Via Francigena: Dispatch #1

Hello, from Italy! We are now one week into our walk on the Via Francigena and and all is going well!

Even before leaving Sofia we had our eyes on the weather in the Aosta Valley and all we could see ahead was rain, rain and more rain. So we delayed our start and booked an adorable apartment for six days. Then miraculously, the clouds parted and the sun came out!

Rather than skip out on an already paid for lodging, we decided to start our walk, but return to our apartment in Aosta when we finished the stage. First we walked 18.4 kilometers (11.4 miles) to the village of Nus, then took a train back to Aosta. That was Monday. Tuesday was a rain day, which gave us time to repack and adjust our backpacks.

Excited on our first day at the Arch of Augustus. We didn’t look this chipper at the end of the day.
Lots of castles around the Valle d’Aosta region of Italy.
Pellegrina.
These signs helped to guide us, but they were also a bit confusing because there are lots of other trails in the valley.
We walked through hamlets and villages and even a private farm or two.
We had lovely weather but there was lots of haze in the air. In the weather app is showed the air quality in this area in the red zone.
Looking down the Aosta Valley.
Once we reached Nus, we caught a train “home”. It took just nine minutes to return to Aosta. (!!)

It is amazing how difficult it is not to overpack. Our issue is trying to pack for cold weather at the start and warm weather at the end, so we brought layers. Too many layers as it turns out. We eventually sent a box ahead to Rome and it weighed four pounds! That’s a lot! Also, I over packed toiletries, little bottles of shampoo and stuff like that. I ditched almost all of those.

On Wednesday the rain stopped so we began our second day of walking. We took a train from Aosta to Nus and picked up where we left off on Monday. It is slightly disheartening that the distance we covered in a few hours takes the train only nine minutes to complete.

On this day we walked 17.2 kilometers, (10.7 miles) to Chatillon and it was a killer! The VF trail has us walking in the mountains high above the valley and what goes up must also come down. You will get a sense of the path in the photos. After reaching Chatillon we again returned to our apartment in Aosta.

Still smiling on Day two!
Early morning fog in the valley.
There is a lot of road walking on the VF and that is hard on our feet!
One of many places we walked through. Usually there were no services. No stores, bathrooms, cafés, nothing.
The views during our first week were incredible.
Art along the trail.
Some hamlets were inhabited, others were not.
Spring is springing along the Via Francigena!
Back in Aosta. We went to this place nearly every day for a hot chocolate. Forget pasta, Italy has the best hot chocolate ever!

On Thursday, we said goodbye to Aosta for good and caught the train to Chatillon. We really enjoyed our time in Aosta and the apartment was the best AirBnB place we have ever stayed. It was right in the center of town, had everything we needed and had the most amazing views out every window. We were kind of sad to leave it, but we were also ready to begin looking forward instead of returning to Aosta.

Of course we had to make a stop at the post office. There is a mail service in Rome holding our box for us. I hope we make it there to pick it up!
Church and castle on a cloudy day. Can you see me on the road?
Lunch spot!
We passed under lots of Roman bridges and archways on rocky roads, also hard in the feet.

Of course this also meant we had to start booking other accommodations at the end of each stage. We booked the next two nights and soon learned that we had made a tactical error. Both places were far from the trail, which on the first night meant extra walking, on the second night it was 20 euros in taxi fees to the place and then 15 euros back to the center of town the next morning! That is certainly not a sustainable expense!

As it turns out, our host at the first place we booked off the trail was so charming and we enjoyed our stay so much we decided it was worth the extra walking. He made us crepes for dinner and drove us back to the trail the following morning.

Massimo making dessert crepes!

In the following days we begin to find our rhythm, making sure we were efficient with our stops, staying hydrated and warm. We began to feel the pilgrim spirit as we began to find “Ostellos”, affordable, pilgrim-friendly hostels right along the Via. In normal times this is where we would meet and form bonds with our fellow pilgrims, but by all accounts, we are the only ones in this area. We know there are a few way ahead of us, but we are unlikely to catch up to them. A popular place to start the VF is in Lucca, a few weeks away from us and we will likely meet up with folks there.

