Tag: Via francigena

16 kms, 5.5 hours with breaks.

Still 20deg and warm.

More ups and downs, some mud, some rough tracks, some great views and Roman stuff – another fantastic day on the VFS.

Highlights – so many today; ruins, the section on the track through the forest, and the Roman road.

The day begins similar to yesterday, with a steep descent out of the town on a rough track.

Just down the path there are three dogs who are not so welcoming.

One piece of advice I received from a catch-up prior to the walk is that there will be dogs on the pathway. If threatening, either have a rock handy, or reach down to pick up a rock, or at least pretend to pick up a rock if one is not on the pathway – this is usually enough to send them on their way, otherwise throw the rock in their direction, of course not aiming to hit. Have your sticks ready as well in case you need a bit of a barrier.

There are plenty of rocks on this steep, dirt pathway, and DC sends a few in their general direction; they scurry off into the trees and though we can still hear them, we don’t see them again as we pick our way down first the steep, rocky, dirt track, then the paved (still steep descent) and over the Roman bridge at the bottom of the valley.

This is overall such a beautiful day; there are some long though quiet road sections, and the only bar we saw at the small towns we pass through was unfortunately closed. We haven’t organised ourselves with lunch, though we do have a couple of oranges and carry a tin of “emergency tuna” for such an occasion, or any other time that someone might be getting ‘hangry’ – today our big breakfast keeps us going.

There are gorgeous sections through shaded cuttings, plenty of fields, and a number of ruins, but the two real highlights come in the second half of the route. After leaving Fontanelle we soon find ourselves on a beautiful bushwalking track through the woods, with views across the valley, over the ferns and through the oak and chestnut trees.

We tread carefully through the next descent, with autumn leaves and chestnuts covering the stones, it is a bit slippery, and we really do not want to slip and land onto the very prickly chestnut casings.

After another road section we are on the final stretch to Teano, a stretch of Roman road. A dog has followed us for some time, just quietly keeping an eye on us.

Stay and eat – Monastero Santa Caterina (donation).

We have reached a decision point as we had lost so many days early on – keep walking through Campania but skip sections later on, or move forward from here and try to fit in as much of Puglia as possible.  Ultimately, the decision is made for us as DC wakes up the next morning with a bit of a strain in his back – perhaps gained in trying to protect his knee. We decide to return to a few days of sightseeing as we try to get back on our original timing schedule and let the muscle strain settle. We always planned to have a rest day in Benevento, then catch the train across the Apennines, bypassing a couple of long hard days. We also expected that the weather might be very cold by this time impacting the crossing. We have only had a taste of the VFS in southern Lazio and in Campania, but still hope to be able walk the length of Puglia.

Buona notte

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.

Another town, another castle.

They needed Hercules to tackle the escaped lion in the streets of Rome the day before.

Cathedral (12th C)

Stay and eat – BnB La Rinascente (AirBnB). Great restaurant located at the BnB. And a stamp.

A domani

We are breaking this longer stage into two sections again.

8kms, mostly flat, a bit over 2.5 hours with rests – getting a little faster.

20deg, and in the sun early on – the brolly is out, and those layers for the November cold remain in our packs.

Highlight – Roman archeology

As the archeology area closes early on Tuesday (yesterday), our plan is to start the day with an opening time visit. This small site is definitely worth the visit. 

We follow this with a visit to the adjacent Allied war cemetery. More than 2000 graves, from this point along the Gustav line – we have already seen many references to the battles that took place during that time period, and the devastation in the towns and countryside we have passed through in recent days. Through the section of the cemetery I wander through, some graves are unknown, but most are named, men in their 20s and 30s, from Great Britain; I find two Australians, 21 and 22, from the Royal Australian airforce, in adjacent graves.

We pick up our packs and take on the busy road that starts the route today – a bit of a shoulder is available. Then passing farm land, and a field of solar panels, for a couple of kms. When we arrive at the town of Grunuova we are pleased to quickly find an open bar (cafe) for a drink, chips, and some escape from the sun. The barista takes a break outside, and asks where we are from. He asks various questions about the VFS, reporting that he sees others, some who stop for a rest, and others passing by. It is a dream to one day visit Australia.

After our break, we continue along the main street of the town, then onto a quieter road for a stretch shaded by oak trees. We exit this stage at Castelforte, having a delicious lunch before heading to our accommodation.

Ate lunch on arrival at (lower) Castelforte – Terra di Brigante; still busy even though it was a late lunch by the time we arrived. 

Stay B&B Sykelgrima – recommended in the guidebook. A lovely garden, and the pool must be great in the warmer months after walking. Has a VF specific stamp. Dinner provided. (Note, this is a bit off the route). 

