Timeline
svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 20, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXX — Passo della Cisa → Aulla
Not the most beautiful stage of the Via Francigena.
One of the most powerful.
The Apennines are still wrapped in an endless green blanket, but everything starts to change here — the air, the light, the smells, the energy. Wild jasmine, flowering vines and warm mountain air announce what is…
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 18, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXIX📍 Fornovo di Taro → Passo della Cisa
Via Francigena | Stage XXIX
📍 Fornovo di Taro → Passo della Cisa
I knew the Apennines existed.
I just apparently missed that geography class.
My strategy throughout this journey has been simple: not overthinking the stages too much. I usually only look seriously at the following day the night…
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Paolo Ronconi, Simobike and Patrick Sfragaro like this.
svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 18, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXVIII-B📍 Fidenza → Fornovo di Taro
Finally heading south.
After several flat stages across the plains, today marked the inversion of the trend — and the symbolic beginning of the Apennines crossing.
Not a hard stage technically, but the persistent headwind made itself constantly present throughout the day.
The final 5 km are along a national…
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 16, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXVIII-A📍 Fiorenzuola d’Arda → Fidenza
Today was supposed to be a longer push towards Fornovo.
Instead, low batteries, a dead powerbank, closed restaurants and a local festa in Fidenza slowly changed the plan.
The irony: the town was full of life, music and food stalls… but every single socket was already occupied.
With the GPS…
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Paolo Ronconi and Roberto 🌄 like this.
svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 13, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXVI📍 Pavia → Orio Litta (**58Km)
Italy keeps surprising me.
Because of the bike repair in Pavia, I left much later than expected.
Ironically, despite that, this ended up being my strongest riding day so far.
Fast rhythm.
Good legs.
Good flow.
The kind of stage where you barely stop pedaling.
Only pauses for water, drone…
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Francis P likes this.
svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 12, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXV📍 Mortara → Pavia (**47Km)
Once again: flat. Completely flat.
And once again, I spent most of the day pedaling against a constant frontal wind. Nothing dramatic or impossible… just that annoying kind of resistance that slowly drains your legs on terrain where you expect to fly effortlessly.
Today, however, there was something curious.
For…
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 11, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXIV📍 Ropolo → Mortara (**41Km)
There isn’t a huge amount to tell about today’s stage. Around 40 km from Ropolo to Mortara, almost entirely flat. Flat enough to become mentally exhausting when the wind decides to sit directly in front of you for two thirds of the ride.
And there’s nothing you can really do…
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 10, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXIII 📍 Roppolo → Vericelli (**45Km)
A deceptively simple stage on paper.
Flat roads, almost no wind, long stretches beside irrigation canals and endless flooded plains that initially looked like random marshlands.
Only later did it truly click: these were the rice fields of Piedmont — the famous Vercelli rice paddies, where varieties like Arborio, Carnaroli…
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Mario (Cube) 🤓 likes this.
svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 10, 2026
Via Francigena - Stage XXII-B | Ivrea -> Roppolo (**18Km)
To be added.
Backup on Wikiloc account
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 9, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXII-A 📍 Verrès → Ivrea
After the intensity of the higher Alpine sections, this stage felt considerably more relaxed physically — although not necessarily easy.
Leaving Verrès, the route descends gently during the first kilometers until reaching the river valley floor.
Surprisingly, the main enemy of the first 10–15 km was not climbing…
but the…
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Jacques Segalla likes this.
svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 7, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XXI📍 Étroubles → Verrès
After the psychological intensity of the previous stages, this one finally felt… breathable.
A very beautiful stage overall, physically much more manageable, and for long sections surprisingly flat considering the surrounding Alpine landscape.
Leaving Étroubles, the route descends continuously for roughly the first part of the stage towards Aosta, losing…
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 6, 2026
Via Francigena - Stage XX-C Etroubles - Castello di Nus - Fénis (**41km)
This was, without any doubt, the most frightening stage of the entire journey so far.
If Stage XX had already been psychologically exhausting, this one pushed things to another level.
Leaving Liddes, the climb towards Saint-Rhémy continues relentlessly through the Swiss Alps. I stopped briefly at a small restaurant to…
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svkarmali went for a bike ride
May 4, 2026
Via Francigena | Stage XX-A Martigny - Liddes (**31km)
This wasn’t just a stage.
It was everything
you don’t stop to face…
finally catching up with you.
I knew this would be one of the most beautiful,
most physically intense stages of the Via Francigena.
I didn’t know…
it would also be one of the most emotional.
Because it…
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Eric likes this.
May 17, 2026
Ahah, love how you describe the road from Martigny to Sembrancher. 😅 Indeed, it's the only road to Italy on this side of the country so it looks like a highway, but you're right, we should have a bike lane at least.