Via Francigena 2025: Via Francigena Days 5 and 6 - Ivrea to Lake Viverone & Lake Viverone to Santhià

Thursday, August 21st

We had two highlights on our walk today. The first was meeting a representative of the Via Francigena organization as we were leaving Ivrea. We talked to him for a bit, Jerry filled out a questionnaire on behalf of the four of us, and he took a picture of all of us that might be used in promotional material.

The second highlight was meeting Elizabeth and Sophie, two fellow pilgrims (mother and daughter) from Australia. In the 5 days we’ve been walking we’ve only met one other pilgrim, a South Africans man who started his pilgrimage at the Great St. Bernard Pass and ended it yesterday in Verres. We walked with Elizabeth and Sophie for a while before they decided to slow their pace as they only had an hour before they would get to Piverone where they were staying for the night. Hopefully, we’ll meet up with them again somewhere along the way.

We walked 13 miles today past a few small lakes, more vineyards, and two 11th century churches (both closed), before reaching Lake Viverone, our destination for the next two nights (tomorrow is a rest day). Lake Viverone appears to be a very small, sleepy town now that their summer tourist season has wound down. Looks like tomorrow will definitely be a rest day for us.

Our last view of the Dora Baltea river
and the mountains in the distance

Lovely stand of trees - we think they might be poplar

11th century Chiesa di San Pietro
(Church of St. Peter)

Bucolic picture of the Italian countryside

Piverone - typical street view of the small
Italian towns we're passing through

Our first view of Lake Viverone

Another view of the lake

Saturday, August 23rd

After a brief uphill climb out of Viverone this morning. the majority of our walk today was a gentle downhill. Total mileage was 12 miles with 632 feet of elevation gain. We are now in farm country, having passed corn, rice and pea fields, each fed with its own irrigation canal full of water.

On our journey this morning we passed through the town of Roppola and its 10th century Castello di Roppolo which has a somewhat bizarre history. In the mid 15th century, Bernardo di Masse, a knight wounded in battle, disappeared after entering the castle. The lord of the castle at the time was Ludovico di Valperga who, in 1459, was found guilty of the knight's murder, although the victim's body was not found at the time. It wasn't until renovations of the castle were underway in 1800 that the knight's body was found, dressed in full armor, entombed in a castle wall! You can't make this stuff up!

After reaching Santhia in the early afternoon we had time to do laundry (badly needed!) and buy lunch for the next day. We also visited the Collegiate Church of Saint Agatha and Becky and I enjoyed a very thorough history/tour of the church and its crypt by a young man associated with the church. Jerry had to come find us in the crypt, as did the parish priest who needed the young man (we never did get his name) to assist at Mass which was going to start in just a few minutes. We had forgotten it was Saturday and decided to stay for Mass before heading back to our hotel for dinner.