02/11/23 – 09/11/23
02/11 – Unfortunately DC’s knee is again swollen and painful – no walking today. We return to ice, rest, and taking in the views in between the rain showers. We do find an official stamp at the Municipio in the main square.
I head to the Pope’s summer palace. It is possible to visit the garden on a guided tour, but I opt today just for the palace rooms with rain coming down for a lot of the day.
A few pics from the Pope’s palace and the town
03/11. After seeking advice, and knee X-rays (all clear), we decide that we have to sort the knee injury before returning to the trail – disappointing but necessary for the longer plan. Of course, advice with a painful knee involves rest, plus avoiding added weight, stairs and hills.
While awaiting the X-ray, the tv news is full of the destruction and flooding in areas of Tuscany after a storm overnight. More storms are expected in the coming days through the north and middle of the country.
We keep moving forward but on the bus to Velletri. We are able to add an extra night to our booking at the wonderful Vigna dell’Agrifoglio.
We stroll around the town but the museum and cathedral are closed.
Otherwise we mostly relax, sit out more rain and an overnight storm, and work out plan B & plan C, depending on how much time DC needs to recover.
Stay Velletri – Vigna dell’Agrifoglio, situated directly on the trail as it enters the town. Very comfortable, with a lovely home and garden, including a patio to hangout, and a fantastic breakfast – highly recommended. They also drove us to the train station the following morning in the pouring rain.
I have a think about where to go to be a tourist for a few more days – easily re-access the trail, not too crowded, things to do nearby, and good food. I settle on Caserta, just outside of Naples – I previously had a rest day or two pencilled in for Teano to allow a visit to the Reggia di Caserta, the nearby Roman ruins, and perhaps to drop into Naples itself.
The train station for Caserta is directly opposite the entry to the palace, and I book into a lovely B&B a short walk away. If castles, or gardens, or fountains are your thing, then a trip to Caserta and the palace is highly recommended.
A few pics from the Reggia di Caserta – palace and gardens
And from the Roman theatre in Santa Maria Capua, only a short bus ride away.
Although we stayed five nights in Caserta, we kept it simple, with a lot of rest, a bit of sight-seeing, a bit of passeggiata, and eating some great food – including a lot of fabulous pizza. It would be easy to pack in a lot more with a stay in Caserta, especially as it is a short train trip to Naples – but not for for this trip.
Heading back to the trail, and we will see how it goes.
Richo and DC 