Hiking – Page 2 – Following your feet

Day 173: Sementina to Acquarossa

The sun was shining this morning, which was a nice way to start a day where I will, depending on my legs, walk 42kms. As I get closer to the Alps, there is a gradual elevation from 230 to 570m. If my legs aren’t up to it, I can catch a bus and make up…

Day 172: Rivera to Sementina

Sementina is a kilometer or so off the trail, just outside Bellinzona, but I chose it to overnight after a short stage (18km) as there is a Tibetan suspension bridge close by (3km and 300m climb away) which I wanted to walk over. My worst fears for the day were confirmed when I woke up…

Day 171: Ponte Tresa to Rivera

Welcome to Switzerland and welcome to the rain. After a more or less rain-free walk for two weeks, and as soon as I enter Switzerland, it rains. It was a 5 minute walk to the border withe Switzerland. Walking was quicker than driving with a long queue of Italian cars driving into Switzerland, probably for…

Day 170: Santa Maria del Monte to Ponte Tresa

It was quiet at the top of the sacred mountain of Varese, and I had a good nights sleep. After a solid breakfast I was soon on my way. Walking up the mountain yesterday, I was thinking I could have taken the bus and funicular up and walked down today. Today the bus departures were…

Day 169: Castiglione Olona to Santa Maria del Monte

A yoghurt, donut and bottle of pear juice were the sum of this morning’s breakfast – not great, and my early morning nourishment as I set off on day 14. I walked back to the old village. It was packed with stands selling all sorts of art and second hand stuff. There were already quite…

Day 168: Buscate to Castiglione Olona

My 13th day walking and another bright and sunny day as I rose for breakfast. More UAE cyclists turned up for breakfast, probably flying into the close at hand Malpensa airport. After an excellent breakfast, I walked through town, which didn’t seem to consist of much more than a main street. Only the baker and…

Day 167: Morimondo to Buscate

I woke this morning, and was surprised to see that a market was being set up on the square in front of the hotel. I hadn’t heard a thing. At breakfast I met the two other walkers who stayed here last night. The Italian lady left just as I arrived for breakfast, whilst a Swiss…

Day 166: Torre d’Isola to Morimondo

I was up early this morning, and off to the laundrette, before joining a long queue at the bakers, having breakfast and saying hello to the owner of the room I was staying. She had sent me lots of info about Pavia during my 3 day stay. I took the bus just after 10am, back…

Day 165: Pavia to Torre d’Isola

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…

Day 164: Chignolo Po to Pavia

It was 40kms from Chignolo Po to Pavia. As I left this morning, I was planning on doing 22km to Belgioioso, but I ended walking to Pavia. A very long day, but a day where I met several other walkers, mostly from Holland. I was staying in Pavia and therefore needed to take the train…

Day 163: Piacenza to Chignolo Po

A long, pleasant stage, primarily walking on a poppy lined dike close to the river Po. The B&B had an excellent breakfast and I was met by a warm and sunny morning as I left the B&B. A couple of kilometers through the outskirts of Piacenza, passing the station, before crossing the ca. 2km long…

Day 162: Roveleto to Piacenza

After 6 days averaging 30km a day, 17km should have been easy. I left a 8am and arrived at 12.30, so it was pretty much as expected. But perhaps the most boring stage ever – which is partly my own fault. But a nice afternoon in Piacenza, made up for the walk. As is often…

Day 161: Fidenza to Rovoleto

After leaving the Apennines behind in Fidenza, I enter the Po valley where I will walk for the next seven days. I can understand why I have met a number of people starting in Fidenza going south, today’s stage is as fat as a pancake, where the biggest climbs were the overpasses over the motorway/railway…

Day 160: Fornovo di Taro to Fidenza

I left the B&B after a good breakfast, 30 minutes after my Italian fellow resident. It was a steep downhill into Fornovo di Taro and the bridge across the relatively wide river Taro. I visited a church in town, before crossing the bridge. I then followed the river on small dirt paths for the next…

Day 159: Berceto to Fornovo di Taro

After a good nights sleep, it was sunny but cold as I went down for a pleasant breakfast. As promised The owner of the agritourismo drove me to top of the hill, and dropped me off at the spot where I left the Via Francigena yesterday, thus cutting 150 steep meters and 1,6km off todays…

Day 156: Sarzana to Fornoli

I’d left Copenhagen on Sunday morning, flying into Milan, busing to the central station and taking a train to La Spezia, on the edge of Cinque Terre. This was my third time in La Spezia. First time was in March 2024, after walking the fabulous Via della Costa. I returned last September (2025) to continue…

Day 155: La Storta to St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican

My last day, a mere 19km plus the 1,5 km to the stage start from the hotel. The stage ends in the Vatican City. I fear the worst regarding crowds on a Saturday in the Jubilee year, but let’s see. The day started with a good breakfast and excellent home made lemon yoghurt. I ate…

Day 154: Campagnano di Roma to La Storta

On paper it was a 22km route with almost 500m elevation. I had an additional 1,5 km to the hotel, but still managed to walk 26km without getting lost at any point. The room I stayed in last night, didn’t offer breakfast, so I ate some the cake that the host had left in the…

Day 153: Sutri to Campagnano di Roma

Another hot and sunny morning met me as I left the hotel after a relatively simple breakfast and a chat with a man who had lived at the hotel for over a month now – he normally lived in Rome, but had temporarily moved to Sutri for personal reasons. I walked out of town towards…

Day 152: Viterbo to Sutri

It was supposed to be 32km but I ended up walking 37km, was shattered, and when I finally reached Sutri, I was told that the place I thought I had booked to stay, was full. The day ended on a high with a spectacular firework display in a Roman Amphitheater. Viterbo to Sutri is two…

Day 150: Aquapendente to Bolsena

Another fairly short day, 23km and 350m elevation. Once the sun broke through the low lying fog, it was a hot and sunny, as I walk towards the medieval town of Bolsena and its volcanic lake. I stopped at the bar for a croissant and coffee, as the hostel I stayed at didn’t serve breakfast.…