August 25, 2024
One of the advantages of seeing the world by foot is experiencing the changes in scenery as you hike. Sometimes, the changes are gradual. Other times, like when we entered California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains on the Pacific Crest Trail, it seemed like a switch had been flipped from dry desert to lush mountains and rivers in front of our eyes.
After crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass from Switzerland to Italy during our first six days on the Via Francigena, we trekked through another great scenery change from the high mountains of the Alps to the flatlands of the fertile Po Valley. We also experienced a rich sample of history. Along the way we passed medieval churches, crossed Roman-era bridges, and viewed mighty castles perched strategically high on mountains and hillsides.
Making our Way Down to a Rest Day
After climbing over the Great St. Bernard Pass, we entered Italy’s Aosta Valley region and made our way to the village of Saint Rhemy for the night. The book we had purchased suggested spending the night at the pass. Instead, we decided to hike four additional miles (and 3,000 feet of steep elevation loss) further. This was to save our legs for the next stage with even more descent.
The next morning we continued our trek downhill. Early in the stage we passed by a sign indicating we had “only” 1,005 km (625 miles) to go to Rome!
Trail signs pointing us toward Rome
As we descended, we continued to look back at the mountains. It was hard to believe that we had been hiking up there just the previous day.
In 14.7 miles we lost another 4,000 feet of elevation while walking through a combination of small villages and forested paths along an irrigation stream.
At times, we descended steeply, even walking down actual stairs.
We had clear and warm weather, with impressive views of the mountains. The Sant’Illario Church in the village of Gignod provided us with a perfect mix of history and nature in one photo.
Our hike ended in the city of Aosta, the capital of Italy’s Aosta Valley region. The city of 125,000 people has a series of pedestrian streets that we walked through as we arrived in the city.
We took a rest day in Aosta and spent some time viewing both Roman structures dating as far back as 35 BC, and 11th century churches and cathedrals. One of the city’s most famous Roman structures, the Arch of Augustus, was totally covered in scaffolding, so we couldn’t take a photo of it.
Images of the city of Aosta
Trekking High above the Aosta Valley, passing Churches, Castles, and a Ghost Town
After our rest day, we set off on a long 17.3-mile stage. We primarily trekked east above the Aosta Valley, with mountains on both sides of us.
There was a little rain in the morning, but it cleared up later to provide us with nice views of the mountains and the Dora Baltea River valley floor. The 110-mile river is a tributary of the Po River, the longest in Italy.
As we hiked on the Via Francigena, we soon discovered that the route does a great job of taking you past the historic structures in each village. As light rain fell, we walked by Saint Barthelemy Church above the village of Nus.
Also on route was the Quart Castle, which was originally built in the 12th century.
It was our longest stage to date, but the mountain views captivated us as we trekked.
When we hike, our best progress is usually in the morning. After lunch the miles seem to take forever. With just a few miles left to go on this stage, we stopped to look at the route on my phone to determine how much climbing was left for us to complete.
Toward the end of the day we passed a ghost-village of decaying buildings. The 17th century structures were part of an agricultural community that was eventually abandoned because of lack of water.
Our stage ended in the town of Chatillon. It sits at the junction of the Aosta Valley and a high valley leading to the Matterhorn.
From our hotel room we could see the Ussel Castle perched high above the city. First constructed in the 14th century, its location was chosen for strategic control of the area.
Early the next morning, we passed the 100-mile point on our planned 700-mile trek to Rome. We also turned to hike from east to south as we continued to make our way out of the Italian Alps.
The stage was only 10.8 miles, but had over 2,000 feet of elevation gain, as we had to navigate several steep uphill and downhill sections. While we still had mountain views, we also enjoyed some shady forest hiking.
Forest hiking
Since leaving the pass marking the border of Switzerland and Italy, the trail markings had changed from Swiss Route 70 to either trail 3 or 103. Although the turn markings were improved from Switzerland, we used our devices to double-check the route direction.
Signs on the route
Every so often we would pass an enchanting medieval church or castle. Perched on a hill above a narrow gorge stood the 12th century castle and church of Saint-Germain.
We enjoyed walking on an old Roman road where we could see the worn rock from the wheels that had traveled on it over the centuries. It got very hot (high 80°s F) during the last couple of steep climbs, but we completed our stage in the city of Verres by 2:30pm.
