Cycling Into Rome from Sutri: Cyclists Fear Not the Road to Rome!

Cyclists have no fear there is a calm and beautiful way into Rome on Bicycle! 

Gord and made it from Innsbruck to Rome in just over 1800 kms!

If you are a cyclist on the Via Francigena, or just cycling into Rome from the North or East,  it is worth a few more kilometres and hills to go in on the Euro Velo 5.  Gord and I were both apprehensive about cycling into Rome, but we had a wonderful ride in that surprised us both. Here is my summary of our route in case someone else is looking for a calm way in. 

We started this morning in Fontevivola near Sutri. We headed NE on the SP82 and then quickly turned down the SP1 which merges into the Via Cassia or SR2. We stayed on the Via Casia just until Monterosi and took the exit for Campagnano.  The road climbs up to a ridge but it is worth the rewards of the long coast into the outskirts of Rome.  From Campagnano head for Sacrofano where you will join the Euro Velo 5. The climbing is over just after Sacrofano on the road to Prima Porta where the Euro Velo route takes you safely around the freeway and down to the river. The rest of the route simply follows the river into the heart of Rome.

Wonderful ride!

Enjoying the Trevi Fountain with 700 plus others.

Val D'Orcia: Hill Towns of Tuscany

 After leaving Sienna we have spent the last two days exploring the Val d' Orcia with its marvellous hill towns.

The valley was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site as "an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing picture. In other words it was a landscape manufactured for tourism. Since the Renaissance, it has been a popular subject for painters and travellers. And who are we to disagree. The hill towns in this area are charming and well worth the climb necessary to reach each one. We enjoyed the area so much that we slowed down and did some detours to visit more of the towns. This allowed us to also spend two nights with the same group of walking pilgrims. Now that we are getting closer to Rome there are about a dozen pilgrims at the hostels each night.

Rocca D' Orcia

 

Quirico D'Orcia

 

Siena: Rest and Repair

There has been a rivalry between Florence and Siena for hundreds of years and it continues today, with many tourists weighing in with strong feelings about their preference. Gord and I are not going to visit Florence on this trip, but we are very impressed with Siena. We have always leaned towards the Gothic over the Renaissance and Siena is a gothic gem.

 We are staying in a small apartment only two blocks away from Il Campo, the main square, and yet we are tucked away in a residential area without the tourist hoards a stones throw away.  It appears that the contrada in our area is Tower, as we have a meeting hall across the street that is dedicated to that group.  The city is divided into 17 contrada, which date back to the medieval period when they were involved in raising troops.  The contrade continue to dominate social life in the city, as we have been told that most important social rituals, such as marriages and baptisms, occur within one's contrada.  Competition between the contrade is played out each summer with two horse races around Il Campo.  These are not merely recreational events, but are of considerable importance to the contrade.  By the way, our guide states that Tower is the only contrada to have two enemy contrade, making it the most contentious contrada in the city.  No wonder our room was so reasonably priced: we're staying in a bad 'hood.

We spent our day exploring the Duomo and a number of museums located within the Cathedral area.  The Duomo not only houses exceptional paintings and sculptures by leading artists, including Bellini and Donatello, but also the most amazing inlaid stone floor.

  

Perhaps the best sight of all, however, was my new rack. The back rack on my bicycle had broken in a number of places and no amount of bondo, zap-straps and hose clamps were making it withstand the off road riding that we have been doing. I was so happy when we found a  repair shop that said they could set me up with a new rack that I did my happy dance right in the store, much to the amusement of the elderly lady manning the till.  Speaking of racks, my other set is now settling into a new smaller sized bra.  It seems that with all the fat on my body that I would happily sacrifice, I just lose in one area.

Casio to Aulla: over the Pass and Into Tuscany.

Ruth: Ah, we are entering in Tuscany where almost all the Italian Movies we have ever watched were filmed. A land that is always bathed in the pre sunset light, and where everyone owns a villa. Then why are my hands and feet numb and why can't I see the road. We had our mountain road to ourselves as we climbed up and over the Cisa pass except for one or two motorcycles making the cold wet journey into the clouds. By the way, being in a cloud in not at all like the Philadelphia cream cheese ads.

We are now safely nestled into our pilgrim hostel that we are sharing with 11 other pilgrims! We did not see this many pilgrims on our whole trip last year. We dined well at a local restaurant that offered a pilgrim dinner and now I am ready for a good rest.

I am actually glad there has been some rain so Tuscany of the films will be lush and glistening.

Fedenza to Casio: Out of the rice paddies and into the Mountains

53km and 850 meters of climbing ( for those in Victoria that's 2.5 Malahats )

Gord: Today we left the rice paddies of the Po valley  and climbed into the Appennine mountains towards Tuscany.  Like the meseta on the Camino many pilgrims skip the Po valley.  While I am glad that we are covering the entire Via Francigena under our own steam, and there were interesting and memorable aspects to the Po valley, we are very pleased to move onto the next region on the route.  The villages already have a different look, huddling on ridges and nestling in valley bottoms.  The building material of choice has also changed to stone from the brick of the Po valley.  The villages also seem more ancient, perhaps because they did not suffer as much damage during the Second World War.

