Day58 Pont St Martin to Ivrea – Italian 101!

Ok, first – two thumbs up to La Casello for a great night sleep in a super clean private room and a lovely balcony where we could have a take out pizza for supper. Funny thing – the only restaurant open in town was a NY Pizza restaurant – but the pizza was fast and excellent.

We woke refreshed and had a great breakfast with Prosciutto and homemade jam and both chocolate and strawberry croissants, bread, butter, coffee, and two fruit juices. We left satisfied.

Our walk began by walking past the Roman bridge again. And then we did climb a bit. The overall day was nice mix of trails and road. Throw a few castle and mountains in and that more or less sums up the sights for the day.

The highlight today was the wonderful company. We met 4 Italians hiking and they kindly took us under their wing. We learned more Italian words as they were very patient with us.

After stopping for some amazing gelato for lunch (yes,…we had ice cream for lunch – remember this is a no-judgement blog), we had become fast friends. I was sorry to see them all go home and maybe a little bit jealous too. They were all on a short pilgrimage.

Other than learn some Italian we did have a special treat. I don’t know why I asked but I did.

“Do you sing”

“Si”

“Can you sing some Italian songs?”

“Ah, Yes, …do you know ‘Volare’?”

<Mark bellows>. “VOLARE!….o o o o!”

…and for the next several minutes we were treated to Italian songs and lots of laughter.

Not to worry, we were asked to sing as well and we resorted to children’s songs and we all had a good laugh.

Later in the day we danced together to some 50’s Rock and Roll just for the fun of it. We have very few pictures of ourselves but Giovanna was kind to share a few she took. The smiles say it all.

Finally we arrived in Ivrea, unsuccessfully looked for a stamp for our pilgrim credential at the cathedral, and it was time for them to head to the train station.

For us it was time to find our Ostello. This was an odd one. It is a standard Ostello in many ways but it is also a whitewater kayak center. Imagine that combination?

For only the second time we also had a self-cooked pilgrim dinner. Allison and I made a pancetta, zucchini, tomato pasta dish and we all had fun through the evening.

We’ve also made a decision driven mainly by some minor frustration finding lodging. We are going to make the next three days into two. That means some long days, yes, but at least we have some lodging.

FYI. We said goodbye to the Alps today. They are still beside us, but they’ve turned into hills nearby. In the next week we face a tough mental challenge – the flat plains of the Po valley. It’s the last mental obstacle, but those that know me will understand that this will be tough for me. Allison will struggle as well, but without a physical challenge I know I not be a happy camper. Prayers please.