D34 Sarzana to Lucca

This morning I was overjoyed to start picking up signed cycle routing for the via Francigena which even included off road sections. I encountered my first pellegrino Gijs from Holland walking Copenhagen to Rome. A minimalist in all but his choice of walking routes.
The trail took us straight past the Roman port of Luna which they only colonised in 177bc ( I had no idea of the rapidity of Roman expansion - Julius Caesar was fighting his Gallic wars only 100 years later) and which was there to email the Carrara marble which now goes out of Spezia. The most impressive remains are a well preserved modestly sized amphitheatre and the main drai n - a sobering reflection of what we leave behind long after we've gone.

Sunday lunch in an incredibly quiet Massa was taken with the quietly impressive and thoughtful Gijs who caught me up! And a memorable lunch it was of black truffle (in season) served in a butter sauce by a guy who used to be Marco Pierre White in London. The world has become a village.

The afternoon session took me up a moderate ascent in the foothills of what are termed the Appuan Alps followed by a long straight fast descent into Lucca.

Lovely Luccca where we honeymooners and particularly enjoyed the pizza del amphitheatre so I was delighted when booking.com came up with this B and B ('at home') overlooking the square. The biennial art exhibition was on with some great public art displayed fabulously well in this culture that does public spaces so well.

The night ended riotously with an entertaining dinner shared with Graed and Louise from Liege, more lovely sympathetic people as the conversation ranged from family to property and most things in between.

D33 moneglia to Sarsana

The great thing about camping without a flywheel is you're up at dawn and away. Met a guy on the from on his mountain bike and checked with home about the coastal route - his response was definitive the only two ways out were on the SS1 waving towards a piece of heroic civil engineering taking traffic far above us on huge concrete legs or the train which is why there is such a well developed series of tunnels on the Liberian coast , a 4o km stretch near Genoa has been opened as a dedicated cycles to save reviews and there is a plan to extend it but no good to me! So I climbed 700 metres before morning coffee which was a bloody heroic effort. Just when you think you can't do any more (the concrete span was carrying the A12 motorway the Ss1 route may far above aarrgghh) of course you turn a corner and youyourve made the height and a fellow cyclist seeing your face stoow a to tell which of the two cafes you should visit where I was served quite simply the best ham and cheese toasties ever made! The pass summit is reached half an hour later and a swooping descent takes me down to a pleasant river side town after the best Saturday morning cycle ride ever.

Yes I have just come from down there ! To put this in perspective the climb up to Pyromali our land in Greece is significant but half this Ligurian mother.
A fun but if cycle sculpture persuaded me to stop and fuel up at the next town and half an hour later I hear the distinct sound of children slashing in water and realise not only is the river below me available but that there is a convenient bridge to get over to the beach....man I was across and in that water pretty sharpish.

I was enjoying the riverside scene So much I took lunch, did my weekly cycle maintenance (got the lights working again as I recalled the Thorn advice that sometimes the wires have been known to short out if they touch the hub so I rearranged them and it bloody worked!) and had a song song with a mixed age group with a guy and  his guitar. Having worked up Tambourine man in Geoff's memory I asked him if he played Dylan and  man he could play (even pulled out a harmonica to go for the verse accompaniment). So I was feeling well chilled when I stopped for the last coffee of the cycle day and the Batman casually mentioned the SS1 approached La  Spetsia through a  series of three tunnels (here we go again) all of which were down hil! And I would definitely need lights and to help well in to the right. Thanking my lucky stars that I'd just fixed the light i came around a corner and we were in.....dark, extremely noisy with plenty of traffic making no allowances in both directions . The surface was cut up.in places and the incline was such that I was doing 30-40kms / hour. Talk about a white knuckle ride.
La Spetsia turned out to be a sizeable port and I realised I hadn't been anywhere near one for a month.

Finally the GPS Garmin from La Spetzia took me up a mule path which required porterag e but emerged finally at top to arrive at a perfect Italian hill town which I took to be Sarsana but was 3km away and far nicer. I found a camping, there the tent up and returned to the hill too pizza bar for a blowout!

