Step by Step

There were 20 days of walking, one rest day and 230 miles (370 kilometers) in distance covered from San Miniato in Tuscany to Rome in Lazio. We are so fortunate that we are physically healthy and our knees and other joints rose to the challenge. 

I am so grateful for David who was willing to join me on this journey and who never complained when I stopped to take a photograph….well maybe just once or twice he did. I am appreciative of everyone who showed us kindness and support along the way, especially the guard at the Vatican Museum who led us through a special door for our “private” visit to the Capella Sistina. Thank you to all the Italians who let me speak Italian with them…slowly. 

I loved walking this ancient route and learning about the Etruscans and the early Romans. Every day, we stepped into chapels and sanctuaries and cathedrals and marveled at how they could have been built before cranes and machinery. We saw priceless frescos on walls of little churches in deserted villages. I lit candles and said prayers and enjoyed the quiet. We had lots of time to think and reflect but also time to talk together and enjoy the view. This journey was a gift that will always be remembered.

Here are photos of my credentials with the stamps we collected along the way:

Rome - the Eternal City

The last day of walking began on the outskirts of Rome along the congested roadway of Via Cassia with overflowing garbage dumpsters and obstructed sidewalks. We took the advice of our fellow hikers and took the local train filled with high school students for about 5 miles which allowed us rejoin the trail at a urban park called Monte Mario. It is a large nature preserve that led us to an overlook with a panoramic view of Rome. Even though it was our first morning of gloomy weather, it was a beautiful sight.

We enjoyed the walk down into the city, walking through the neighborhoods that lead up to the walls of Vatican City. And there it was - St Peter’s Square with the giant Basilica and colonnades greeting us. It was midday and there was a sparse crowd so we took our photos and enjoyed a relaxing lunch at a sidewalk restaurant. 

It was rather fitting that our hotel in Rome was a former monastery attached to a large church. The building dates back to the 10th century and is currently undegoing archeological study. 

The next day, we returned to St Peter’s and went to the Sacristy office to receive our Testimonium document for completing our Pilgrimage on the Via Francigena. We had started our day with an early entrance to the Vatican Museum which allowed us to be virtually alone in the Sistine Chapel for a few minutes. (Okay, there were some guards and a cleaner in there with us too.)  The soaring dome of the cathedral, the art masterpieces, the relics everywhere you look - it was all a little overwhelming. I need to have some time to let it all soak in.

Seems like every sign points to Rome.

      Monte Mario Reserve Park overlooking Rome.

Photo taken by our fellow pellegrino Michel as we approached the overlook of Rome.

The view of Rome and St. Peter’s Basilica from Monte Mario.

            Our relief of arriving at St. Peter’s Square.

Looking up at the dome, designed by Michealangelo.

                    The Swiss Guards at the Vatican 

    Photo taken from the dome looking toward the altar.

  Receiving our Testimonium for completing our walk.

My Testimonium.

A glimpse of the Sistine Chapel before entering.

Our evening walk from Trastevere to our hotel.

Travel in the Time of Covid

We are grateful to be able to make this trip while our world is still struggling with the pandemic of Covid. The idea of a three week walk seemed to be a low risk activity but we have still had to be around people in restaurants and in our lodging. We have found people to be pretty matter of fact about the requirements in Italy. Hospitality workers all wear masks and the customers do when going inside.  The majority of adults in Italy have been vaccinated, although many only in recent months.

The EU has a digital “Green Pass” that residents have on their phones to show the have been vaccinated. To eat inside a restaurant or to enter many sights like a cathedral or museum, you must show a Green Pass.  We were able to show our CDC vaccination card as an alternative. Luckily for us, the weather allowed us to eat outside on terraces and patios for most of our meals.

It is obvious that Italy is still struggling because of fewer tourists. There are Italians traveling within their country as well as other Europeans but during our entire trip we have only encountered a handful of Americans. This time of year, Italy would be crowded with tourists from Asia and the United States. We have stayed in several places where we were the only guests that night. One night at a small agriturismo, it was as if we had our own private “nonna” cooking for us. Two of our hotels had recently closed their restaurants. We were received graciously and we can only hope that tourism rebounds soon.

We need to show proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of our return flight. So this afternoon we took our rapid Covid antigen test (which amazingly we were able to pick up free test kits at the Rocky River Public Library before we left) and were so relieved when the man on the computer screen gave us our negative results. We are having an amazing experience but we are also very eager to return home.

        Travel days mean a loooong day wearing a mask. 

