Pilgrimage from San Salvatore to Levanto 26/07/07

I was happy to get an early start again today because I had the goal of making it 40kms to Levanto. I knew it was going to be hard with a lot of steep hills but I figured it couldn’t be any worse than the Alps.

After a quick coffee and some breakfast it was straight into it. Once again I was walking along the ocean. It was great!

There is a 7km stretch of tunnels which I have been told I couldn’t walk through. Luckily, as I got to the place where the paths split, another walker appeared coming from the other way. He went on to tell me that I “should be OK” walking through the tunnels if I have a torch. It was a 3 hour walk over the top and a 1½ hour walk through the tunnels, so the tunnels won out.

They were all one lane and had lights regulating the traffic. This gave me more confidence, having to only watch one direction at a time. I found out what he meant by “should” soon enough though. Most of the time it was fine but in some places the tunnels narrowed and if a well timed bus or truck came by it was pretty dodgy!

I stopped in Framura for gelato, and ended up spending a couple of hours lounging on the beach. It was great.

And then the torture started!!! The track over the hills was pretty similar to the Alps, as in almost vertical, but doing it in 15-20° is one thing. Doing it in 30-35° is something else! I was close to death! I couldn’t even hold my camera while I walked because the rivers of sweat coming down my arms. It was awesome!

And to top it off I ended up on the wrong track and went a few kilometers out of my way. What a day!

I finally made it to Levanto as it was getting dark. The camping ground was full but as I arrived these three Irish guys were checking in and let me share their camp spot….thanks guys :) They only had a two man tent for the three of them so it was pretty funny.

The place is called Camping Aquadolce and it was really nice, but you pay for it. The cost was a new record…€15 for me to camp for a night! WOW!!!