Thoughts of Eleanor Barrow reading ? Pilgrim's Progress as I pushed my burden up the hill and of fear Greg and his obstacle crossed. I will not fear the valley of the angel.of death - another obstacle to endure. This is turning into a pilgrimage about (re)discovering depths of resilience.....you can get it if you really want!

D 32 Gavi to the Med at Moneglia

I should explain at this moment that there is only so much planning you can do in advance for a trip of this duration and my Italian job had largely focussed on the question of how recyclable the medieval pilgrim route called the Via Francigena was. I had been reassured to find the main route which comes over the Great St Bernard pass well to the East of my route had been recently signed for cycling according to the excellent website http://www.viafrancigena.bike following a resounding campaign organised by a group called Sloways all related to the slow everything movement in Italy which raised €12000 and signposted the main route.

Howeverr in Turin I had decided that heading West along the P.o. Valley until it hit that route would be taking me well out of my way and I had done the river thing across France and fancied something different. Be careful what you wish for!I
I had a downloadable map of the walking route South of Moon Denis but this has not been officially cycle signed. But I did have a steer from an independent cycling in Italy site which seemed to suggest it was doable. So armed with a sketchy internet description and by now off my N Italian map purchased in Turin I set off from Gavi southwards hopeful but I'll equipped navigationally and under-researched on the geography.
The first climb was excellent and I was pleased by my progress over a 600m col through significant wooded hilly country.

The descent was more enjoyable than coming down mon cenis, less intimidating and my competence coming down feels to be improving as I master leaning into the curves more.
So far so good and the next valley started a slow wind up which felt like I must be winding through the Ligurian Appenines in the morning session.

Then at the top of the valley I realised the walking route took along an uncyclable ridge and I would need to descent and  climb a third time. If course by now it was hot and of course this was the toughest climb of the day in terms of gradient. The view from the top was however spectacular but still now med you will note.

This time the descent was the steepest yet down a single lane road which dropped like a stone to deposit me on a steep sides valley with the distinct whiff of sea air and suddenly subtropical vegetation. With increasing excitement I battled through the last 20 km and suddenly I was on the beach 15kms East of Genoa with most of the city out enjoying the beach on this Friday evening.

So of course I did what any right thinking scouse  cyclist would do and had a beer to celebrate. The next issue was where to sleep. This stretch still felt too urban and I noted there appeared to be a nicer little place around the corner. My gps directed me along the coast and suddenly I found myself confronted with a tunnel with a traffic light at red. Well it didn't change for 15 minutes and a local shot past the patient queue and I decided to follow suit. There appeared to be red signs indicating  cycling and walking was not permitted but to be frank I wasn't going to let that stop me. The first tunnel/gallery lasted a Km and nothing came but after a 100 yards with open air a second longer tunnel opened up and of course I saw oncoming car lights. I had already worked out that there were refuge points followed out of the walls and I just tucked in as they passed - a bit weird but not dangerous. More perturbing was the failure of uber cool light sensitive dynamo powered front light. Anyway I didn't have time to worry about that before the third tunnel looked and this time the traffic I encountered were going my way and were clearly missed off with me for being there so insisted on muscling past - this was definitely scary and when weirdly a turn right arrow with a sign saying camping looked out of the darkness I took it!
Incredibly I got the last space travel but right next to the sea and over the next two hours I enjoyed one of the best seafood meals ever!

But as I enjoyed the coastal scenery it was immediately apparent that my plan to mosmosty along the coast towards the South East was a non runner with huge green hills plunging straight in to the sea. So obstacles overcome but more to do Sunday morning.

