Via francigena 2017 - Page 7

Garlasco - Pavia (25,8 km)

The last day we had imagined more relaxed. Again very hot, again it went over mosquitos infested fields. Mostly road and wide dirt roads led through some places until we finally saw the Ticino. We took all the river bends, in the Parco del Ticino it was then worst with the mosquitoes. Despite partially shady woods, there were whole clouds of mosquitoes that fell upon us. We didn't see any enemies of them here like dragonflies or birds. At the end of the park we had to refill liquid in a bar, it was hot and humid until the end.

Along the Ticino we arrived in the city, but first we had to go to the hostel because people were waiting for us. The pilgrim hostel Parocchia Santa Maria in Betlem, where I stayed in 2014, had closed at the end of July, we had to switch to a guesthouse, quite a distance from the city center. But it was absolutely fine there and right next to the train station. Because our pilgrimage for 2017 ends here, tomorrow we go by train to Milan, from where finally our journey home starts.

After we had our key, the next thing I had to do was say a dignified goodbye to my pilgrim's stick, it ended up in the Ticino. Now we strolled through Pavia, into the cathedral, through shopping streets, how nice for Manu 🙂, and then looked for a cheap pizzeria on the outskirts of town. Still a few drinks from the Alimentari fetched and the day was already approaching the end.

Pavia - Mailand

After breakfast in the bar around the corner we walk to the train station. Every half hour the train leaves for Milan. Arrived there at the monumental station, it was still half an hour to walk to the cathedral square. But then we stand fascinated in front of the third largest church in the world, a result of finest craftsmanship. The square in front of it was filled to the brim with tourists and pigeons. We got tickets for the cathedral and took turns walking inside, because one had to watch each of our backpacks, which of course are not allowed inside because of security.

This lasted 2 hours before we left separately to explore. Manu strolled through the monumental Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the noble shops around the cathedral district, I made a tour of the Parco Sempione with the Castello Sforzesco. It was very hot and so we took the metro in the late afternoon to San Siro Station, where our hostel Piero Rotta was located. Very simple, but uncomplicated and inexpensive, we slept here separated by gender in dormitories.

Before that we bought a few things in the supermarket and ate the last Italian pizza. With wine and beer we let the day end in the front garden of the hostel. Tomorrow we have to get up before 5, Metro does not run at this time, the city bus will bring us early to the center and the shuttle bus after that to the airport Bergamo.