 

Ruth: We are staying in a hostel in Casio that is a pilgrim's dream. The Ostello Via Francigena charges only 16€ per person for a room that is more like a B&B then a hostel, but wait... that's not all. This place is not only equipped, it is overflowing with wine, beer, every food item possible (there is even a pineapple in the fridge!!!) All of this is available for a donation. We are the only people staying here and we have the run of the entire three story house. Pictures describe it better than words.

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The Po Valley Pavia to Piacenza: Bethlehem- No room at the Inn

Ruth: 85 km with the additional 10 added in.

Crossing the Po River

The very very flat Po Valley.

My needs are simple and, I suspect, not that different from other pilgrims on the Via Francigena or any pilgrimage route. At the end of a long hot day there needs to be a shower, some food and a bed. It is amazing how much I warm to a place when these three treasures are available. Generally speaking the VF has been excellent at providing these, but Pavia did not. After a long but great ride we arrived in time to secure a place and begin enjoying the sights. Unfortunately all of the religious places listed in our Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome accommodation list turned us away insisting that we return to the new Ostello Santa Maria in Betlem ( Bethlehem in English) when it opened at 6:30 pm!  Somewhere during the 10 extra kilometres wandering from one address to another I hit the wall of heat, fatigue and frustration. How I actually behaved will be left unsaid, but if Gord hadn't produced a Mars bar at a certain moment I don't know what would have happened.  

When the hostel opened however we were greeted by an apologetic man who informed us that the place was full. Our next option was the inexpensive hotel  Statione by the railway station but we arrived to find it permanently closed. At 7:30 pm we forked over 95€ for a room at a three star hotel. We limped out for some risotto and then collapsed. In spite of the well recommended sights we did not stay in Pavia for a second night as planned.

I have been able to fully enjoy our stay in Piacensa because my three treasures were waiting for me. It turns out the sights here including the Cathedral are also well worth a visit but for this pilgrim secondary.

Aosta Valley: Castles and the Devil's own Bridge

 

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.

Location:Via Avvocato Ferdinando Rondolino,Cavaglià,Italy

Aosta: A Well Earned Rest Day

Ruth:  It was time for a rest day and Aosta is a perfect place to spend it. We are staying at the lovely Narbussion B&B  with our own 17th century studio suite right in the historic core of Aosta. The courtyard comes equipped with cats and much appreciated shade. The pace of our trip so far has been a little to fast for living in the moment and appreciating all the little things. This was partly because I booked our accommodation though Switzerlamd because I was fearful of availability and prices. Now it is time to slow down our pace and get into a good pilgrim rhythm.

Aosta is full of Roman ruins and surrounded by snow capped mountains. We took the gondola  up today to see Mount Blanc from the Italian side. It was stunning!  The Duch pilgrims that we met at the pass made it to Aosta today and we we met them for a glass of wine while they had their dinner. It is wonderful to now be on a part of the Via Francigena where there are more pilgrims.

We are now enjoying learning about the history and culinary secrets of this area as we read, The Italian Odyssey, written by our Canadian friends and based on their earlier pilgrimage on the Via Francigena.  If anyone is interested it can be downloaded at :

http://www.verderamedia.com/An_Italian_Odyssey.html

Grand Saint Bernard Pass: I did it!

29km & 1700 meters of climbing. The road was well graded although it averaged 10% in the last 10 km. The traffic was not a problem and it was lovely when we parted company with the main road which goes through a tunnel to Italy. This was the biggest climb I have ever done, and for those at home it was almost 5 Malahats!

We were not rested, our knees were already sore from two long days in the saddle, but we made it! I could have been in a Mars bar commercial for the enthusiastic way I fell on one each 5-10 km. We were incredibly lucky and had glorious sunny but cool weather all the way up. The highest temperature on record at the pass is only 20 C so we must be here on one of the few milder days.

We are relaxing now after a huge dinner at the Grand-Saint-Bernard Hospice, which has been in continuous operation feeding and sheltering pilgrims for almost a thousand years. And yes, there are still Saint Bernard dogs here, but when dog rescues are needed they now opt for the much smarter German Shepard.

 

Montbovon - Lausanne: Back on the Via Francigena

Montbovon - Lausanne 78km no trains no buses just pedalling.

Ruth: Today was all about closing the gap and returning to Lausanne where we stopped last year. It was a 

strange feeling arriving at the lake and heading away from Rome, but we are making sure that we 

complete every kilometre between Canterbury and Rome.  Our ride started high up in the mountains,

passed through the hilltop town of Gruyere (famous for cheese), contoured up and down for a while, 

and then made a screaming descent towards the lake. 

We contoured up above the lake on the #1 national cycle path.  It is both spectacular and 

gruelling, as it goes up and down through terraced vineyards high above the lake shore.

The Pilgrim Pen: Preparation for Part 2 of the Via Francigena

A pilgrim walks, cycles and draws with awareness of the small moments.

It is almost time to quit our busy life at home to become pilgrims again on the Via Francigena. 

