I was underwhelmed by Ivrea when I first arrived, but I discovered on my way out of town that it’s actually a handsome city. I just happened to stay in a rougher neighborhood.
Or course, it has the obligatory castle in the middle of town. This particular castle is the Castello Sabaudo constructed in 1357 by Amadeaus VI of Savoy.
Industrial disruption happens everywhere.
An interesting modern side-note is that Ivrea is the headquarters of Olivetti, the once significant typewriter company. In 1958, the company employed 26,000 people in Ivrea alone. Olivetti is now a software company, and they employ between 200 and 350 people in Ivrea. The entire population of Ivrea is now under 24,000 people.
As I walked through the city center, I found the pilgrim’s welcome booth manned by the Via Francigena support group I had met the day before. One of the members I had met was there along with two high school girls who took all my information and gave me a stamp in my passport.
The trees were black poplar, and although they were obviously planted for lumber, they were still beautiful.
Shortly after passing through the groves of black poplars, the trail takes you up a hill to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, an ancient Romanesque church built in the year 1000.
After the village of Piverone, I ran across a little roadside rest stop for pilgrims that a local person had felt compelled to build after watching pilgrims walk by carrying heavy packs. I enjoyed an extended lunch with the comfort of a bench, and I added my comments of gratitude to the registry.
The afternoon was a series of storms rolling in from the Alps. Fortunately, I made it to Viverone without getting completely soaked or struck by lightening. And by the time I was ready for dinner, the skies had cleared, and it was a beautiful evening.
Viverone sits above Lake Viverone, a glacial lake where archaeologists discovered the sunken remains of an ancient stilt village occupied 3,500 years ago during the Bronze Age. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
Local cultural note:
In Italy, the practice seems to be that when you order a simple beer, they also bring you a small feast of appetizers for free. I ordered a small beer (3.50 Euros), and this was what I got:
I’ll have to repeat this experiment several more times, though, before I can state with confidence that it is an Italian norm.
A random bit of information that has nothing to do with my walk.
While I was eating dinner, a Japanese beetle walked across my tablecloth. An insect identification app helped me confirm that’s what it was, but then I was curious about the white dots along its side.
I was surprised to learn that the white dots are eggs laid by the winsome fly, which is a parasite of the Japanese beetle. The eggs hatch, and the resulting maggot kills the beetle within five or six days. Who knew?
My dinner was delicately fried lake perch with a yogurt sauce and a glass of local wine. A really restorative meal.
Next up: Viverone to Santhià – Leaving the Alps behind.
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5 Responses
What an adventure and what beautiful country!
It is both of those things. Every day that I think a particular walk may not be that interesting, I am proven wrong. I hope you are doing well.
Charles:
I’m amazed that you can learn local history, arrange for future places to stay, locate food to carry along for lunch, take photographs, dine and appreciate the local cuisine, , keep track of people you’ve met, get your passport stamped, pilot your drone, stay in touch with Becca, create videos, edit material and post it on your website, and somehow still find time to walk. Amazing!
Dave Miller
It’s one of the many advantages of being unemployed! Plus, I don’t have to mow the lawn, maintain a car, or take care of all the things at home that Becca is handling. I don’t even have to think about getting in some exercise! That leaves time for these other things.
Not sure what I am most impressed with, the fine food with big portions or the photos of the wheat & corn fields with the Alps in the background. This place called Savoy has produced several castle builders in Italy. Must be like River Oaks. Interesting that folks have made a home in the same place for 3500 years. Smithsonian had an article about a Bronze Age hunter who was found frozen in a crevice in the Alps. He was perfectly preserved. The old church built in 1000 AD is really fine. It served many people. Thanks for another interesting report. I bet you will love Italy.