Trying to avoid the heat I started as early as possible. Initially I walked through the forest which seemed to be mosquito friendly. I pulled out the insect repellent that purchased earlier in the trip and gave myself a liberal coat. That helped keep those blood suckers at bay. Good thing I didn't chuck it to lighten the load. I haven't needed it for over two weeks.
I walked through many vineyards which were very picturesque. Then I came to an old mill powered by a water wheel (17th century). It was still in use until around 1950. It was then turned into a preserved historic site. In 2014 the area was hit by a flash flood at the same time that an event was being hosted at the old mill. Many people were injured and four died.
From there I walked on through a couple of towns. Then I arrived at Collato. Collato is the site of a 12th century castle. I was not able to enter the grounds because it is very unstable. It was bombed during WWI and largely destroyed. The tower remains standing and some of the wall around it. I stopped at a restaurant right next to it. The owner was very interesting. She told me all about the castle and showed me an image of what it looked like long ago. She told me that she had traveled to the US and it changed her life. After the trip she knew that she wanted to live outside of Italy. Since she couldn't get a green card, she moved to England and met her husband who is German. They have moved a bit and came to Callato two years ago. She also told me that I am the first American she has met doing the Munich to Venice hike. I don't think I am the first to do it but I may be the first to walk all the way to Venice. So many people bail out early because they are only interested in the mountains or it just gets too hot. (Yes it is pretty hot)
From there I walked on and on. I didn't see any other hikers but I did see many people on bikes and a couple of runners. Eventually I arrived at Colfosco. There I walked on a levee of the River Piave. This is the site of an important WWI battle. The AustoHungarians had the Italians on the run. The Italians dug in at the river and held the line. There were a couple more really big battles held at the river including the last battle of WWI after which Italy made huge territorial gains. There is supposed to be information along the river but I have yet to see it.
What I did see was a bee keeper at work. He (or she) was in full protective gear. The bees were smoked to calm them and then they hives were examined. That was pretty interesting.
I dragged my hot body and sore feet to the hotel. The door was locked and there was a sign saying the bar was closed. There was no information about the hotel. A very nice lady tried to help me but she seemed to want me to go up to someone's apartment. Luckily the gate was locked because I didn't feel comfortable doing that. Then I walked across the street to the Gelato place. They had also been watching me. They called the hotel. I ate a gelato. After I was done they hadn't any luck so we walked over because she wanted to bang on the door. She read the sign and called again. By this time someone else had come over. She called someone else and told me that they would come to the hotel. I was so impressed with how nice these people were. They didn't even speak English and were surprised that I wasn't German.
I eventually got checked in and told them that Lisbeth and her dad were coming. The really good news is that the room has air conditioning. Alls well that ends well.
To anyone who is considering doing this. I do have to say that today involved alot of road walking. It wasn't horrible but for some people it might not be the right thing.
There was some up and down today but it wasn't much and after today there will be little to no elevation change.
Distance: 29 km (18 miles)
Photos at https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0q532ODWVPkrI
This is is my track for the last seven days I walked through many vineyards which were very picturesque. Then I came to an old mill powered by a water wheel (17th century). It was still in use until around 1950. It was then turned into a preserved historic site. In 2014 the area was hit by a flash flood at the same time that an event was being hosted at the old mill. Many people were injured and four died.
From there I walked on through a couple of towns. Then I arrived at Collato. Collato is the site of a 12th century castle. I was not able to enter the grounds because it is very unstable. It was bombed during WWI and largely destroyed. The tower remains standing and some of the wall around it. I stopped at a restaurant right next to it. The owner was very interesting. She told me all about the castle and showed me an image of what it looked like long ago. She told me that she had traveled to the US and it changed her life. After the trip she knew that she wanted to live outside of Italy. Since she couldn't get a green card, she moved to England and met her husband who is German. They have moved a bit and came to Callato two years ago. She also told me that I am the first American she has met doing the Munich to Venice hike. I don't think I am the first to do it but I may be the first to walk all the way to Venice. So many people bail out early because they are only interested in the mountains or it just gets too hot. (Yes it is pretty hot)
From there I walked on and on. I didn't see any other hikers but I did see many people on bikes and a couple of runners. Eventually I arrived at Colfosco. There I walked on a levee of the River Piave. This is the site of an important WWI battle. The AustoHungarians had the Italians on the run. The Italians dug in at the river and held the line. There were a couple more really big battles held at the river including the last battle of WWI after which Italy made huge territorial gains. There is supposed to be information along the river but I have yet to see it.
What I did see was a bee keeper at work. He (or she) was in full protective gear. The bees were smoked to calm them and then they hives were examined. That was pretty interesting.
I dragged my hot body and sore feet to the hotel. The door was locked and there was a sign saying the bar was closed. There was no information about the hotel. A very nice lady tried to help me but she seemed to want me to go up to someone's apartment. Luckily the gate was locked because I didn't feel comfortable doing that. Then I walked across the street to the Gelato place. They had also been watching me. They called the hotel. I ate a gelato. After I was done they hadn't any luck so we walked over because she wanted to bang on the door. She read the sign and called again. By this time someone else had come over. She called someone else and told me that they would come to the hotel. I was so impressed with how nice these people were. They didn't even speak English and were surprised that I wasn't German.
I eventually got checked in and told them that Lisbeth and her dad were coming. The really good news is that the room has air conditioning. Alls well that ends well.
To anyone who is considering doing this. I do have to say that today involved alot of road walking. It wasn't horrible but for some people it might not be the right thing.
There was some up and down today but it wasn't much and after today there will be little to no elevation change.
Distance: 29 km (18 miles)
Photos at https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0q532ODWVPkrI
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ZqguMWq0nIVvMudyEDQOcLFQgoN7hGXc
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