23km Not a lot of up and down.
Dora races down the fish ladder slalom course outside our window all night. All find it a soothing sound.
Yesterday we leapfrogged a Dutchman walking from Amsterdam. Talking to him we realised that although we had an easy crossing of the Grand St Bernard pass last year he had waited three days for possible weather window and finally walked through the tunnel!
The route today is largely flat unlike our previous few days early morning workouts, but there are excellent views of the Alps across the fields. We stop for coffee in Bollengo at a café keen on pilgrims and get a timbro and a choice of cinnamon or chocolate with our cappucini.
We wander on along small country lanes and footpaths with snow clad Alps getting smaller but somehow more surrounding of the Piedmont countryside. Each village we pass through seems to have a clock tower with an arch through which our route passes. We get to Piverone about lunch time and find the bar closed. Fatalistic we plod on round the corner and there is another. The lady sells us biera and explains she is closing. But we can drink from her glasses in the small village square. This is ideal as we can eat our own sandwiches at the same time with a clear conscience! We linger a while in the sunshine, wondering if this is a typical Piedmont Monday, or is it always this quiet. I
However on the subject of sounds we have heard a cuckoo today and a nightingale. Shortly, after a few more km we get to Viverone and then our destination, the village of Ropollo in which Tony and Betsy have identified our lodgings for the night. After a short wait outside, we are early, our hostess arrives. The place is geared, so to speak for cyclists though one might need to dig to discover this!
Food is a little problematic but the lady promises to phone for pizzas.