2022 Tor des Geants Italy

Friday 26th August:  Weather: 18°C Warm and humid then after 10am 25°C with thunderstorms and rain

Day 10 Pont Boset to Pont St Martin:  Walk 16.2k: 8am to 3.30pm: 7hrs 30 mins 1 x 30 min stop, 1 x 1hr 30m fluffing around finding the TdG route for tomorrow and BnB Agriturismo La Grange to next leave our bag

Ascent/Descent:  Ascent 605m, Descent 1,370m: Total Up and Down 1,975m

Accommodation: BnB Casa Antica Pont St Martin

DAY 10 Highlight was getting back to Pont St Martin where our journey began 4 years ago when we first discovered the Tor des Geants trail. We’ve returned to Casa Antica, a BnB which is not really a BnB just a B, where we have stayed several times in previous years.  It feels like home. It stormed today while we were coming down the gorge, but just drizzling rain and not enough to spoil the lovely walk down through the ash trees, along the ancient trails, some roman, and through old villages, some in ruins. It stopped raining by the time we got to Donnas at 300 meters in the valley..

We were up early after a good nights sleep in a huge king size bed.  Any thing would be better than Rifugio Miserin from the night before with its rocking lopsided double bunks. Breakfast is downstairs and our host is already there with hot croissants, and a hot pot of tea, with as much jam and bread as you could eat. I  can’t believe it only cost $87 for the 2 of us.  We’re out the door at 8am and follow the road down until it joins the Tor de Geants AV2 trail which is not very well marked and we take a few wrong turns.  It’s supposed to be family friendly and well sign posted but it’s definitely not.  

Arriving at the village of Pont Boset, there’s another Roman bridge and sign posted Sentiero dei Ponti e degli Orridi (Path of Bridges and Gorges).  Down the forest path over ancient trails and through tiny hamlets with a few people and other hamlets completely in ruins and overtaken by the forest.  We hear thunder in the distance, and need to cut short a phone call home to put on rain jackets and pack covers.  The rain comes but is not heavy and at 20°C it’s not cold - just wet enough to make the rocks and roots slippery. But it’s a beautiful walk.  

We continue for 4 hrs arriving at teh bottom of the valley at 12 midday in the village of Hone, where we can see the huge Fort di Bard perched on a rock.  We find a table under a tree which is relatively dry s the rain hasn’t been heavy, and have a coffee and the last of the almond sugary biscuits.  Leaving Hone, we’re now following the via Francigena signs. It's the name given to the pilgrims route from Canterbury to Rome and  in medieval times it was an important pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles St Peter and St Paul.  It’s not an Alp walk and we’ve met people who say it’s a very hot walk, often along roads.  Today we’re mostly on the road from Donnas to Pont Str Martin looking for a Bancomat to get som more cash, as we’re heading for a few Rifugios over the next week who don’t take Visa card.  We find one in Donnas, which works like a dream.  I was worried we would have teh same experience as in Corsica, where the Bancomat ate my Visa card, and we had to go back to the bank with passports and all sorts of documentation to claim it back again.  Lucky we didn’t have a flight booked that next morning.

We’re hungry at 2pm and the rain has now stopped.  There’s a seat in a church yard between Donnas and Pont St Martin and just as we plonk ourselves down to eat lunch, some funeral directors arrive with all their paraphernalia.   We hastily finish lunch before the mourners arrive.   As we leave, we meet them all coming up the street.  On to Pont st Martin where we’re keen to see where we need to re-joint the Tor des Geants in teh morning as our Casa Antica BnB is a bit off the track.  After a bit of fluffing around we eventually find that it crosses the Pont Romano, a famous bridge. We’re also looking for the Agriturismo La Grange where we’ll be returning in 2 weeks time to watch the real deal - the Tor des Geants Ultra Trail pass through Pont St Martin, having washed the start on Sept 11 from Courmayeur. We’ve arranged to move a bag of airplane stuff there as the Casa Antica wasn’t available for those nights. 

We arrive to a grandiose welcome at Casa Antica, and we’re given the best room in the house - huge bathroom and kitchenette with fridge.  Then up the road to the supermarket Conad’s where Ian does the shopping (to choose the beer) while I go to check out where  La Grange is for tomorrow.  Back to Casa Antica for a shower and washing but may not dry as quickly now we’re down at 300 metres where the air is more humid. Then dinner - the usual bread, ham etc etc etc. with two beers brand 11 Paralleli.  

It’s a warm night and still mid twenty degrees as we lie on the bed catching up on emails- like re-confirming the next 4 days ahead.  The night gets even warmer as we have to shut the window for the mozzies.  The next hour is spent resorting our small bag that we had left at Casa Antica with extra coffee, milk, tea, sugar and that all important gas can.