A very short day, just more than 10km and more or less no elevation. The plan was to get to Torre d’Isola, eat lunch and catch the 1.30 bus back to Pavia. From today onwards, I am no longer following the Via Francigena, but instead the Via Francisca del Lucomagno. It is an ancient Roman-Longobard route – historically documented – which leads from Constance in central Europe to Pavia via Switzerland, covering in total 510km, the 138 of which are in Italy. I will be walking to Chur in Switzerland. The route is of historical importance as it is the shortest route over the Alps to the Po Valley. I will be walking in the reverse direction, as most walk this route and from Pavia continue to Rome along the Via Francigena.
I left at around 9.30 am and walked towards the river Ticino. I took a detour to the covered bridge, Ponte Coperto. The bridge is over 200m long divided into five arches and a trussed roof supported by columns that completely covers it. It was rebuilt after being more or less destroyed by bombing during the Second World War based on the design from the 14th-century. It is said that the bridge was originally built by the Devil, in exchange for the first soul to cross it. Thanks to the help of the Archangel Gabriel, however, the plan was foiled, and is today a symbol of hope and faith. In the middle of the bridge there is a small chapel.
I continued on a path next to the river, a pleasant walk mostly on dirt paths.
The last 3kms were hugging the edge of a road as I passed through the last suburbs of Pavia, followed by fields as I reached Torre d’Isola. I passed a field full of poppies, and just as I was about to take a picture saw something move in the middle of the field. A girl in a red dress, taking pictures of herself surrounded by poppies!
Torre d’Isola is a small village with a large 17th century stately home, and nice town hall and a restaurant where I had lunch – risotto, pasta and a tart.
I took the bus back and wandered around Pavia the rest of the afternoon, strolling through the old town, with its pedestrian streets and many squares ….
its cathedral, …
and not least the university courtyards – one of the oldest universities in Italy.
I missed the Visconti Castle, but Pavia certainly seems like a place worth coming back to.