D31 Asani to Gavi

After a wonderful piemont sleep listening to owls in the surrounding woodland I started the day with an excellent Two Chi session admiring the calm of the surrounding  mixed beech, ash, chestnut and oak woodland. Not having enough cash to settle the bill my host kindly ran me over to the next villagers we combined her bakery visit with my ATM refill. This have me a chance to Heather story which I was intrigued by. Shamelessly was devoted to running her Agriturismo reminding me at least twice thatshehadbeen cooking since age 5. It turned out her parents ran a farm in the valley and after 10 years of work in commercial office she followed her heart and put together her love of cooking houses and flowers to make her garden and open it to visitors. I complemented her that her commitment and integrity came through. I was then given quite a n insight into the importance of local.integrity to an Italian to the extent that she was clear that to do whY she did you have to come from the place. Interesting!
So for an authentic Piemont experience the Agriturismo Il Fiordaliso can't be too highly recommended. The descent to the river that morning accessed a cycle pathetic took me alongside a railway for 20km in the right direction. Then it was back to rolling wine country trying to stay ahead of the by now regular afternoon thunderstorm. As I journeyed South I was just staying ahead of the weatherline but a protracted lunch stop at a surreal disco lid o in the middle of nowhere had me dithering as to whether to sit out the oncoming storm or go for  it. In the end I pushed on and escaped getting caught - finally pushing South of the unsettled weather of the Alps.

 Contrast light ahead and behind....keep pushing South!

After a pleasant rolling day I arrived in Gavi  the final leg getting burnt off by a 15 year old on a racer whom I asked for directions. He said there were two ways and the one I was looking for was slower! So he told.me to tuck in behind him and commenced to murder me over the next 3 rolling hills climb s. On the fourth with a wave he disappeared satisfied that the foreigner had been out on the right road and comprehensively thrashed!
Gavi turned out to be a delightful town, Genoa's backdoor when it was the principal power in the Mediterranean so dominated by a huge fortress controlling the river gorge where it sits in a highly strategic position. Unfortunately I went out without my phone so I have no pictures of the important Lombard church dedicated At James of Compostella (this was an important stopping point for both pilgrim routes Camina and Francigena! Nor of aperitif hour on the wine bar where Antonio regaled me with stories of his shipping Genovese family who included a Glaswegian aunt who was a byproduct of a ship buying trip to the Clyde! Plus Latin night at Sam's bar where two Chilean sisters allowed me to join them on the dance floor - one English psychiatrists the other local Italian through marriage. Globalisation  whilst not new units mark 2 version is even more extended than previously.

D30 Turin to Azzano d'Asti

Keeping to my practice I have omitted my Turin day from the sequential numbering as it was spent in the City. After essential re-equipping with new azzuro cycling shorts to replace the pair that went whilst drying on my pannier (I'm still convinced this was a schoolboy prank to nick the stranger's undies) and non essential acquisition of photosensitive cool cycling glasses I passed an absorbing afternoon at the amazing royal palace complex of museums showing the very extensive acquisitions over 3_4 centuries of the House of Savoy. There was an excellent side exhibition confronting the issues of appropriation such collections involve and how the modern museum might respond. No answers but some very relevant examples (Napoleon taking half the collection to the Louvre and after the 1815 restoration  the Louvre was exceptionally unhelpful in arranging its return (less than 50% made it back - still an exceptional collection). Museum collections as exemplars of cultural appropriation much as my mate Mike B described in a thesis 25 years ago. Mike man ahead of your time like many of our college mates from those days!

 The ceremonial entrance hall sets the tone whilst the classical sculpture gallery gives a flavour of the collections - basically the pick of what was around in the era of the grand tour! Great fun as I read the Iliad to be seeing classical paintings interpretations.

The evening was spent less high brow as the evening thunder storm blew in watching footy in San Salvatori a more edgy side of town at the Torino end (they were playing the reds in a friendly at Anfield as chance would have it ....3_1 reds!) having been given the cold shoulder in the ritzier Juventus  centre of town.

Getting away on Wednesday I took some final shots of the lovely Palazzo (15-16th century the b and b is the terracio on the top floor - perfecto) and then of myself trying to show off my new Italian cool glasses and azzuri shorts (unsuccessfully) as I rode the Po South out of the city

The day passed  picking my way through a series of hilltop Italian towns in rolling Piemonte (foot of the mountains ie Alps) countryside. My first experience of trying to navigate the Via Francigena (no signage in sight) but by picking out the towns in sequence in the route it is perfectly possible to follow the route more or less on minor roads which are delightful, quiet if a little broken up in places. Morning coffee saw me in Chieri at one time a rival to Genova as a medieval republic but now a quiet backwater and then got in a bit of a mess trying to pick my way round  Asti (yes THAT asti of Spumante fame on a route that was beautiful but complicated to take in hilly vineyards whilst hitting the exit road South from  the large surprisingly industrialised town for a crucial river crossing.

