DAY 38 - BIVIGLIANO to BARBERINO DI MUGELLO - 28 May 2026

-


Today we had a wonderful walk in the mountains. The sound track for the morning was the rumble of thunder, and we hastened to get to our destination before the forecast thunderstorm in mid-afternoon.

Our accommodation last night was full of walkers but they all seem to have left before breakfast - we had the breakfast room to ourselves! We made the most of it, then hurried out to join them. Our hotel was slightly off the path, so we were on the road downhill until we met the path. Straight away we saw other walkers coming the other way - we counted 90 today in a three hour period!

First, we were on a dirt track through the forest. We found - and ate - our first alpine strawberries of the walk. The forest opened out to expansive views. We had a preview of the mountain we had to climb, spotting walkers coming down it on a white road. We detoured to cross.a bridge - apparently the Via degli Dei bridge had recently collapsed - and had a welcome cappuccino at the bar, with a lot of other walkers.

Fortified, we headed up the mountain, passing walkers with a corgi! We also passed a stall with coffee, water and biscuits offered for a donation, like you might see on a pilgrimage path. There was nothing left, but we had brought supplies with us. We ate our bananas on a bench with a sculpture, part way up.

The path went through agricultural land and we saw tractors and hay rolls. At the top, we left the Via degli Dei to head towards our accommodation, on a quiet road which was also the Apennine Bike Tour, a 3100km route that is mapped from Liguria to Sicily. We had seen signs for this before, even in Citerna. A concerned local stopped to check we were on the right path, as we were off the Via degli Dei. In this area we found lots of lavatoi, large communal stone troughs for washing clothes. There were also fabulous views, and once we joined the road around the lake, glimpses of Lago di Bilancino over the yellow broom.

We made it to our apartment before the storm hit, and made a quick visit to the supermarket for dinner, breakfast and snack supplies. 

Out of Bivigliano 
Back on to the Via Degli Dei
A lot of downhill today
Meadows and forests in sight on the descent towards Campomigliaio 
The bridge at Campomigliaio
About to cross 2 of the 90 walkers we encountered today 
Interesting sky
A welcome bench on the Via Degli Dei 
An example of the wonderful scenery we enjoyed again today
We shared the path with tractors
Hay
After leaving the Via Degli Dei, we headed down towards the Lago di Bilancino on a different walking path
On towards Barberino di Mugello
A scenic path to take us forward
We came across several lavatoi on this stretch of the route
Some of the landscape shots we took on the way down
Down towards the lake
The Lago di Bilancino 
Rest stop in the square at Cavallina
Bits and pieces 
Flowers and fruit
Birds 
Day 38 - Map
Day:                               38
Distance:                      22.63 km
Walking time:               4 hrs 41 mins
Elevation gain:             418 metres
Cumulative distance:  710.78 km

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 May 2026 at 00:51

    Today’s birds: Western Cattle Egret, Common Blackbird, Common Redstart, not really sure might be a Carrion Crow, Grey Wagtail

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barkers29 May 2026 at 05:25

    Thanks Murray!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PREPARING FOR ANOTHER LONG WALK

-
Image
We're excited to be getting ready for another adventure! This time we are heading to Italy. The plan is to walk from the East Coast to the West Coast,  starting from Marina di Ravenna on the Adriatic Sea on Tuesday 21 April, arriving at Ostia on the Tyrrhenian Sea on Sunday 12 July.  Using walking paths and small roads, we aim to cover about 25 km most days,  with plenty of rest days in interesting places in between. We've pre-booked bed and breakfasts and small hotels in the places we pass through.  We're planning to write a blog post about our experiences every day. Follow along to share in wonderful vistas, fabulous food and the joys of long distance walking! Coming soon: Reading, Preparation 
Read more

TRAINING

-
Image
Approaching Lennox Head Last Saturday we completed our final training walk, from Ballina to Lennox Head. When we are travelling, our phones are very important. We use the Samsung Health app to record the day's walking statistics, take photos with the camera app, then compile the blog on our phones in the evening. Shouldering our full packs, we started out from Lighthouse Beach in Ballina. The fine drizzle gave us the opportunity to test out our hands-free umbrella holding system. We found something that worked for Kath, but Russell's is still a work in progress. We followed the sealed path along the coast, admiring fine views before heading into the coastal scrub. The path was busy and we shared it with cyclists, joggers, fellow walkers and a couple of groups in training for long distance walking - one even planning on walking the Via Francigena like us! The new facilities at Sharpes Beach - toilet, water, benches - were being well patronised. Someone had even built rock cairns...
Read more

DAY 1 - MARINA DI RAVENNA to RAVENNA - 21 April 2026

-
Image
Ceremonial selfie to mark the start of the walk - Marina di Ravenna After a wonderful week with family and friends we were very excited to begin our walk today!  We flagged down the 5:30 am bus to get to Marina di Ravenna, our starting point,  in time for sunrise over the Adriatic. We walked along the breakwater, marvelling over the fishing huts jutting out into the sea.  One of them provided a temporary shelter as we scrambled into wet weather gear when the weather changed.  Luckily the rain and wind did not last for long.  The wet boardwalk and early morning light made for good photography as we followed a coastal bike path. Many of the beach shack restaurants,  closed at the moment,  looked as if they could be washed away in a good storm!  Leaving the coast, our path took us through fields of crops and workers planting trees before heading back into Ravenna for breakfast and a rest at our hotel. Ravenna is known for its wonderful mosaics. We ha...
Read more