Water is the single heaviest item we carry if all our bottles are full. It’s great that there are fountains along the way which helps to lighten our load.
I really thought in March the landscape would be quite bleak, but I was wrong!
Church door.
Beautiful Roman bridge.
We walked by the fantastic Bard Castle. The town of Bard is right out of Medieval Disney.
I think we barely managed a smile for this selfie, we were both in quite a lot of pain. We always are at the end of the day, but it is amazing how restorative a good night’s sleep can be.
We did a lot of uphill walking and of course we had to come down, too!
This Roman road is the real deal where pilgrims have walked for centuries.
Walking through small villages like this is my favorite part of the day.
This little house was our accommodation in Pont Saint Martin. It was cute, but too far off the VF up the side of a mountain. This is where we had to take a taxi. Worse, we had lugged stuff for dinner but the host didn’t provide any condiments, no salt, pepper, oil, nothing! I was not a happy camper. But hey, there was a washing machine so I got all our clothes cleaned!
And, because it was up in the mountains, we had a great view of the sunset!
The beautiful Pont Saint Martin Bridge.
We got our pilgrim passport stamp under the bridge at a little museum.
Tough climb out of Pont Saint Martin!
This was at the top of our first climb, but we went up and down all day.
One of my favorite photos. This was a wonderful day on the VF, it is through tons of vineyards and old hamlets.
Light in Italy is made for black and white photography, and Steven makes some beautiful photos, doesn’t he?
Through the vineyards where folks are busy pruning the vines. By the end of summer the vines will be heavy with clusters of grapes.
The VF never misses the chance to put us in an uphill rocky road! No wonder we are in pain at the end of each day!
VF sign showing the way under the vines.
More gorgeous views. And then it was all downhill, literally.
And through little tunnels.
I thought for sure I was going to snap my ankle in this section!
I find it hard to eat while I am walking, but after we are done for the day I eat like a trencherman, if we can find food!
This is an Ostello, a pilgrim and budget-friendly place to stay. We had the whole place to ourselves.
No matter where we are or how skinny the road, a vehicle will always find us.
These are the only other pilgrims we have seen!
The Canoe Club, a fabulous Ostello in Ivrea. From our window we could watch the canoeists practice on the man-made rapids on the Dora River.
I do not know how they can stay in that water so long, even with a wetsuit. It was chilly!

One more thing of note is that Steven has been struggling a bit with Plantar Fasciitis so we are keeping an eye on that and adjusting distances when necessary. I also got my first blister so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that neither issue impact us too much.

So that’s it for week one! Enjoy the photos, they are all taken with an iPhone and are, in my opinion, spectacular!

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30 Comments

  2. Sydney Brown (Laurie’s sister)

    Some of those rocky roads and trails look so difficult and tiring! Thank heavens for the charming hamlets and beautiful views!

    1. 2chouters

      Sydney those roads are killers on the feet, but so is everything else. No way around it! But you are right, the views and communities we see are reasons enough to endure.

  4. Rita from Phoenix

    Love all the photos. I would have loved to do the VF trail but I don’t know about no bathrooms while hiking through villages. Where does one go to relieve self? In my young days, I backpacked quite a bit. I carried a bar of soap that was shampoo, laundry soap and bath soap all in one from REI. It wasn’t harsh to hair or skin. I also slung a pair of hiking sandles over my backpack to change into to give my feet a break. I learned to pack lightly but efficiently with sleeping bag & tent to 25 lbs max to carry. Safe hiking.

    1. 2chouters

      Rita, it is a matter of “when you gotta go, you gotta go!” A back yo nature kind of thing! I am getting pretty efficient at the whole process so now it doesn’t take forever. Steven Carrie’s a Lush bar which does all the soapy things you mentioned. I carry little bottles. 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      It is a very challenging adventure but yes, extremely satisfying at the end of each and every day. Sore feet and all. It is amazing how quickly our bodies can recover and carry on!

  6. Kathy Park

    Absolutely Inspiring! We were in Aosta in 1998. Our first stop on a 3-week honeymoon. I remember getting up the first morning and saying I was going to go get coffee… and my new husband said “bring me back something” Ho Ho, little did he know. “Get up buddy, there is no take out!” And where we went for coffee, there were 3 gentlemen already enjoying alcoholic beverages.

    That day we took the gondola from Aosta to Chamonix and returned to Italy later by bus. This was in early September before snow. We start our retirement travel Jan 2023!

    1. 2chouters

      I couldn’t even tell you what brand they are! I bought them the day before we set out on the Camino de Santiago in 2019 and used them all the way! I absolutely love them and could not walk without them. I think we paid 35 or 45 euros for them.

    1. 2chouters

      There is no shell on the VF, it is instead two crossed keys. We haven’t come across any, but if we do we may get some if they are not too heavy.

  11. Carmela M Gersbeck

    Another wonderful blog! The photos are absolutely beautiful! And with an iPhone — goes to show it’s not the equipment, it’s the photographer, and Steven is a true artist. I hope that your blister and his Plantar Fasciatis don’t hold you back. It sounds like a fantastic trip that I will enjoy vicariously.

    1. 2chouters

      iPhones these days have good cameras, but I am amazed myself at the artistry Steven puts into his photos. I always recommend traveling with a great photographer! 🙂

  13. Nickie

    Rocky roads are not my friend. For me, they’d be killer. Good luck with keeping your feet healthy. The VF certainly has awesome scenery, and (of course) your pics tell the tale perfectly. I admire your adventurous spirit! How heavy are your packs?

    1. 2chouters

      Not my friend, either, Nickie. But I can’t really decide what kind of road I prefer, it all hurts! When we left Sofia my bag weighed 17.5 lbs. I tossed maybe three lbs. but made up for that carrying water and food. Heavy, day after day!

  14. Ingrid Irwin

    OMG I’m exhausted reading that but the photo’s look amazing. What an fantastic walk, I know I’d not be up for that so you guys are brilliant. Hope Steven’s PF has worked it’s way out. I get it and know how painful it can be. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it gets better! Keep the spirits up and keep on walking…

  15. Jodee Gravel

    I’m so far behind!! Incredible views and bridges and villages – but those rocky paths look brutal for the feet. I agree your fav pic is very special as are so many of the photos. Confirms photography is as much about the eye as it is the equipment!

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