Day 360 – EU – Italy [Campo Tizzoro to Altopascio]

30/03/21

46km

  From Campo Tizzoro (Italy) to Altopascio (Italy)

Europe

Another long day on the road among beautiful Tuscany landscapes and a river to cross

Going down the mountain towards Pistoia

I knew I was in for a long day again today but also that I had a good downhill to go through in the first 20km of the run. Back down to sea level and very near to the coastline. The mountains were beautiful and as I crossed to the sunny side it was instantly very warm. The day turned out to be quite hot, above 25 Celsius by midday.

Crossing the Ombrone in Pistoia

As I reached the big city of Pistoia I did not want to run alongside the main road and be with the traffic. I opted to follow the Ombrone river that runs west of Pistoia. It was really lovely, running on trails and following the stream. Up till the point I had to return to the main road and there was no option but to cross the stream. With BoB the stroller. Not that it was particularly deep. But it was a very rocky bed and it took me a very long time to manoeuvre the crossing. There’s always at least one of the three wheels stuck between rocks and it is more complicated than it looks to navigate. And my feet got wet but that is a minor impediment.

The city of Altopascio

After the crossing I felt tired. There were another 20km to run and they felt longer than usual, though they were on flat terrain. It was hot and pleasant, I noticed I am back to drinking my 2 bottles of water and thinking I need to pack an extra one in my cooler box for the days ahead. I think I still need to catch up on my sleep and adjust to the new timing. Altopascio is a very lovely little village in typical Tuscany style – cypress trees epitomize Tuscan landscapes and that’s the first thing you see in the distance as you approach Altopascio. Splendid. I am welcomed tonight by Alessandro and Tini, wonderful hosts of the B&B that is on the main Piazza. I got a free upgrade to a better room with view on the main square – and the village is all pedestrian, so I know I’m gonna get a good night sleep!

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: