Today was an absolutely killer day. It started okay. I had a driver from Acosta to Chambave, where I was supposed to have finished yesterday. He was blessedly quiet, as I am not always so conversational first thing in the morning. The day was almost 30 kilometers (20 miles), but it was brutally steep uphill and never-ending. At one point, I came upon two men in their early twenties sitting on the trail, looking exhausted. As I gasped and panted my way upward, one of them said, "This is hard." I could not have agreed more. But I certainly saw some beautiful sights along the way.
I started in the town of Chambave at this church. From the Italy Traveler, "The Parish church of San Lorenzo, mentioned already in 1100, is one of the oldest in the region. Of the ancient Romanesque church with a nave decorated with frescoes, remains only the lower part of the Bell tower, the present structure is from the mid-XVIII century….
...In 1832 the altarpiece depicting the patron saint by the artist Luigi Artari was inaugurated, and at the end of the XIX century, the nave was lengthened, and two side chapels were added. Inside, it preserves artworks by the sculptors Boso and Gilardi, such as an altar of the Virgin of the Rosary and another one dedicated to St. Rocco and St. Sebastian, embellished with paintings dating back to 1623 by Vincenzo Costantino di Biella."
Another door for Mary. If you look closely, the door knocker is a woodpecker.
I went thru a little village where schoolchildren had put up art pieces to welcome pilgrims. I thought that was so cute.
I love the Italian flag waving in the backyard of the little cottage.
Chiesa parrcchiale di San Pietro. It sits high up on the side of a mountain. Of course, it does. Whenever I saw directional signs, I didn't even have to read them. It was always the one that went up.
The altar had paintings of angels all above it.
These were some of the most gorgeous stained glass windows I have seen. They were just so vibrant and colorful.
The Castello di Ussel looms over the town of Châtillon from the south. Built by Ebalo di Challant in the mid-14th century, the Castle of Ussel is the first example in the Aosta Valley of a monoblock castle. After passing several times from the Challants to the Savoys and vice versa, the castle was used as a prison and later abandoned. In 1983, the castle and land were purchased and donated to the Region, which restored it and now uses it as an exhibition venue.
I was already pretty high up when I took the first photo. This was from a much higher climb - pant, pant, gasp, gasp.
The fat tree trunks above are actually stone!
There were many waterfalls, and almost all day, I heard babbling water which is such a peaceful sound.
Such beautiful flowers. I don't know want they are called, but I have seen lots of them here on the Francigena.
There are two little dog pilgrims above the way sign. I walked about a quarter of a mile from here and needed help figuring out whether to turn left or go straight. So I walked back up the quarter-mile hill and found a lovely couple that spoke a little English. She walked downhill with me and showed me where to go - it was left. All and all, I didn't get really lost today. That is always a blessing. The signage was pretty good, and I only made a few missteps.
So common in the house gardens that I passed by.
OMG. Am I actually coming into civilization? There was only one bar the entire way, and it was at the
3-mile mark.
A town!
This may look like an ordinary diet coke, but I am telling you that it was magical. I stumbled into this little bar, drenched with sweat and my hair plastered down - not one of my better looks. I am sure the exhaustion showed on my face because this bartender ignored these two guys who walked in before me, and with a quizzical look on her face, she asked what I wanted. She served me my Coca-Cola light and gave me ICE! Hallejuah, and praise God. I think I am going to make it.
I did have about a mile and a half to go, but it was flat. I started hiking at 8:30 am and reached the hotel at 5:10. I only took a few breaks too. I swear that I heard the sounds of Rocky when I entered the doors of Paradise (my hotel).
I had dinner with two fellow pilgrims and cousins, who checked in simultaneously. Aten from
Scotland and Bill from New Zealand. I could barely understand Aten with his heavy Scottish brogue, but he was a pleasant retired Engineer. Bill was a doctor, but it sounded more like he worked in medical research. They met as adults when their grandmother died and have hiked together many times. We had these little appetizers of local beef topped with a cheese mixture. For my entree, I had a lemon risotto that was excellent.
Until tomorrow - God bless and keep you!
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