from Tana to Barbaresco

We find breakfast three kilometres later in Costigliole d'Asti. A quick, sweet Italian breakfast. Along the roadside there are hazel trees, peach trees, grapevines, and cherry trees. Nothing is ripe yet, of course. The air smells of grain or hay, unless the jasmine happens to take over. Common nightingales are singing in the bushes. Out in the open it's magpies and blackbirds. The poplars are wrapped in fluff once again. I don't know what the deal is with poplars here, they all seem to grow in perfectly straight rows.
We approach Castagnole delle Lanze with some apprehension. Will there be coffee and food, or will everything be shut? At first glance the place seems deserted, but then we see the town centre full of people wandering the streets with wine glasses in hand. Music is thumping somewhere, and food is being served from stalls. We find a restaurant around the corner and are presented with a giant plate carrying a modest handful of ravioli. Ice cream for dessert. Then back on the trail.
We battle our way through some tall grass before descending into the Tanaro Valley. The river is broad and a greyish blue. The valley floor is flat, and the road is wide and gravelly. Now it's time to climb up to Barbaresco. There's a tower there. We skip the tower and have sandwiches and salad instead. Sparrows dart back and forth, squabbling with one another.
We cross another valley, where rose bushes stand at the ends of the vineyard rows, pass an abandoned railway line, and head straight over the next hill to our accommodation. The sunset is purple.
Distance walked: 25 km.