- day 36 - day 3 for 2026
- Wednesday, 29 April
- Fiorenzuola d’Arda to Fidenza – 22 km today
- 864 km on my Via Francigena
- 22 km for today
- 886 km on my Via Francigena (48 km for 2026)
Nadine and I meet in front of the Cathedral at 07h and are off. Again she has her maps well trained and I follow behind. About 10 minutes later Nadine stumbles on the uneven paving blocks. No cuts or abrasions and she soon recovers – we set off lentement (slowly).
Today is again fields but with a difference – some are bare, some have long shallow runs for about 100 metres, some are having water pumped into these runnels, some have shoots about 100 mm high and others have growth beyond a metre. My guess is to stagger the effort for both irrigation drawdown and planting now in Spring and for cultivation in Autumn.
Our walking rate matches our years and I am content. Despite being well into the country side our first stop after 7 km for a mid morning break comes on the bright side of 09h We encounter 1 couple leaving as we arrive and a second couple arrive as we leave. So six of us underway and there was a couple leaving the cathedral area well before our departure time. So eight knowns so far.
Shortly before our lunch stop a relative youngster catches us. This is Lassie (as I heard his name, from Norway. We exchange pleasantries, including his departure time of 08h45, before he quickly disappears, as it seems, into the distance.
Lunch at Castione Marchesi had a promise of goodness as at least two restaurants are shown on the map, but it is not to be. We do find a bake house that does ginormous pizza – one just orders the size you want cut off. The manager does us proud and set up a table and two chairs out of the sun ans it is 12h30. We have done OK for 15 km.
When we are done and ready to push-off it is 12h15. The heat of the day is getting to us both and we stop for a 30 minute siesta in a shaded place. The heat is slowing us both down and we find reasons to stop under trees to check our maps against the Via Francigena signs.
At about 15h30 we arrive at a cafe and enjoy a made on the spot orange juice and “frizzante” water before going to our respective lodgings.
And so to bed.
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