Day 64 Fidenza to Sant Andrea Bagni – 3rd August

Distance: 30.6 km – Elevation +510 m -410 m

Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 33 degrees

With a 30 plus kilometre walk, coupled with hilly terrain ahead, an early start was required. I was up and about by 6.00 am and on my way out of the town by 7.00 am. My body was beginning to adjust to the high summer temperatures and it seemed a little cooler as I reached the open countryside. It was an up and down morning as I passed vineyards and fields of golden stubble, the remains of a recent harvest. The route took me through many small farming communities including Siccomonte, Case Bertolotta, Costa Ravesi, Hostaria la Torre, and Case Merlini before I arrived in the small town of Medesano where I stopped for coffee and a light lunch. After Medesano I followed the river path through the Taro River Park to arrive at Felegaro. I was beginning to feel tired after all the ups and downs of the day and found a bench to sit and rest. I began searching for somewhere to stay and found a small hotel in the nearby spa town of Sant Andrea Bagni. The town offers as many as eight different natural waters for a wide range of drinking-water and thermal treatments. It was a comfortable hotel with an adjacent restaurant where in the evening I enjoyed the largest pizza I had ever been served and despite the hunger generated by the rigors of the day, I struggled to finish. Sant Andrea Bagni is some distance from the route of the Via Francigena so before sleeping and ready for the morning I plotted a route using Google maps to Fornovo di Taro to get back on track.