Walking Across Italy

Today was a day filled with physical and emotional ups and downs. Our route today started in Ponticelli and would take us 20 km (14.4 miles) north to the hilltop town of Poggio San Lorenzo. As you can see from the map (below) we had to go east before we could go north.

We started the day on a high note. Patricia, one of the angels from yesterday, told us that she had the registration booklets for the Via di San Francesco hike, and she would be glad to register us as official “pilgrims”. At each stop along the trail, we get stamps that prove we were there. Thanks again, Patricia.

The trail today took us up one hill and down the other side. Some trails up were difficult, while some trails down were even worse. All-in-all, we climbed 765 meters up and descended 630 meters down . For the Americans reading this, that’s over 7 football fields of climbing and 6 of descending! Some of the views from the top of the hills were outstanding.

We saw sheep and shepherds and horses and dogs.

We had a fabulous lunch of pasta and veal.

And then, we visited a church from the 10th century. And climbed down one hill and up another. Whew!

I never realized how important walking sticks could be, until today. I thought they were just for old people, but I found out that they really help you keep your balance on rocky trails and steep inclines. They are a MUST!

We ended our journey at the b&b where we were treated to a great meal of pasta ai funghi (mushrooms), chicken cacciatore, spinach, and lemon sorbet. A great meal for just 25 Euros.