Day 19 – Aulla

Thunderstorms this morning, so instead of sitting around, I took a train forward to Aulla and checked-in early to my small apartment.

It stopped raining in the early afternoon, so I headed out and did an out-and-back hike on the Via route. A little unorthodox, but it worked great. Got to enjoy a nice hike in nice weather.

Q: Bill, this pilgrimage seems really pretty. Is this the prettiest route you’ve walked?

Every route that I’ve done has some amazing beauty, but this route has the most back-to-back beautiful stages. The days that Scott and I walked together were amazing, and the ones I’m doing now are too.

That said, I skipped some of the ugly stages intentionally. The flat rice and corn fields of the Piedmont region are pretty boring. I’ve talked to several pilgrims who either skipped those stages, or wish they had.

Generally, the worst stages of the various routes are when you enter or exit a large city. Walking outside of Burgos, Leon, Porto and Lisbon was pretty dreary. Because of this, on this trip, I’ve decided to skip the outskirts of Lucca and Rome.

Breakfast with Zelko and Sue from Perth. I met them a few days ago. Like me, they adjusted their plans today due to the rain. They decided to take an unplanned rest day.
Pontremoli
Much of today’s trail was steep and through a forest
Aulla. It looks nice here but it’s my least favorite town so far. Busy with cars. Modern. Very few restaurants and bars. Really hard to walk around. I feel like I’m dodging cars every time I go out. Not recommended.
Approaching Bibola
Bibola Castle
View from the castle
In case you want the history of the castle. Read in Italian or English depending on your preference.
Tuna with grilled onions, fresh tomatoes and lettuce in olive oil. Went outside my comfort zone for this one, but it was a winner.
Tagliolino in pesto sauce. Loved this too. FWIW… this was the only restaurant in town that looked half decent, and it proved to be excellent.
Here’s a restaurant I decided not to go to. I thought my food photos might get my blog blocked.

Today’s Data

5 thoughts on “Day 19 – Aulla”

  2. Good decisions.
    yay! Thanks for the food pictures. Yum!
    what was in the little paper bag on the table?

    How about deserts? (You’re in an area with broad cannoli variations…)

    Reply

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