Since we had entered Italy we had less reliable fountain water access than in Switzerland. Village fountains we saw in Italy either indicated that the water was not potable or it did not look clean enough to risk it. Instead, we discovered water refill vending machines for $0.07 EUR per liter (about $0.08 USD). This one, seen in Verres, even had a choice between natural or sparkling water refills.
Mellowing Mountains and a Historical Stage
After the long and steep stages of the previous days, we had a welcome short and easy 10.1-mile day that was packed with historic sites and beauty. It was one of our favorite stages of the entire section. As we hiked south, the mountains continued to mellow.
Our walk took us down to the valley floor and along the Dora Baltea River.
We crossed the river on the Ponte di Echallod, which may have been around in Roman times, although the current construction was from the 18th century.
As if crossing one historic bridge was not enough, we came to the Borgo di Bard village with another beautiful bridge and medieval-themed street.
High above us was a fortress. A building has been at this site since the 11th century, and the current structure is now a museum.
Still further along, we came to another section of ancient road, with a milestone and arch from the Roman era.
Soon after walking through the arch we ended our day at the city of Pont-Saint-Martin.
We began our last stage in the Alps the next day. When we left Pont-Saint-Martin, we walked across a bridge that originated from the Roman era. With the mountains and buildings around the bridge, it was a gorgeous scene.
As we trekked, we watched the terrain change from rolling hills to flatter land with palm trees.
We kept looking back to savor the view as the mountains grew smaller on the horizon.
Early in the stage the route took us through a series of steep ascents and descents in a rocky forest. At the top of one climb we reached the border of the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. Piedmont is the second-largest of Italy’s 20 regions, after Sicily.
Another section provided a rope for support on the steep decline.
Steep downhill section and rope for assistance
Later, we walked through vineyards, with the occasional castle and village on our route.
Castles spotted on route
It was a hot day, and we reached the city of Ivera and the end of our stage with a temperature reading of 90°F and a heat index of 92°F.
Ivera has a long history, with settlements dating from the 5th century BC. Before checking into our hotel we took a brief look at the city’s castle and cathedral.
Ivera castle and cathedral
More recently Ivera was the birthplace of the Olivetti typewriter in 1908. Our hotel had an old typewriter displayed in our room.
Leaving the Mountains and arriving in the Po Valley
Our 13.4-mile stage the next day took us through a transition zone from the foothills of the Alps toward the flatlands of the Po Valley farmlands. We spent most of the stage hiking through villages with views of the countryside around us.
Even the smallest village had a church, and several that we saw were Romanesque-style from the 11th and 12th centuries.
Village churches
Nearing the Po Valley floor, we began to walk through rice paddies, corn fields, and vineyards. Extending about 400 miles from east to west, it is one of the most important agricultural regions in Europe.
Later, we came across a herd of cows grazing with their large bells ringing – something we had seen numerous times in the past when we trekked through Austria and Switzerland.
At the end of the day we passed by the Lago di Viverone before arriving at our small B&B in a beautiful farmhouse in Roppolo, population 877.
When we booked our accommodations for this section of the Via Francigena, we chose a combination of hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs. Most of them included breakfast. Some breakfast start times meant leaving later than we would have liked, due to the warm weather. But eating a full breakfast made the hiking so much easier.
We entered the agricultural Po Valley in earnest after hiking through Cavaglia, the last village in the foothills.
Views of the village of Cavaglia
Once we left Cavaglia and started walking through the flat fields of corn and rice, we made good time and finished the 9.8-mile stage by noon.
After we arrived in the city of Santhia, we boarded a train to Turin. It is the capital of the Piedmont region of Italy, and we spent some time in the afternoon walking along the grand boulevards and exploring the large squares of Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello.
Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello in Turin
Turin is our jumping off point for a four-day break from hiking after completing 157 miles since leaving Montreux, Switzerland. Our break includes a train trip south to the Mediterranean coast. We will spend time sightseeing there, including a day trip to Monaco.
The dramatic transformation of Italian scenery from the high Alps over 8,000 feet to the flat Po Valley farmland unfolded over six stages and 76 miles of trekking. As we hiked through that changing terrain we saw a stunning combination of Roman-era bridges and roads, along with historic villages, dotted with churches and castles. Each day the variety of natural and cultural sights held our interest as we trekked.
After our Mediterranean break we will return to hike our next 170-mile Via Francigena section through the Po Valley and into the foothills of the Apennine Mountains.
Watch our recap video of this trail section: