4 May, 2007, Friday (Day 14), Berceto - As we crossed the pass at 1,000 meters the wind blew the snow so fast and furiously that I couldn't see Claire who was 5 meters in front of me. Shivering and drenched from the previous five and a half hours of walking under the driving rain I momentarily wondered what the heck I was doing walking to Rome.

The sudden snow storm even caught the locals by surprise and they said it hasn't snowed here in May for almost a century.

Okay, so that'll be the story in five years time.

Swap the snow for hail and add that Carl sprained his ankle so I had to carry him (80 kilos) and his backpack (15 kilos) five kilometers to the next town and that'll be the story in three years time.

Drop the whole snow and hail thing plus the part about Carl, but keep the five and a half hours walking in the driving rain, the wind, the shivering, the being completely 100 percent soaked from toe to head and that's what actually happened.

Carl, Claire and I set out in the rain and it just refused to stop. It rained and rained and rained. Attempts to stay dry proved fruitless, but we pushed on. When the sky finally began to clear at 1 pm we got an incredible view of the Baganza Valley, which in all its green splendor somehow looked jungle-like with gushing water flowing everywhere as the hills directed the rain down to the Baganza river.

Small confession: for five seconds up there with the wind blowing and me shivering I sort of, kind of almost thought I might have been better off if I were in my office staring at the computer screen. Okay, it was 30 seconds but then the thought vanished and never came back.

After battling for two weeks with roads without any indication that you are on or anywhere near the Via Francigena, suddenly as we approached Berceto there were beautiful little signs every 20 meters both on the trail and on the asphalt road. This confirms what I suspected, that the towns and regions interested in promoting the Via Francigena can do it even in the absence of a general governmental initiative.

Berceto is a beautiful town with a petit Duomo that looks like it hasn't changed since pilgrims were passing here in the Middle Ages. We found lodging at an ex-seminary just outside of the center that houses pilgrims. Large and clean rooms, hot showers...what more could a pilgrim want.

Dinner consisted of some pasta made at the seminary kitchen with Claire, Carl and Claudio (who had just arrived to be here in place for the walk tomorrow up to the Cisa Pass). Since a pilgrim, or anyway this pilgrim, needs more than a bit of pasta and cheese I am writing this from a pizzeria where I have just eaten a pizza with fresh tomatoes.

Trip details: Fornovo to Berceto, 31.5K, altitude change: 1,291 meters up and 635 meters down.

State of the route: initially some pieces on a somewhat busy road with a few signs posts, but then on secondary roads and eventually on trails that were superbly marked.

Weather report: pouring rain most of the day. 14 degrees C on departure at 7:15 am, 9 degrees for a bit in the middle of the day and 20 on arrival at 6 pm.

Medical report: excellent, nothing of note except occasional pain in the right knee.