Stroll around Rio Caino and a photographic failure
My attempts at integrating externally hosted photographs into this blog met with little success last night. For techy types amongst you I have the wrong version of the API so must abandon that tack and try something new.
In order to get some reasonable photographs of the recent trip we bought new cameras. The poor little beggars had to put up with being used every day and kept in trouser pockets. Janet’s camera had had enough in Switzerland and mine seems to be struggling as well now, either that or my hand has developed an imperceptible tremor at the point of pressing the shutter button.
The weather forecast for today was very promising so we decided to have a trip down memory lane and follow the Sentiero Rio Caino. This footpath starts about 6 or 7 miles from Ponte Caffaro and could be described as an open air museum I suppose.
The path begins by crossing the Rio Caino
There is a notice board at the start which describes the route as being about 3Km in length this is misleading, as anyone who has walked this path will tell you.
Having crossed the suspension bridge the route passes by a working water mill and ancient blacksmith shop. One of the early incumbents of the blacksmith’s shop was one Alberto of Cimego, around 1300 he met a preacher called Dolcino and followed him with his wife. Things turned sour for Alberto and his wife as he was sentenced to “penitentia de crucibus”, while his wife ended up at the stake. Alberto returned to Dolcino and followed him until Dolcino was defeated. Things then got even worse for poor old Alberto as he was burned alive in 1307.
The next treat for the stroller is the poisoner’s garden. It looks a bit bare at this time of year but must be fabulous when all of the herbs are in full and fearsome growth. The Witch Brigida, known as “the Poisoner” lived in the valley around about 1470. This indomitable woman, an expert in the use of healing herbs and velenous plants and funghi, killed off her husband and the wives of several men she fancied. She managed to defend herself so well during her trial that she avoided being burnt as a witch, though one of her accomplices met a nasty end.
This part of Italy was the Italian front line in WW1. The path has some well preserved WW1 trenches and a gun on show.
The slits face towards the opposite hill, where the Austro – Hungarian army would have been sitting in similar concrete shelters. Most of the trenches are open to the stroller and very easily accessible.
Food has never been easy to find in this part of Italy and many years ago small birds were trapped as a source of food. The huge wooden cage is still part of the landscape.
Although a footpath through the trees, for the greater part, views to mountains opposite pop up from time to time. I must really try to work out which mountain is which.
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