Day 9: Vercelli - rest day

I've taken my first rest day, and as far as I'm concerned, it's was a day late. I walked five days last year on the VF and then took a rest day, which seemed a little wimpy, so I thought I would see how far I could go this time around before I needed a break and I've come to the conclusion that it's only six days of walking! Vercelli is a terrific place to stop for an extra day - it's a very attractive city. I didn't do a great deal of walking as it was raining, and I wasn't willing to share the Great Pumpkin with this world. It's May Day here, and I was treated to the town band in a square nearby, and the bell tower behind my accommodation tolled the most delightful tune this morning. I then popped into a church (Paul the Apostle) and sat through mass - there was the most beautiful singing; even a hymn I knew! After that, I visited a most beautiful church (Saint Bernardo and Santuaries of our Lady of the sick), the Basilica of Saint Andrea (the first Abbot is recorded at 1226!) and they appear to have a copy of the Magna Carta on display! My last church was the Cathedral of Saint Andrea. I gave up after that as the rain got too heavy.Read more