👣 25km on foot – Friday 6 August

Today we entered the area ‘at the feet of the mountains’, literal translation of ‘Pied Mont’, Piemonte, which is the name of the second Italian region we will be crossing.

We were accompanied along this stage by our friends from the Via Francigena di Sigerico Association, from Ivrea, who were able to guide us and tell us all about the area. Nevertheless, signposting in Piemonte is incredibly good and it’s really impossible to get lost!

This evening our ambassadors Diego and Sergio and their companions left the group to go back home, so we interviewed them to learn about their experience and difficultly said goodbye to our travel companions.

Leaving Pont-Saint-Martin, we had our first stop in Carema, a small town of approximately 700 inhabitants, in the last hills, and then went on to Settimo Vittone and to Montestrutto. In all these towns we had formal meetings with local institutions. We stopped in Montestrutto and had some beer and a super nice lunch: I’ve been missing vegetables a lot lately – most of our meals are bready and meaty – so having a big salad was really refreshing!

We then visited the “balmetti”, a series of caves on the hills where the air naturally stays cool (constantly between 7 and 13 degrees) and are used as wine and cheese cellars. Upon arrival in Ivrea we crossed a series of beautiful lakes, we easily got distracted, and by the time we arrived in the center of Ivrea it was time for dinner.

Tomorrow will be our last day on foot: after that we’ll get back on our bikes for 5 days! I’m very happy about it: the next area we will cross, the Po Valley, is quite flat, hot and humid, especially in this season, so cycling will make it a bit quicker; also, I miss cycling – it’s always my favorite travel style!

HIGHLIGHTS

Walking among vineyards again

Beautiful castles along the way

The lakes north of Ivrea

TODAY’S WALKERS

Myra Stals, Social Media Manager (EAVF)

Luca Faravelli, Project Manager (EAVF)

Paolo Fachin (Ass. La Via Francigena di Sigerico)

Stefano Sertoli, mayor of Ivrea

Luciana de Michele (Ragazze in Gamba)

Diego Passoni, dj (Radio Deejay) + friends

Sergio Valzania + family

Giulia Bertolazzi, video maker

Several local walkers