The author of our guidebook described today’s hike as including “challenging climbs and descents, sometimes on tricky footing” and he wasn’t kidding. Today’s hike was very challenging, involving many steep elevation changes as noted below.

We left our campsite around 7:15 a.m. and made our way up the hill and out of the town of St. Vincent and back onto the Via Francigena with our sights set on finishing the day in Verres.

Just a couple of hours outside of St. Vincent and the roller-coaster begins with the trail traveling through backyards, vineyards and very narrow trails. While Gabe and I traversed a series of switchbacks we look down the steep hill and note a pair of hikers heading up the steep hill at a strong clip. As Gabe and I step aside to let the pair pass, the hiker in the rear stopped to visit. After determining the language for his conversation (always embarrassing on these trips as we encounter other travelers fluent in one or more languages other than their native tongue – as I recall he listed 3-4 available to him), he begins to speak to us in English (what other choice did he have; although I will note my man Gabe has a knack for picking up context clues and works creatively at engaging in Italian). We learned that our new friend, Pascal, is from Paris and is an avid long-hiker. We also learned he knew exactly who we were (“the Americans”) where we were from, etc. Yep, Andrea (from Day 2), Pascal and Pascal’s traveling companion (never learned his name – let’s call him “Speedy” as the guy could fly up the trail) occupied all three of the beds at a convent in Chatillon (the convent’s entire capacity) and Andrea told of our adventures together the previous day.

After an exhausting day of hiking, we ate lunch at a pizzeria to refuel and headed toward a church in the town of Verres where we hoped to find a bed. On the way up to the church (pictured below) we ran into Pascal and Speedy enjoying lunch at a picnic table at the foot of the hill. With a shrug of the shoulders Pascal explains that the church isn’t taking guests or signing trail passports at the moment because the priest is injured.

With hotels full in Verres, we make a reservation at a hotel in the next small town (Arnad) for the night and walk another 45 minutes until 4:15 p.m. to cap off a very full day of hiking.