Via Francigena sud – stage 12, part 2, Castelforte to Sessa Aurunca.

17 kms, 6 hrs with breaks,

20deg, though a bit of a breeze. Wearing shorts and t-shirt and carrying those winter layers.

Quite a few ups and downs, some mud, some rough tracks, some great views – a fantastic day on the VFS.

Highlights – the views, and the various hidden ruins along the way.

We rejoin the route, and after crossing the river soon find ourselves amongst the fields of fruit trees – peaches, mandarines, and olives. The path follows the river and we weave around the worst of the mud and puddles.

Throughout the day, DC points out pieces of terracotta and tiles on the path- must be Roman he says; probably more likely the 1970’s I say.

It gets drier along the country roads, and each climb of the day is rewarded with views – across the hills, and back towards the coast.

We walk through a few small towns today, mostly with a sharp rise and then a sharp drop on the other side. There is a lot of time spent walking through road cuttings, shaded by the oak and chestnut trees, with ferns and cyclamen in the shade.

After a chat with a couple working in their olive field, we descend down a very rough and rocky path through the terraced fields.