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

All Roads Lead to Rome

The Romans were famous for their road construction. They began building a network of roads (each one called a Via) well before the time of Christ. One of the major roads was the Via Cassia which connected Florence amd Rome and still exists as a modern highway today. There are remnants of the original road that are still in use as farm roads and paths. We walked several miles today on the stones of the Via Cassia Antiche and watched a farmer drive his tractor on it. The Romans had strict engineering standards, the roads were 8.2 meters wide or about 11 feet. I have watched the main street near us in Rocky River (Hilliard Blvd) deteriorate after it was just newly paved two years ago but parts of this Via Cassia Antiche road still exist over 2000 years later. 

We walked from the hill town of Montefiascone to Viterbo today. We came upon an area of natural hot springs which has since been “modernized” with 5 concrete pools. It was free for pellegrini to enter so I said yes. Spending some time sitting in the very warm and sulfur smelling water was a fun diversion but it felt even better to get back on the trail an hour later. 

Our lodging was in the neighborhood of a crowded, narrow maze of streets in the center of Viterbo. It turned out to be a B&B type arrangement with a very elegant bedroom in an ancient building. When the off-site manager showed up, we found out he also runs a restaurant so that’s where we ended up eating a delicious dinner, no doubt prepared by our host. We also were thrilled to run into Vittorio at the restaurant. He was one of the very first people we met on the trail when we started walking two weeks ago. It turns out that he will get to Rome a day before us as he is combining two hiking segments tomorrow. He had been so encouraging to us and we felt like kindred spirits as we sat at adjacent tables. Buon Camino Vittorio!

Total mileage today - 12.2 miles

Pilgrim Monument - Montefiascone

                              The Via Cassia Antiche

            Wishful thinking… the classic Fiat 500L

          Parco Terme Bagnaccio - the original baths

The current 5 pools filled by the hot springs, Each one has a different temperature.

                  One of the gates to Viterbo.

Our room is in this ancient building - those are the old community laundry facilities in the piazza in front of our door.

It’s nice when you know the chef! (La Chimera in Viterbo)

The restaurant is in the open air courtyard of a gracious old building.

Quiet Time and Sacred Places

The historical trail of the Via Francigena follows a route of cathedrals, monasteries, and other religious landmarks that were noted by Sigeric on his journey to Rome over 1000 yeats ago. Many of these places still exist and are open for us to visit. There is something so awe-inspiring about stepping into a place that you know people have been using for worship for so many centuries. They are quiet, timeless and represent a people’s belief in something bigger than themselves.

Individuals walk on pilgrimage routes for many reasons. Some are dealing with a transition in their lives, others are seeking meaning in their lives and others are just looking for an adventure. I appreciate the time to step away from my everyday routine and just have time to think about what’s important. I feel grateful that I am healthy enough to do this long walk so I am thinking about how I can do meaningful things at this stage in my life. How can I continue to make a difference in this world?

Most of the time on the Via, it has just been David and me walking alone on the trail. We have met and talked with other people but everyone walks at their own pace so most of the time it is just the two of us. We talk and then we are quiet; sometimes we go for a mile or two in silence. We feel the breeze and notice the details around us, like the little lizard who scurries across the path or the working dogs that are helping round up a flock of sheep in a distant field. I enjoy the sound of our footsteps on the gravel roads.

We realize what a gift this is - to have time and peacefulness. We have been lifted out of the 24 hour news cycle and haven’t had access to television. We have a reprieve from chores and responsibilities. We are enjoying the time together. 

Today’s mileage - 10 miles + 2.5 miles in town

The crypt under the Cathedrale di San Sepulcro in Aquapendente.

          Romanesque church in Castiglione d’Orcia 

Looking up into the dome of the Basilica Cathedral of Santa Margherita in Montefiascone.

Lighting a candle for a loved one dealing with cancer.

Church of  San Pellogrino at Briccole. Sigeric slept here 1000 years ago.

                                  Alta Vignoni