Walked 8 kms only, from the Minturno-Scavi train station.

Overcast, top of 20deg.

Highlight – sunset by the Roman ruins. 

We kept the walking short today, partly as ongoing management of the knee injury after the hills yesterday, partly as time management as advice had been that the long stretches along the footpath on stage 11 may be a less enjoyable section of the route for some if needing to skip some sections (and we need to skip sections).

Before heading off, we have a walk towards the other old section of the town, with the castle and cathedral. We stick to sea level, following the promenade around and back. Even though we felt that we had a distant glimpse of the Gaeta castle from the Itri castle, we had not seen it all day with the walk in the hills, even on arrival in the town as it is hidden by a larger hill from that direction.

Our travel today involves a bus to Formia, then the train to Minturno-Scavi.

From the train station, it is a short walk to the beach promenade. It is amongst these streets that I notice an unusual site in Italy – a road named after a woman: Via Elsa Morante, a writer. 

First along the beach promenade, where everything is shuttered down, and we see only a few people, then, some local streets to work around the promontory. The next section takes us along a quiet road that while near the beach, is separated from it by private homes, private land and beach clubs – it seems like a long slog; we see only a few workers, and the occasional car passes us by on this road.

When we arrive at the river we have only two kms left to reach the accommodation for the night, right next door to the Minturno archeology site. We stop for a rest and a snack by the beach at the river’s edge. There are a few cars around and people fishing along the beach and the river.

A car rolls up in front of us, with an elderly couple (maybe 80ish) and he rolls down his window and in English says “Hello. How are you today?” Not sure how he felt so certain we were English speakers. A long chat follows, including how he spent many years working in Canada, where he has lived in Italy, how he is now an old man, where we are from and what we are doing.

We reach our stop for the night in time to set ourselves up in the garden and watch the sunset over the Roman ruins. A late dinner, and an unfinished game of canasta (too tired).

Stay – Il Postiglione – immediately next to the ruins; not in the guide, but they do advertise on the Via Francigena Facebook page. Discounted room and dinner available, with breakfast provided.

Buona notte

16kms, sunny with a bit of a sea breeze, high of 17deg.

Some steep ups and downs, a few rocks to distract DC, and some great views across the hills and the sea.

5.5 hours, including rests and a few chats. Still not breaking any speed records.

Highlights – sweeping views

A bit later than intended in setting out this morning (pretty typical for us). Early on the road has a bit of traffic. The traffic is coming from behind us, with a bit of a shoulder on the right and the curves in the road forcing us away from facing the oncoming traffic – “car”, “truck”, “2 cars” becomes the callout by the person behind.

We are soon onto the quieter road which is still heading up. It takes us 30 minutes from leaving to get through the biggest climb of the day. We take advantage of a wall adjacent to an olive field on the side of a wider section of the road for our first break.

We then follow the same road curving around the hillside for quite a few km’s with great views across the hills, the fields, a few absolute mansions, and the many skeleton buildings where possibly the money quickly ran out.

I see a walker ahead, two sticks and a backpack just visible; as it is highly unlikely that we would be catching up with anyone currently, we assume they are coming towards us. Pellegrino italiano arrives, clothes and backpack matching azzurro. Last year he worked for a while in Melbourne, and described how much he enjoyed that time, and the city. We share the challenges of trying to speak another language, the impact of different colloquialisms, dialect, accents, and mumbling young people. He describes how many people do not speak proper Italian as it is quite challenging; we tell him how we watch some English/Irish/Scottish/USA tv programmes with subtitles otherwise we cannot follow.

Back on our way, now largely level as the road continues around the hillside. After a second rest in the shade we find that we round a hill to take in the view towards the sea.

Eventually arriving at the first big, steep descent of the day, where we come down from the hills via switchbacks.

After a short section on another road with a bit of traffic, and little shoulder, again requiring us to walk on the right-hand side of the road – “car”, “truck”, “2 cars” – we reach the road that will take us into the town of Gaeta. There is not a lot of traffic, but there are a lot of barking dogs – all behind fences or on top of the high walls, at this stage. I am not of fan of the barking dogs, though DC is rarely phased.

This road is another steep climb, and at the top (almost) an older woman in a car waves me over – “Where are you from?” “Australia, you have come from so far away!” Our destination today is Gaeta, and she tells me it is now all downhill. (She wasn’t exactly correct with another small ascent ahead of us).

