Day 60 Santa Cristina to Orio Litta – 30th July

Distance: 16.2 km – Elevation +30 m -40 m

Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 34 degrees

I slept well despite the lack of food and woke later than usual at 7.00 am. All my washing had dried well overnight so I had two complete sets of clean clothes. I wanted to attend the morning Mass in the parish church and to say thank you and my farewells to the priest, Don Antonio Luigi Maria Pedrazzini. There we just a few parishioners at the service and at the end of the service one came and sat next to me and enquired if I was a pilgrim, we chatted for a while and seemed impressed that I had walked from Canterbury. I managed briefly to chat with and thank the priest before leaving to find a local café where I could enjoy a relaxed breakfast. On my way out of the village after breakfast, I called in to a pharmacy for sun cream and antihistamine to relieve some of the itchy mosquito bites garnered whilst walking through the paddy fields. Whilst in the pharmacy the parishioner who chatted with me after the church service came in and told the pharmacist about my pilgrimage. Temperatures were already rising as I left the village just after 10.00 am, it was level walking and with just 16 kilometres ahead of me to my intended destination of Orio Litta, my pace was leisurely. I reached Miradolo Terme at midday and with temperatures now just below 40 degrees I was constantly looking for shaded locations for cooling down rest breaks. The path continued on to Chignolo Po where I passed the Castello di Chignolo Po and just after I found a roadside shrine where I was able to shelter from the heat of the afternoon sun. Today was another challenging day and my water intake was phenomenal requiring a constant search for a water supply. I pressed on to Lambrinia where I found the Guindolo restaurant and whilst it was now past lunchtime and the restaurant was preparing to close they welcomed me and I was able to enjoy a well-needed meal and a break from the heat of the day in the air-conditioned dining room. After lunch I found a small shop open where I was able to replenish my water supply with two bottles of frozen water kindly provided by the shopkeeper at no cost. After Lambrinia I crossed the River Lambro where the path briefly follows the riverbank before picking up the trail along the banks of the rice fields on the approach to Orio Litta. On arriving in Orio Litta I went first to the Chiesa di San Giovanni where I found a lady cleaning the church, she seemed to know what I needed and beckoned me to follow her. She led me to the Ostello Grangia Benedettina, where she introduced me to another lady who showed me the sleeping arrangements, the kitchen, and the basement where there were washing machines and showers. It was a wonderful facility, I immediately took advantage of the showers and the washing machines for my sweat-drenched clothes. Later, Margaret the Dutch pilgrim I had met in the Aosta Valley arrived with her husband, Jeroen, who had recently joined her and would walk with her for two weeks. They were followed in by two Italian cyclists and finally a rather eccentric pilgrim traveling in the opposite direction. The Mayor, Pierluigi Cappelletti, came to introduce himself and showed me an ancient map of the County of Dorset, England which hung on the wall of the Ostello, it had been sent to him by an English pilgrim who had stayed in the Ostello. After resting I was joined for supper in a local restaurant by Margaret and Jeroen. Returning to the Ostello we found the German pilgrim, as we had left him, sitting outside drinking beer and in conversation on his mobile phone. He spoke in a very loud voice and he was still talking as I slipped into that slumber before sleep.