It always rains at the seaside.
The plan today was to head south as far as Massa, with a detour to the beach. It is forecast to rain today.
We had breakfast at the hotel and walked through the centre of Sarzana to leave by Porta Roma. The weather was grey and drizzly but we could clearly see Castelnuovo Magra on the hills above. The via meandered around lots of small fields, past curious horses and along a drainage canal.
Today's date: 23.9.20
Weather: rainy
Steps: 32,179
Distance: 24.15 km
Climbing: 35 m
It started to rain heavily so we stepped into a bar and almost inevitably, Noelle entered about ten minutes after us.
The weather cleared a little and we walked as a group for a while before splintering as we went off-via down to the sea. There were dramatic stands of pine trees, bent by the wind along the shore.
It started to rain again and we got soaked for a second time. The beach road wasn’t that interesting. Most places seemed shut and it seemed like any other seaside town on a rainy day.
The sun came out and we dried off for a while before pressing on. We passed through Marina di Carrara which is where the marble from the hills above is shipped. There is marble everywhere, with statues, benches and kerbstones all made of marble. The quarries make the hills look as if they still have snow.
It started to rain again, even heavier than before, so we cut our losses and caught a bus to Massa.
Massa rises up the hills, about 5km from the sea. It is a historic town with grand palaces and piazzas.
Ostello Piazza Nizza - Massa
A busy hostel in a refurbished house in the town centre. The piazza outside has a number of busy bars and restaurants.
For supper we stepped out of the hostel, walked 10m to the nearest restaurant and bumped into Stefano dining alone. We joined him and had a pleasant evening sharing our experiences of the journey so far.
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