First whole day on the Via del Volto Santo, also known as the Via Francigena of the mountains, because it connects two cities on the Via Francigena, Pontremoli and Lucca, by a longer and more mountainous route than the main trail. None of the walkers we met in the hostel in Aulla had ever heard of it, but this mountain variant deserves more attention than it gets! It takes you through remote little villages of the Lunigiana and then the Garfagnana regions, beautiful places where no tourists go. It involves a lot more up-and-down than the regular route, and demands good solid hiking boots as the paths are very rocky. In addition, it is best undertaken in good weather, as many spots are muddy even now and would be practically impassable on or after a rainy day. It also requires some basic meal planning, as many of the villages the trail passes through have no shops or restaurants. There are however plenty of agriturismi, campgrounds and hotels along the route - no shortage of places to stay! And the trail is well-maintained and well-marked, with daubs of blue paint of no particular shape, which occasionally evolve into more sophisticated symbols (as in the photo below).
After leaving Pontebosio we spent most of the day in the woods, sheltered from the sun. We walked along the top of a narrow ridge with calanchi (hoodoos) on either side and passed through the village of Olivola, somehow missed the hamlet of Saldina by taking a path through the brambles, were barked at by dogs in Piano di Collecchia, then climbed up a path through the woods to the Santuario della Madonna dei Colli, shut up and deserted. We stopped for a bite to eat on the grass by the church then continued along a forest path to the pretty village of Moncigoli. One kilometre down the road from here, a path through the vineyards brought us to Posara, after which we followed the paved road to Fivizzano. We arrived hot and sweaty after walking uphill on the asphalt in the afternoon sun, and checked into our suite at the Albergo Diffuso Cento Borghi. This brand new hotel has rooms in various buildings in the historic town centre: for 25 euros each, we have a twin bedroom, a sitting room and a large bathroom on the top floor of a historic building just off the main square!
We even have an exercise bike - in case we decide we haven't had enough exercise today!!
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Pontebosio: the castle
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Olivola
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Olivola
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Posara
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Posara
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Winding our way up to Fivizzano
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Our room in the Albergo Diffuso Cento Borghi
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Pontebosio - Fivizzano 17.5 km
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