Ruth: The Aosta valley is a beautiful, lush area ringed by some of the highest peaks in the Alps. It is also a bilingual area where greetings are done simultaneously in Italian and French. Cycling down out of Aosta was a treat, with castles on almost every strategic promontory and Roman bridges in many towns. The the last of these was a magnificent arch built by the Devil himself. One of our pilgrim predecessors, a fellow name Martin, arrived in a village shortly after the original bridge was washed away. Learning that the village lacked the funds to rebuild, Martin offered to construct the bridge through a deal with the Devil. The Devil built a magnificent bridge in just one night. The payment he demanded was the soul of the first being to cross it. Martin tricked the Devil by throwing a piece of bread on the bridge and attracting an old dog to cross it. Martin was made a saint for his efforts, and the village renamed Pont-Saint-Martin. Of course nowadays this scenario could never occur because of the opposition from the SPCA. Gord will have to find another road to sainthood.
We are staying at the municipal pilgrim hostel at Cavaglia where we met our friend Paolo for dinner and a lovely evening.
Writing in the guest books is becoming my art form.
Today's gelato flavours: hazelnut, pistachio, strawberry/grapefruit and cream.
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