Day 12 – Pont-Saint-Martin

It was our easiest day so far. We followed the river down the valley and had no climbs of note.

The temp reached 80 today. We liked the 60s in the Alps.

Tomorrow is Scott’s last day on the Via. I’ll see what I can do to make it really hard. 😉

Church of San Martino in Arnad. Rebuilt in 11th century after a flood destroyed the original building.
More vineyards! I’m confident Italy will never run out of wine, well, at least until my kids get here next week.
Ponte di Echallon. Built in the 18th century so it’s a baby compared to most things we saw today.
The Bard Fortress (on the hill). It’s a strategically located fort controlling access to the valley. It took Napoleon’s army of 40,000 two weeks to dislodge 400 Austrian soldiers defending it.
It takes 3 funicular rides and one elevator to get to the top of the fort. The French didn’t have the benefit of this way up. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see the fort so I took the ride. Scott opted to relax nearby instead.
One of the funiculars
View northeast from the fort looking towards the Alps. The town of Borgo di Bard in the foreground. Imagine a 40,000 person army coming at you.
View from the fort looking southwest towards our finishing town
The first Roman road of this journey. It won’t be the last.
This part of the Roman road carved out of stone in the first century BCE. You can see the wagon ruts worn into it over the years.
Roman bridge at the center of Pont Saint Martin. It dates back to the first century AD.
A video from the Ponte di Eschallon

Today’s Data

Starting Temp: 67

Finishing Temp: 80

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