day 46 - Massa to Pietrasanta - day 13 for 2026

day 46 - day 13 for 2026

Saturday, 9 May 2026

Massa to Pietrasanta - 17 km today

1 047 km on my Via Francigena before today

      17 km for today

1 064 km on my Via Francigena (250 km for 2026)

We start at 06h30 at a cafe in Piazza Duomo and cappuccino. Some 3 km after setting off we start up a steepish road and soon are directed up a steep goat like track. Reaching the summit we see down into an abyss: a steep descent closed over by the trees giving little light. Towards the bottom the trees change to very tall bamboo and we use these to hold to preserve our footing. For us this is slow going. But by mid afternoon I meet an 82 year old Switzer who has completed 26 km today, including the section we found hard today.

On the outskirts of Camaiore, Nadine and I chat. I had told her last night I would finish this year at Lucca in two days. The chat now is should I stay at Camaiore tonight and on Monday bus to Lucca where we catch up and farewell.

I quickly agree as tomorrow is an 18 km day and we don’t know what difficulties will be ahead. We continue into Camaiore and find an open bar with a range of lunch food and partake. About noon Nadine continues the 6 km to her hostel for the night. Not much later an image showing a terrible surface to climb up and just now (three hours later) 8one to say “It's great, it's nice to have company. I arrived safely and I'm all alone.”

I get a bed in a hostel at Camaiore and will shortly go out to check the bus stop for tomorrow.

And so to our own beds.