We have an excellent breakfast in the Ostello and Tony is instructed how to use the coffee machine by Ross, the toast is less successful, as the bread is extremely heat resistant. We leave the Swiss ladies having a leisurely breakfast and set off, just round the corner Fred and the Aussies are trying to interpret the bus timetable, good luck with that.
To a chorus of frogs we set off up the first climb to Montemagno, where a statue of a man with a guitar turns out to be Giorgio Gaber, a popular crooner M’lud.
Up again through woods under an overcast sky. At Valpromaro we pass the ostello where Alessandro, who we met earlier in our trip will shortly be hospitallero. In the adjacent cafe we meet Bruno who tells us he lived in Birmingham many years ago and used to cycle out to Stourbridge, maybe we saw him! He asks us to say hallo to the Pope for him.
Emerging into a downpour we descend through woods to reach the River Serchio. We walk alongside the brown rushing waters until we hit the road into Lucca.
We enter through the gate in the intact walls into a maelstrom of tourist activity. The ancient streets and the magnificent cathedral are impressive. We found our hostel and get stuck into some serious washing, ah the joys of a pellegrino life.