I am not a patient person at all, so I have already started my travel journal for the trip which is still just under a month away. Gord teases me and asks periodically how the trip is going so far.

I have never taken a drawing course in my life, but I have decided to start drawing like a pilgrim. One sketch a day and maybe, as walking each day can take you across countries and unimagined distances, my sketches might also take new turns and directions. Like pilgrims, however, the goal is not to become a great artist, but to enjoy each moment of sketching . 

Gord and I are retuning to Europe on August 12th to complete the second half of the Via Francigena.  To save my liver, and perhaps my virtue, Gord is also bringing his bike this time so my barfly days will be somewhat reduced. We are flying into Innsbruck to visit two Camino friends and then we will cycle from Austria through Switzerland on the Camino de Santiago until we return to Lausanne to resume the Via  Francigena to Rome.  We have five months to travel and the VF is just the first chapter. We are very lucky pilgrims!

Pontarlier to Sainte Croix: Switzerland- First Impressions

                                 Gord eating lunch just before the Swiss border- oops wrong photo!

Ruth:
As soon as we crossed into Switzerland the neat as a pin green fields and hills looked like they had been photoshopped into perfection. I was also struck by how flag happy they were until Gordon filled me in that yesterday was their national holiday.
If my first impressions had to be summed up with just one word it would be "clean." I actually saw a city worker in Saint Croix vacuuming the side walk. Yes things are also definitely more expensive here, but we expected that. The organization of markers for walkers, cyclists and even skiers is also outstanding.

We made our final major ascent today and are currently relaxing at the B&B les Replans high above practically everything except mount blanc. My knee was much happier in my support socks even if I was committing a major fashion faux pas.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Les Replans,Sainte-Croix,Switzerland

Calais-Guines-Licques: Forest by numbers

Ruth:
It was a beautiful and varied day. We followed a Canal to Guines. There we confirmed our remaining route with an extremely helpful young man at the tourist office. I was not sure if I should take the road or the Via Francigena, but he not only reassured me that the VF would be better, he printed us detailed maps of the forest we were to travel through. The maps look like maps of a suburb with all the tree lots numbered and named lanes between. There was a fair bit of climbing ( sore arms for a cyclist means I must have been pushing quite a bit). I laughed when we got to the forest and saw that on either side of all paths and lanes the trees were numbered too. This wilderness experience I could handle. It was great when we actually did miss a turn, we were able to take another one of the lanes and we knew exactly where we would end up.
On leaving the forest we started to see VF signs along the well marked GR 128. We are optimistic that there will be more up ahead too because they are in the process of marking the route in Pas de Calais.
We have been traveling together so far, even with guide books and maps the routes are challenging to figure out at times. My bike trailer is much heavier with the camping gear, so my comfortable cruising speed is around 13-15km and hour and my climbing speed much slower. I wait for Gord when I get ahead and walk with him quite a bit.

In Licques a rain shower convinced us to rent a trailer rather than camping. We slept through the night here, so jet lag must be behind us.
km: 34km- with a few "meanders".

Location:Rue du Breuil,Licques,France

Day one: Canterbury to Dover and on to Calais

Gordon - We walked/rode together from Canterbury to Dover yesterday. It was about 36 km, including a few extra kilometers caused by losing our route. The way is not well signposted, and everyone who has written about the Via Francigena (VF) has mentioned the route finding difficulties.
The walk was beautiful, passing through an agricultural landscape dotted with small villages. We were particularly taken with the village architecture, which I would characterize as hobbit-homes in brick. As a fortuitous result of being lost, we also passed a charming 12th century parish church with a delightful tympanum and other Romanesque details.
We took a P&O ferry to Calais. The distance and sailing time is about the same as the trip from Swartz Bay to Tsawassen, but, critics of BC Ferries take note, the fare for a walk-on passenger is about $50. On the plus side, a plethora of bars and lounges on the boat give you an opportunity to drink steadily during the crossing, which is what many of the passengers were doing.
It's great to be back in France. We celebrated our return with a $5 bottle of robust red wine from Cahors.

Ruth- Obviously Gord wrote the bit above. Have you heard me use the word plethora and fortuitous - hey I can't even spell them without auto correct.

The Via Francigena for 2012!

Gord and I have air tickets purchased and Alison Raju's new guidebook hot off the press. 

Our planning for the Via Francigena is now offically under way. 

We fly into Gatwick on July 1, 2012  and we are booked into to the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge right in the Cathedral grounds for our first night.

This year we will  do about half of the route to Rome ending somewhere in Switzerland. We will spend five nights in Paris before heading home on August 11th. We are bringing a tent this time just in case we run into difficulties with accommodation. Being a princess of a thing I went out today and bought a really light inflatable mattress. It certainly  is way more comfortable than my old therma-rest. I am glad it is a fairly flat route because it looks like there will be a bit more stuff in my bike trailer.

My Via Francigena Map
Topo Maps in France: http://www.geoportail.fr/visu2D.do?ter=metropole#
Topo Maps in Switzerland: http://www.wanderland.ch/en/routen_detail.cfm?id=284505