Via francigena 2017 - Page 4

Saint-Vincent – Pont-Saint-Martin (38,3 km)

Again we went steeply uphill out of the town, passing small villages. Near Chenal I lost my orientation for a short time, we took the way to a ruin and had to turn back later. It rained sporadically, humid and wet, in which clothes one runs there? Further up and down, partly on dangerously steep and slippery paths, we reached Verres. After a short break for a drink in a bar, we walked to the bank of the river Dora Baltea, which had accompanied us in the valley for some time.

The path was now level, but now extremely road-heavy. Past Arnad, the path led over a bridge and then further along the river. On a long dirt road was already visible in the distance the Castello di Bard, imposingly located between the outgoing mountains of the Aosta Valley. After the village of Hone, we crossed a bridge to Bard. On the steep climb to the fortress we rested again in a cafe before it went further up through a beautiful village. Then followed the steep descent towards Donnas. We were allowed to walk shortly before the place on a roughly paved original Roman road, old cart tracks had milled into the stone.

In the town itself I saw on the way a very nice pilgrim hostel, unfortunately it appeared in no guide, so I had moved our accommodation to Pont-Saint-Martin. Until then, there was still an annoying long main road before we arrived at our accommodation at the old Roman bridge. We had dinner at the hotel, not a good choice this time. Afterwards Manu learned of a pilgrimage procession in the evening and away she went. All gatherings of more than 3 people were not for me, so this time I strolled something through the small town.

Pont-Saint-Martin – Ivrea (23,2 km)

It was our last day in the Aosta region, today we enter Piedmont. The mountains became flatter and flatter until at the end of the day they were only visible on the horizon. Nevertheless, at first we went up again out of Pont-Saint-Martin, then along smaller paths, often roads. Before Torre Danielle we crossed a campground and then took a break just before the town. Here we saw pilgrim No. 3 pass by, there were not more on the whole tour, we later got into conversation with him.

The last hills to Cesnola and Settimo Vittone had to be climbed before the path then ran straight for a long time. Before a lake, the Casali Lago Sirio, collided then the signposts of the way with my GPS data. The signs led us around the lake, I suppose because of the restaurant there. Thus we had nevertheless still a few unplanned ascents and descents through the forest to cope before we ran in the sweltering heat, together with the Italian pilgrim, in Ivrea.

After visiting the Castello, we moved into the cafe, where we were immediately approached by an American woman, she made a tour of Europe and wanted to know everything exactly about our tour this year. To our accommodation we had to cross the river again. We stayed at the local canoe club, a cheap and good hostel. After shopping and Manu's stroll around town, we chilled by the river or in the front yard of the hostel. What was immediately noticeable since we landed in the flat realms of Piedmont have landed: the mosquitoes are more 😕.