You then pass under an arch over the road and it is then all downhill. Steeply. The road now quickly narrows, from just able to get two cars carefully past each other, to just get one average-sized car between the high walls. When three cars come from one direction, and only one from the other, the one has to back up to reach a driveway, drive in there and let the three cars pass; we watch this dance happen a few times.

Finally we arrive at the outskirts of the town and head to the beach for a break. This morning at our accommodation, a key piece of advice from the proprietor was to try the Gaeta specialty – Tiella. Kind of like a combination of a pizza and pie. The beachside cafe has some and we dig in.

Following the route around the town, we arrive at our accommodation for the night, on the path towards Formia. This old section of Gaeta consists of tight, narrow pathways between the 4-5 storey homes and businesses with glimpses towards the bay – on this side the bay is not beach but boating.

We are starting to get into our pellegrini rhythm now. Arrive at accommodation, have a bit of a rest, change out of our stinky walking clothes, shower and wash out some smalls, then put on the one other outfit, which is hopefully not as stinky, for our evening wear. If we have had an early enough start, then we have a bit of a wander to some sites, or just an evening passeggiata. Sunset now is about 4:45, so the days are getting shorter. Dinner, though, doesn’t happen any earlier, so our tired, hungry bodies have to wait until about 7:30 or even later to seek out dinner.

Tonight we have seafood pasta at a nearby place, then go for a wander around the streets. The Christmas market is getting set up, along with an ice-rink. And the streets and buildings are lit up. The following morning, the woman organising breakfast says that Gaeta is definitely busy in summer, but it is also busy on winter weekends for the lights.

I love a great fountain, and I love a fountain with lights, and even better, a fountain with lights and music! Gaeta has one of those, but we had not wandered that far – I have had to content myself with youtube videos.

Stay – Il quartuccio B&B (recommended by us, though not affiliated)

A great highlight of our stay here was the effort he went to to get us a credential stamp. When I explained, he said he did not have one but he would get one for us. A couple of hours later, a colleague from another BnB came over with his BnB stamp – nothing VFS official but sometimes a stamp is a stamp, and each one is a bit emotional. He brought over his testimonium from his camino de Santiago last year; he understood.

Buona sera

– back on the trail

15 kms, sunny. A bit of mud … a bit of up and down … some great scenery, and Roman stuff.

5.5 hours, including chats and rests – still pretty slow, but making sure we have regular rest stops.

Highlights – Castles, and the beautiful section along the Appia

I decided to return to the trail from Fondi, stage 9. The description sounds like this is a scenic section, and a manageable distance as we re-start slowly and monitor the knee injury.

Last night, after arriving in Fondi, we manage to track down a stamp for the credential at the Chiesa di San Fransisco d’Assisi. Some advice had been that it is harder to find a stamp than on the northern trail; I need to explain the purpose of the credential and the stamp.

After breakfast, including a chat with the proprietor of the bar about her two friends who are currently holidaying in Australia, in Perth, we set off through the streets of Fondi, and past the first castle of today.

Just before leaving the outskirts of the town, there is a supermarket to grab a few items for snacks along the way.

We are a few more km’s in when we exchange greetings with an older woman walking along the road.

– Where are you from? English?

⁃ Australians.

She becomes quite excited, asking if we are from Melbourne.

As a child she arrived in Melbourne and lived there into young adulthood, including the birth of her child. We ask where, and it was the neighbouring suburb. She describes a large, beautiful park that she lived near, which is only a short walk from our home – a border between the two suburbs. A lovely chat as she reminisced about her time living just a short distance from our own home, but decades ago.

On our way again, passing various agricultural resources – citrus, and the last of the seasons eggplants, and tomatoes, then along the canal past the olive trees.

Eventually the first of the short sections on the main road – there will be three in all, not too busy, and all have a fair shoulder; the cars either move aside or slow right down; we keep an ear out and step further to the side at each passing.

Just as you reach the old via Appia section, there is a picnic ground, where we sit beside the eucalypts (!) for a longer break.

Across the bridge and along the ancient path with a gradual climb, and past the ruins of the temple of Apollo.

Another short section on the road before arriving at the cemetery then the final climb, more olives, a few glimpses across to Itri and it’s castle, some jingling goats that we can hear before we see, then the steep descent down through the woods.

The final approach into Itri has another short section along the road before you reach the footpath.

This day has been a bit of a test run of the injured knee, with a plan to again rest tomorrow, more ice, and see out the last of the heavy rain days that have swept across northern and central Italy the past week (or maybe it makes a good excuse to not be walking in the rain all day).

Rest day in Itri – although the amount of rain today has been downgraded, there is persistent rain and heavy cloud cover most of the day.