 

At several accommodations, we were the only guests.

Dave’s Apple Watch made contact-less paying easy.

           Even outside, masks were a familiar sight. 

We were relieved when our Covid Antigen tests were negative so we can travel back home in 2 days.

Trailing Spouse

When we lived in Italy, one of our official immigration documents listed me as “trailing spouse”. This indicated that I was there based on the employment of my husband. As an independent-minded woman, the term bothered me initially but it also made us laugh. After years of hiking together and taking many photographs on the trails, I realized that I am often walking behind David so I probably have hundreds of photos of his backpack. Because of my slightly slower pace and my tendency to stop for photos, I am still a trailing spouse.

We arrived in the village of Campagnano di Roma and wandered around for awhile after checking into our hotel. We stepped into the cathedral to admire the frescos and saw that it was being prepared for a wedding. I took a seat on a bench in the piazza and watched the guests and wedding party arrive. Then it grew quiet and a bright red Volkswagen bus came down the narrow stone street and the bride and her father got out and went up the steps. I felt lucky to see a glimpse of their special day.

Our day ended with a leisurely meal at our hotel, sitting outside watching the Saturday night life of a small town unfold in front of us. It was my favorite meal of the trip so far (including stuffed zucchini flowers and paccheri pasta with mozzarella di bufala cheese). Sometimes the best food comes in unexpected places.

Total mileage today: 10.2 miles

                              A common view.

Walking next to a highway, the trail is narrow.

Mount Gelato cascate (waterfalls). No ice cream in sight.

This cute couple from Milan is on a two week ride.

              The entrance to Campagnano di Roma. 

The cathedral. (Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista) 1518

                         Her special day is here.

                           People watching.

The toll of two wars is memorialized in every village.

This is why our dinner was so good. Fatto a mano ….made by hand. 

 

Lento e Contento

We saw the phrase “Lento e Contento” on a handmade sign along the trail. It means slow and happy which pretty much sums up our experience today. Today was our longest walk yet so we will leave it at that and get ready to go to bed.

Total mileage today - 19 miles

Today’s trail wound through a beautiful regional park.

Dave patiently waiting for me to take some photos in Capranica.

“The forest doesn’t need man but man needs the forest.”

Antoinette and Fred from Lucerne, Switzerland are also walking from Lucca in Tuscany to Rome.

 George and Michel are from France.

Remember the Song of Roland from British Literature? This is the Torre di Orlando (Roland)

If you like Nutella, you would appreciate the huge (5 km wide) orchard of hazelnut trees we walked through.

 Etruscan and Roman tombs near Sutri. (Archeological Park)

David has met every dog in Lazio. 

                   Ancient Amphitheater in Sutri.

Expect the Unexpected

Today’s walk from Viterbo to Vetralla was described simply as “an easy walk of 17 km which runs on a flat plateau”.  So we were quite surprised about a half hour into it when the road became a canyon with steep walls soaring straight up on both sides. And yes, the occasional car or service truck was driving on this same narrow, shoulder-less road. It went on for a over a mile and at times almost seemed like we were in a Cathedral of stone.

This is an area called Via della Cava or “excavated road” and was created by the Etruscans 2500 years ago. Archeologists think that the roads were cut through the soft rock called tufa and may have led to the nearby necropoli (burial tombs). It is a very interesting experience to just come upon something like this. We have our guidebook but on such a long walk, it seems we are just taking in things as they come. 

It was otherwise a quiet day. We walked over 10 miles before getting to Vetralla (our destination) and then enjoyed a garden lunch. The only other excitement of the day was in the afternoon, when we walked through the rather empty town and found the side door to the 12th century Church of San Francesco open. We walked into the deserted Duomo, admired the nave, the intricate geometric floor tiles and even the crypt. When we went to leave, we couldn’t figure out where the exit was and every door we tried was locked. We did figure it out but just in case you don’t hear from us, please alert the authorities that we may be locked in an ancient church somewhere on the Via Francigena.

Total mileage today - 12.7 miles

                    Via della Cava

             Giant prickly pear cacti lined this property.

We passed by fields of beautiful vegetable - we think this was broccoli, before that it was zucchini. And that is a lot of zucchini!

I am enamored by the olive trees - this was an old grove.

We stopped and sat on a stone wall to eat an apple. This handsome guy quietly came up behind us and just seemed to be asking to be in a selfie. Attenti al cane! (Beware of the dog!)

                  Church of San Francesco - Vetralla 

                          The floors of the Duomo

                                        The crypt