it is a shabby hotel, but it is mostly empty and) with a balcony overlooking the beach and sea.

Due to a public holiday on Monday, this apparently is long-weekend-travel season here. Hotels around Lucca are obscenely expensive, so I decide to stay here for 2 full days before continuing on Sunday.

The old man and the sea

Stage 35: Groppoli to Fiumaretta di Ameglia (40,03 km) 

The day starts sunny again down the mountains.

Beautiful views, empty roads, warm weather.

And then I reach the sea, a little east of La Spezia.

Time to celebrate

Over the pass

 Stage 34: Berceto to Groppoli (38,33 km) 

The first question of course: Which shoes to pick?

Then it is up the mountain. I wait for the steep climb up the pass.

But that never comes and after two hours of easy uphill hiking along an empty road I reach the Passo della Cisa, the highest point for this crossing of the Apennines (there will me more).

Small, deserted city streets

and wide panoramic views interchange during this pleasant day.

Back to the 80s

 For today I have booked a B&B in Berceto called "Casa di Marty", the house of Marty. Well, it has to be somebody's house.

When I reach the place and get shown my room, which is a whole apartment, it becomes clear that Marty refers not the owner of the B&B, but, "anybody home", Marty McFly.

The whole place is a homage to movies, pop culture, mostly 80, and most of all, Back to the Future. 

This is so awesome, I feel like a child again.

 

Into the mountains again

Stage 33: Fornova di Taro to Berceto (30,77 km) 

The landscape has changed. I start heading towards the Apennine mountains, the "backbone" of Italy which will accompany me throughout the remainder of my trip.

Do I feel lucky? I do. I am not. The path is steep, rocky and no fun.

But thew views are great and once I reach altitude, it evens out and takes me along a mountain spine for most of the afternoon.

The last couple of kilometres is all downhill. WTF? This is not downhill. Thank you komoot!

Sunday is Funday

 Stage 32: Collecchio to Fornovo di Taro (17,09 km) 

Whenever I plan my day, the basic question is: Do I follow the roads or do I take cycling/hiking paths? Both options can be hit and miss. The roads can be busy with trucks (often the case in the cast couple of days) or quiet and empty.

The paths can be nice, paved and tranquil, they can be rocky single trails or they can simply not exist.

Today is a short stage, so I decide for the path and this time I am well rewarded with a beautiful trail trough a nature reserve.

I also hit a short passage where the single trail becomes, well, no trail and I have to bush through a ditch and brambles, which costs me a flat tire.

But overall, well worth it. The day ends in a wonderful B&B, with home-cooked dinner.

Finally, the end of the Po valley

Stage 31: Castelnuovo Fogliani to Collecchio (34,05 km) 

I leave the Agriturismo in still foggy weather. It seems to be always foggy in the Po region in the morning. Probably due to the extensive irrigation. Also, every village seems to have an impressive church or a castle.

On my way I meet Snow White and her companions.

The weather can't decide what it wants to be, but it stays mostly cloudy, but warm throughout the day.

Crossing the river Taro, there is a drastic difference between the map ...

... and reality. Would be interesting to see how this looks in the spring.

This day marks the end of my hike through the plains, tomorrow I will turn south and towards the mountains again.

Meandering in more fields, a marker and a wonderful ending

Stage 30: Piacenza to Castelnuovo Fogliani (40,87 km) 

Another day, another hike along roads full of trucks and their courteous drivers, passing endless fields, that by now seen to be all harvested.

Flat, straight, uneventful, even the sky can't decide what the whether wants to be.

Somewhere on the way, as I backtrack on yet an other path that dead ends in a ditch that I cant pass, I reach the 1000km mark. I only notice at night, when I update my statistics.

The day ends well, in a beautiful Agriturismo. Beautiful place, nice room, gorgeous dinner where I meet a wonderful couple from Holland to talk through the meal.

Wash, rinse, repeat

Stage 29: Castel San Giovanni to Piacenza (24,99 km) 

Another nondescript day. Grey sky, straight road, fields.

Not even the river I cross seems to be alive anymore.

Piacenza, my destination for the day, treats me with a comfortable room and excellent Sushi.

Overall, I can't wait to leave this region. It might be touristically interesting, but for my trip, just not worth it. Two more days and I will turn south and enter mountainous regions again. More challenging, but hopefully also more interesting. We'll see.

 

Across the Po

Stage 28: Pavia to Catsel San Giovanni (35,99 km) 

Early morning Pavia is busy. Busy as a metropole. In general, there is noticeably a lot more business, traffic, work, movement going on in northern Italy than in France or Switzerland.

I find a canal that immediately reminds me of Mulhouse, but it is only short and not that nice for hiking.

After that, more fields, and the clear skies are over, it becomes increasingly cloudy.

Challenge for today is crossing a long, narrow bridge across the rive Po, but even here, the oncoming cars are calm and courteous. The bridge also brings me from the Lombard region into Emilia Romagna.

The area is packed with old churches and monumental buildings, often times I find it difficult to differentiate between the ruins and the buildings still in use.

Want to see what I see? Check out the video:

Good vibrations

Stage 27: Tromello to Pavia (30,11 km) 

The day starts out well, a good breakfast in the small hotel I stayed in with a server so vibrant and full of good cheers that I feel immediately energised.

After that it is on to more straight flat roads in grey-in-grey weather.

I reach Pavia, todays goal early afternoon and have time to relax in a good B&B.

More fields

Stage 26: Vercelli to Tromello (42,69 km) 

Unharvested fields

Harvested fields

Fields by the roadside

 

That was pretty much the day.  And it was a long one. Want to see more fields? Check the video ;-)

That is what I call a breakfast

 

Other than that it is just relaxing, reading and sleeping today.

Rice, wheat, more rice

Stage 25: Santhia to Vercelli (22,3 km) 

Canals more than rivers that are part of an elaborate irrigation system mark this area.

The roads are straight and flat, not much too see but fields of rice and fields of wheat as far as the eyes can see.

It is easy hiking, but also quite mind-numbing. I feel quite tired, so I decide to take a rest day tomorrow.

Have a look yourself. Check the video.