We explore the hilltop pathways, and visit the castle, taking in the views across the surrounding hills; there is just a hint in the distance of the next castle – Gaeta – barely visible today along the valley and through the clouds (at least, that is what we think we can see

Stay – Il fiore in una stanza – recommended in the guidebook, and on the way into town. Very comfortable room, and a great breakfast. Another stamp is added.

Some afternoon Canasta – DC 2, Richo 0 (total thrashings; there is something definitely awry in the Universe).

A domani

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.

the slowest walking pace ever …

14kms; overcast to rainy.

Highlights – all things ancient Roman, and the view of the lake in Castel Gandolfo.

We knew that the first section of 26 kms was never going to be possible for us on our first day – it is a long day, wrapped up with the climb up to Castel Gandolfo.

The big challenge though is not just the distance first up, and the climb, but all the sites along the way that we know will really slow us down. We decide on a plan of walking half way, then taking the train. The following day we can then return by train and complete the first section.

Our eventual aim is Santa Maria de Leuca, 930 kms away at the tip of the heel of Italy. We are planning on smelling the roses, and know that there will be planned rest days, unplanned rest days, and that we most likely won’t walk every step of the way.

In 2017, we walked in October and November. This time we are walking in November and December; while we love walking in the cooler days and colours of autumn the weather may also impact our plans.

The cooler weather also adds to the weight and bulk of our packs. We remember how cold it was in November last time – this time packing a bit extra, including a warmer jacket. In addition, from reading other people’s comments we know that there will be mud – last time it was only our boots, but this time we have a second pair of shoes to have an option other than muddy, wet boots after arriving at our destination.

We set off from Testaccio with the church bells ringing for the holiday, All Saints day. We rejoin the route back at the Circus Maximus and make our way towards the Appia Antica, with electric-bike tour groups and other cyclists passing us by. The old road leads you out of the city, immersing you in ancient Roman ruins.

For the next couple of hours we manage a pace of only about 1.5 kms/hour. Past the catacombs, crowded today, and visiting the Villa of Maxentius, and the Capo di Bove complex.

By 1pm we know we need to pick up the pace, hoping to get to Capannelle in time for the 14:30 train to Castel Gandolfo. A drizzle has started by now, and this far along the route there are only a few walkers and cyclists. We miss that train and have almost two hours to wait for the next one. Not far away we settle into a bustling restaurant for a pasta lunch.

Finally back to the station and on our way on the 16:30 train, with views out across the low lands as the train slowly winds its way up the hill. There are glimpses of the lake but the amazing view isn’t fully realised until we exit the station.

Stay – The next two nights we book to stay at B&B Atlantis Inn, one of the recommendations in the guide. She meets us at the station in her car to drive us up to the town to avoid the climb up. This isn’t the only time that they very kindly assist us.

After our late lunch, dinner is a shared porchetta roll, and an apple, accompanied by the night-time views across the lake.

We begin our journey in Roma …

16kms; weather mid-20’s and clear.

From our base in Testaccio, a walk along the Tiber, towards St Peters.

From there, along Viale Angelica, the reverse of the final section of the route of the day when we arrived in Rome in November 2017, having walked (almost the entire journey) from Aosta.

We purchase our credentials from Ciclofficina n.9, Viale Angelica 297.

We reverse our path back to St Peters, where it is set up for the All Saints day Papal address the following day. There are a lot more people in Piazza San Pietro than the day we arrived almost 6 years ago. We didn’t join the queue circling the piazza for a visit inside – our main purpose is our first stamp.

The Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (to the left in front of the Piazza) is open, and our first stamps are added, complete with the date in Roman numerals – we appreciated that he took on this task with a flourish that matched our level of excitement.

We then proceeded through the crowded streets past the sights of the first 4 kilometres of the route heading south.

Past the Victor Emmanuel II monument, the Roman forum, the Colosseum, and the Arch of Constantine, as far as the Circus Maximus. At this point we veer off the route to head back to our accommodation.

While we knew there may be physical challenges ahead, unfortunately the actions of a careless person at the transit airport led to a knee injury for DC on his journey over. First, a hip and shoulder from behind then tripping him up with their wheelie-bag, the culprit continuing on his way leaving DC on the ground. Thankfully, on arrival at the departure gate, an attentive flight attendant set him up with some ice, and organised a swap of his seat, as that knee was already swelling up.

DC arrived in Roma with a marked limp and a painful, swollen knee.

Yesterday, lots of rest and ice (frozen chopped pumpkin- I couldn’t see frozen peas in the supermarket).

This morning, the swelling and pain had improved and he was walking without a limp; he has managed the distance today, slowly with rests. We will watch it closely and see what happens.

A dopo.