DAY 96 – GARLASCO TO PAVIA

Leaving our hotel – which had a Bluthner piano in the foyer – it was in tune too!

The manager of our hotel was very helpful and suggested two restaurants within a short walk which were open on Mondays, when many places are closed. We had to negotiate a road improvement scheme to get there, with no provision at all for pedestrians, so it was tricky to say the least! The seafood place we opted for was a good choice and worth the risks of getting there.

This morning’s breakfast was good and available from 0700, so we were able to make another early start, heading back into town to pick up the Via Francigena. The streets were busy with children being dropped off at school and adults heads down on the way to work.

Once out of town we were back into farmland and following farm tracks, walking under a grey sky which also meant it was warmer than the last few clear mornings. There seemed to be even more hedges and woodland than yesterday, providing more variety of scenery than the flat expanses of rice paddies further north.

After a kilometre or so we joined a path alongside the Cavour canal, which we later learned was constructed in the 1860s. It made for easy level walking, and we made good progress.

Early morning walking along the Cavour canal
An elaborate set of sluice gates to control flow on the Cavour canal
Booms on the canal – probably to enable removal of vegetation when the banks of the numerous side channels are trimmed

At around 1000 we arrived in Gropello Cairoli and were spoiled for choice of cafes, with at least four along the main street. We turned down the suggestion of croissants filled with flavoured cream (too sweet) but opted instead for a slightly tart jam biscuit which goes down well with cafe latte.

Gropello Cairoli’s war memorial with recently refreshed flowers

At the end of the main street the 17th century church of San Rocco confessore serves as a roundabout, which makes getting to it a bit tricky as there is no provision for pedestrians. It appeared well cared for, and had some elaborate murals. We were intrigued by the four silver-gilt busts behind the altar, and wondered whether they are perhaps of popes or cardinals?

Immediately behind the church we came upon two police cars with flashing lights, two policeman redirecting traffic, two men in orange hi-viz jackets, and three other men…one of whom was marking up a hole in the road. How many men does it take to mark up a pothole? Seven apparently!! What a contrast with the roadworks in Garlasco which must have broken all health and safety rules and certainly didn’t keep pedestrians safe.

How many men does it take to mark out one small pothole?!

Back out in farmland Tom saw some chub 6-10 inches long in one of the streams, the Roggia Castellana. These were the first fish we’d seen anywhere in the Po valley so far. The chub were rising to something that Tom was unable to identify. Further downstream on the same river there were also carp weighing 2-4 pounds. Unfortunately the i-pad lens wasn’t able to produce a convincing picture!

The stream with carp

After another couple of kilometres we were surprised to be confronted by a village on a hill, the first higher ground we’ve seen in several days. We were going to sit by the bridge below the village to eat our sandwiches, but as soon we as sat down and opened up our sandwiches the flies descended on us so we carried on up the hill into the village.

Our first choice of lunch spot was the bridge

Villanova d’Ardenghi was very quiet as it was by now lunchtime, but the church was open. Again, it looked to be well used and well cared for. Behind the altar were the same four busts we’d seen in Gropello, still without anything to identify who they represent.

Along the main street we were about to sit on a bench to eat our sandwiches when a van parked right in front of it. Slightly miffed, we decided to walk on, but were greeted warmly by the driver who turned out to be a very interesting man. Claudio told us he had worked in the Congo where he had offered his skills to train locals in construction skills. He had to learn some French, and was amused to have been a student alongside school age children. Claudio said he had been invited to stay in the most simple of homes, and commented on the generosity of people who have the least material wealth. He told us that he was not in good health now and asked us to say a prayer for him when we get to Rome, and we will gladly be doing that for him.

Lunch on one of several benches in the main street of Villanova d’Ardenghi

Down the road we saw one of the few butterflies still around and making the most of the late autumn sunshine. This one was sufficiently sluggish to allow its photograph to be taken – unlike those we saw back in the summer which flitted away before we could get close enough.

Red admiral butterfly sunning itself
More road walking through farmland

After another short stretch of walking on roads through farmland the route took us off-road into the Carbonara Al Ticino: not a type of pasta(!) but an extensive area of woodland nature reserve alongside the Ticino river, a tributary of the river Po.

Tom checking out the opposite bank for kingfisher nest holes
How better to spend a fine autumn afternoon than fishing/ canoeing/ sitting on a houseboat on this beautiful river?
Walking along the wooded riverbank

After about 6 kilometres walking alongside or close to the river the nature reserve morphed into parkland on the outskirts of Pavia. There were several active canoe clubs near the city, with tramlines and winches for lowering in and hauling out the boats, and signs warning us not to trip over the ferrata.

Closing in on the city of Pavia

The pedestrian entry to Pavia is via the Ponte Coperto, the covered bridge first erected in Roman times, but this one is a reconstruction of a 1351 rebuild. Apparently there is still a central pillar of the Roman bridge visible at low water, indicating that the river has changed its course over time. The medieval bridge was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War but was faithfully rebuilt. It has a plaque commemorating a visit by Albert Einstein who stayed with his parents here in Pavia for a short time.

Ponte Coperto Pavia, with the dome of the Duomo on the other bank

Our B&B was a short walk through cobbled back streets, to the north west of the Duomo, near to the main railway station. As is common here, the apartment is tucked away on a courtyard behind small suites of professional offices facing onto the street. We were pleased to get there after a fairly long day’s walk.

Highlights of the day: talking with Claudio, walking through the nature reserve alongside the river Ticino and seeing some fish in the irrigation channels at last!



Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *