Day 21 - Cassio to Berceto - Sunday July 5, 2015

I think yesterday I may have accentuated the negative by eliminating the positive.

The scenery along the way, notably at all the ridges and high points was absolutely magnificent. 

The via Francigena is not only going to important historical and religious sites, but important archaeological sites as well. Finally, as mentioned previously, there are some very impressive houses right along the route, which one can admire.

The climbs are very strenuous, but we have been walking for 3 weeks now, and are in pretty good condition at this point. It is also a major heat wave in Europe, but the heat is probably worse in Canada because of the humidity. I said this to the fellow from New York yesterday, and he groaned and said it was humid here, but honestly, the humidity here is nothing compared to Ottawa.

My heat rash is cured. I started using aloe vera for body lotion after talking to the Belgium pilgrim Anna. Once I thought about it, she was recommending calomine lotion, but I don’t think that would work – the rash wasn’t itchy. In any event, it has cleared up, without cortisone lotion!

My foot problem is also much better. Probably from a combination of conditioning and my new approach of putting the heel guard right in my sock, and only if the foot gets sore.

Russell just trudges along without too much complaining. When he does complain, he says ‘don’t put that in the blog’.

Last night in the hostel on the second floor, with no air conditioner, no fan, and with almost no windows was very hot. We ended up leaving our room door open to get some air circulation. Neither of sleep much.

We didn’t set the alarm because we only had 10.5km to go today, but we were up early anyway and at breakfast at 7:30am. We weren’t too sure if breakfast was included because we had to go up to the bar, but it was. We just didn’t get too much. Cappuccino, a croissant and an orange. We were on the way at 8am.

We started off along the SS 62 to Cavazzola. At this point a fellow drove away from his house and his two dogs came running down the highway after him.  He stopped and walked them back home.

We then went off into the woods along a steep incline of 110 meters to Castellonchio. After a bit of a descent along a flagstone paved road through the town, we stopped at a beautiful trattoria and had the best cappuccino we’ve had so far in Italy, and some wonderful cookies. The view was magnificent. After a short walk along the highway, we climbed through a field another 100 meters to the top of Monte Marino, walked along a ridge with more magnificent views, then made out way to another narrow path through the woods. The route notes were talking about us having to cross a series of thorny fences, which had us intrigued! It turned out to be barbed wire fences. Some of which we had to climb over, but we have lots of experience with that doing the Dingle Way.

We next exited on the SS 62 again for a stretch, where Russell seems to have disturbed a wasp hive. We still had some of that sugar water, and were swarmed by wasps for a while. They were so distracting we missed our exit into the woods and had to turn around and go back a short piece. We finally seemed to shake the wasps.

We had another climb coming into Berceto, which afforded a magnificent view of the city. I was trying to find the cathedral, which I expected would be the highest point in the city, but a castle obliterated our view!

We went past a shrine to San Moderanno (Archbishop of Rennes, and from 718 to 745 abbot of Berceto). People were leaving offerings to him at the shrine, and the lady at our B&B told us it was because there had been an infestation during his time that he was attributed to ending, and ever since people have left offerings to him to ward off any further infestations.

This is a beautiful town. We went past Largo Castello of the Rossi Earls, which dates back to the 1100’s. It is very well preserved and restoration work is being done on it.

Our B&B’s breakfast room contains an arch cellar and stable which once belonged to the ancient houses of the medieval castle.

Berceto on the via Francigena is linked to a Benedictine abbey built in the 8^th century by Longobard King Luiprand requested by Moderanus the bishop of Rennes. The Cathedral dates back to 718, and was devoted to Saint Moderanno. The museum had St. Moderanno’s green silk vestment dating back to  8^th century. We toured the Cathedral, and could have gotten a stamp at the information center, but it closed at 12:30pm today and isn’t open tomorrow.

It’s a festival Day here today. Commemorating the end of the infestation, with several masses at the cathedral and a procession down the via Francigena. We didn’t go to the mass because it would have been in Italian, but did see some of the procession going past our B&B to the Cathedral, which is two houses down.