Having negotiated this but lost time I was thinking of pressing on when I came across a roadside bar by a level crossing with a couple of blokes my age stood outside holding bottles of beer. The temptation was too great so I joined them and 10 mins later the heavens opened! Not for the first time divine intervention in the form of a bar has delayed me and saved me (Heysel being the classic example). So I booked myself into a neighbouring agriculturismo where I have had the most relaxing and pleasant stay so much so that I want to bring Sus here combining perhaps with a trip to Genova on a future European traverse! Delightful deciduous mixed woodland (ash, beech,  sycamore and oak) home to the famous piemont truffle and good wine (Barollo red highly recommended though I was served the Montoferanto which was good but not special).

D29 over Mont Cenis and to Turin

Needless to say I didn't need the alarm and after tossing and turning from 3 to 3.30 imagining descents in rain I decided the best course of action was to go for it! I hit the road by 4.00am with good lights on me and the bike and saw no traffic on my minor road in parallel with the motorway until I hit the next town of Modane where in search of coffee I hit a lovely service station where I was first customer for the morning shift.The motorway enters  a tunnel at this point.
Suitably restored and heartened I set out up a road now devoid of traffic noise lit only by the moon and stars feeling ready for what the day would bring. Dawn started its rosy fingered progress over the next hour

And not long after a sign for Torin started to sow the seeds that I mightened have to  camp at the top after all!

But progress was slowing to a measly 7km/hr so I knew it was at least a good couple of hours to the col.

The road took us up steadily through a succession of valley settlements which surprised me by their size and by how little was open. Of course this is serious skiing country as the sight of my first ski lift reinforced. And all these places must be going a bo mb  in  the winter around the Arc  river which I was following - even I a non-skier have heard of des Arcs.
So up I went through pastures following the river and met up with yet another brilliant cycling mate - Michel who introduced to the club des Col s - people that do this sort of thing for pleasure. In Michel 's case for the 56 years since he first enjoyed the experience at age 10 - he has subsequently climbed 5500 cols 354 o f them over 2000m and as we chatted as I grinded out the last 800m and he seemingly effortlessly stood on his pedals on his 35 year old classic on the middle ring he suggested his mentality ie the pleasure he took in the climb hadn't changed in the 40 years since his last ascent of Mont Senis. Extraordinary all I know is that I couldn't have been following better wheels this morning!

The descent was fast despite my efforts on the brakes  (topped 50km/hr) and dropped me into Susa ahead of the gathering storm.clouds. Having visited the medieval cathedral (was I giving thanks?) I decided to push through to Turin where I arrived at  a Palazzo bn b 15 mins before the storm  and have enjoyed a lovely catch up day ready to hit the road in the morning!

D28 St Pierre to Saint Maurice Dr Marennais

I awoke the Sunday morning thinking this might be the beginning of the final assault but the weather was against me. A bbeutiful morning's removed me up this long winding valley but by lunchtime only left me in St Jean still 40km show of the final push of the pass and it was bloody hot. I took refuge for lunch in one of the few places open and spent 3 hours sheltering from extreme heat and generally taking stock of the situation.My Dutch neighbours turned up mod afternoon  having done a 2000 m co l sharing comments about how it usually rains in the afternoons in the alps and storms were forecast ! I sensed they knew what they were talking about and decided it was time to head up the valley.  Surreally my nephew chose this time
to reach me and we dealt with some family stuff amidst the gathering gloo. Before I pushed on 10 km to be engulfed in mountain weather and stopped at the last main town in the valley St Maurice de Marennais to take a Room.

The local advice was whilst more thunder storms
were due there should be a decent window in the morning. Enthused by this news I packed my bags and set my alarm for 4am!