Saturday 11th June - Hardest route.... Not always the best!!

As usual I was up at 6 am, even though I had my own room, and could have slept on... 
I left at 7am, looking out over sleepy Pontremoli, going into the town square for a quick breakfast... 

I was en route to Aulla, which was a hard 35 kms away... up and down steep tracks, however I had discovered an easier route, with a lot less climbing, albeit on Tarmac roads all the way - I decided to do this way, and re-appraise at the mid point in Villafranca... 

So off I set through the outskirts, managing to find the correct road, which when I got through the outer limits, and passed the motorway turning was actually reasonably quiet, taking me through lots of differing villages as I went, getting and eating some bananas as I went! 

Looking out to the distant cloud covered hills I made good progress and by 1030 I was at Villafranca, but couldn't actually change my mind, as the bridge I needed to cross to get there, or re-join my Original route was closed, and so I had to continue on the road route, which then started climbing up into the surrounding hills!! 

I stopped for a coffee in a village Stallone, where there were copies of ancient statues recently found just off the main road:

Quite interesting but I couldn't read too much, it all being in Italian!! 

I continued with views of the cloudy hills, which I knew I'd be crossing over the top of the next day, although not sure exactly where!!

By late morning I was passing through an old hill village and I think into Tuscany, with an old picnic table which I found on the outskirts, for my pilgrim lunch foraged from last nights dinner which I couldn't eat... Salami, cheese, stale bread... Very tasty!! 

I dropped down to cross the Magram river, where lots of people were learning to fly fish (I think?).

Then along a new cycle trail and into Aulla... Where I happened to meet Juliano, and we both had lunch waiting for the hostel to open... Also meeting up with Roberto, Michel & Michel... All five of us going to the already busy hostel... Another great facility in a small town, with seemingly lots of beds, and people... I don't know where they'd all come from ... Or went to!? 

Anyway we had a great pilgrim meal at a local taverna, with wonderful local dishes, including a Tuscan bean stew (I think) ready to fuel us all for the next day!!