Via Francigena Part 10 route map |
River Po ~ Piacenza ~ Fidenza ~ Cassio ~ Passo della Cisa |
Distance: 192km (1,509/1,900km) |
S l o w time: 9 days |
A pilgrim river boat | Old towns of Emilia-Romagna | The Apennines |
Let’s start this one right here: this is our THIRD mountain range on the Via Francigena. THIRD! We can hardly believe it but it’s true. First there was the lush Jura Mountains, back in the borderlands of France and Switzerland. Then of course the Alps. And now we cross the Apennines, the ‘spine’ of Italy that runs down the whole country for 1,500km, reaching 2,912m.
Yeah, the Via Francigena is really quite hilly!
But it turns out, days spent in the mountains are now our favourite parts of this walk. We wouldn’t have thought that before we started, but there’s just something so magical about going over a mountain range on foot. You push yourself to an uncomfortable point, and then you get the best sights, the best memories – and THE best feeling.
But before all that, the walk over the Apennines starts with a boat ride. We arrived at the river Po to a wonky pontoon with a half-sunk raft next to it – a bad start. But bang on time a speedboat appeared, merrily taking us the 10 minutes or so out of Lombardy and into Emilia-Romagna. The ferryman then chivvied us to his house, telling what we think were risqué Italian jokes, before he stamped our passports with a timbro made from a table leg and sent us on our way.
THAT is how you arrive in the Apennines on the Via Francigena.
From the river we walked through sweet green countryside to the towns of Piacenza and Fidenza, Romanesque little worlds with crumbling archways and old stone churches set in wide piazzas. In Fidenza the cathedral has St Peter carved into the façade, pointing you to Rome. It was a reminder: we were closing in on the last 500km, which absurdly now seemed quite a short distance. (Another thing we never thought we’d say).
All along, the squiggle of hills ahead became larger and clearer. There was one moment when crossing the River Taro that felt like a sudden change of wind direction: out of the flatlands and blown back to the mountains. We took a deep breath, feeling ready to begin those climbs once more.
But, ha we weren’t – our first mountain day from Fidenza to Cassio was our first steady uphill in weeks, and we had completely forgotten how tough it can be. The Apennine Via Francigena follows narrow-ish uphill tracks and we got hopelessly hot, slipping around on the loose, dry earth. We kept on though, sweaty and slow, catching hopeful glimpses of green covered mountaintops. And little things stood out: a woman from Parma holidaying in the mountains gave us coffee as we walked by. (This actually happens quite often, thank God).
But the thing about mountain walking is it gets much more enjoyable the more you do it. So either the route got easier or we adjusted, but walking in the Apennines from Cassio soon became a dream: the paths became shaded and sweet smelling of pine, the mornings pink and balmy. The Via Francigena here periodically breaks out of the woods to trip along ridges and open mountain spaces. The fields and forests there were either deep evergreen or a soft gold, the tiniest hint of Autumn in the air – the perks of walking in August.
The peak of our Apennines reached 1,229m at the top of Monte Valoria. We got to it early one morning after leaving the mountain town of Berceto. And looking down on the crinkled landscape around us I kid you not, it was an actual moment of clarity. About the days of sweaty clothes, tired legs and teary early mornings all being just passing discomforts that layer up into one incredible self-affirming adventure.
That’s mountain walking for you.
We eventually descended a bit to the actual Passo della Cisa – a one-street affair with coffee, cyclists – and the end of the mountains once again.
So the Apennines are babies when compared to the Alps. But you still get the same feeling of clear-headedness, the same feeling of exertion and excitement when you climb them. And there’s something so serene, so rolling, and so pretty about them that they really give you something new entirely. We walked for one golden week in the Apennines, and it felt great.
Perfect for a week’s escape if you’re interested…
Now in the middle of the pandemic, I am planning and dreaming about doing the VF. I have the Terre Di Mezzo book for the Italy piece…but what did you use for Switzerland? We hope to begin in Lausanne…
Hi Kathy, we used the Lightfoot Guide for Switzerland, along with the Cicerone VF Part 1 by Alison Raju. Good luck!