Walking Across Italy

I couldn’t write my blog yesterday because I had no cell or internet service in the little town of Piediluco. Forgive me. So, tonight I am writing for both days.

Yesterday, we covered the distance from Poggio Bustone to Piediluco (22km or 14 miles). As Day 6 of our 12 day journey to Assisi, we are about 1/2 way there.

My topic today is about “followship”. Everyone writes about leadership, but I’d like to talk about those who follow. Those of you who know me, understand that it is not in my nature to follow. But through this experience I am stretching myself and learning to do just that.

My good friend, Alessandra Squire ( Stephen’s wife) told me that in business “you are only as good as the sausage you follow”. Her meaning being that you will have better career opportunities if you work for a superstar rather than a mediocre manager. I’ve found the same to be true on my walk across Italy. As we walk along, I find that I am not leading, but following the legs in front of me.

In our trek across Italy, I find that I am following Stephen and Juan Pablo about 70-80% of the time. Why? Because I respect their expertise in hiking on these trails. Second, I trust them to find the right path. And quite honestly, I am enjoying NOT having to worry about everyone’s happiness. They are spending time preparing for the next day, figuring out the lunch plans, and analyzing the terrain, that I don’t have to. I can just live in the moment and enjoy the journey. This is a big change for me. I’m finally enjoying the journey instead of worrying about getting there!

Speaking of getting there, we arrived in Piediluco in the late afternoon.

It is a beautiful little town situated on a lake. The main street looks like something out of a WWII movie.

Since our dinner options were severely limited in this little town. We decided that we would make dinner tonight. I went to the local grocery store, bought some arugula, fresh mozzarella, olives and tomatoes and turned that into an antipasti. For a main course, I made tortellini in a red sauce with pancetta and fresh mushrooms. We splurged on the most expensive bottle of wine in the grocery store (a Tuscan Red Table wine for 8,30 euros) and some bread. It was a great meal and a great experience to all work together and create a unique experience. Sometimes we led. Sometimes we followed. It’s a wonderful thing.