Walking Across Italy

Today was Day 11 of our 12-Day walk across Italy. We hiked from Poreta to Trevi and then on to Foligno, for a total of 24 km or 16 miles. This was a double stage hike, which means we accomplished in one day, what the guidebooks suggest you do in two days. (Overachievers) As a result, I suggested that we would enjoy the hike better, if we walked without backpacks and used a taxi service to take them to our next destination. Stephen and Juan Pablo reluctantly agreed. And as a result, we had a fabulous walk.

We were joined on the first part of our trip by our special guest star from yesterday, Ms. Caroline. She is a widow from South Africa and traveling to Assisi alone, on a self-guided tour. She seems to be able to tolerate our silly, old guy antics and so we invited her to join us for the first phase of today’s journey.

The sun was shining and the air was fresh as we started the initial 2km climb up the hill. The steep incline and the rock-filled path made the start difficult, but this soon turned into a dirt road and then a paved road at the top of the hill. There was a constant breeze from the South which refreshed our bodies and lifted our spirits.

We skirted along the hills overlooking the Umbrian Valley. You could see for miles and everywhere, there were olive trees. They were on the flat land. They were on the hillsides. They covered the landscapes in every direction.

After only 3 hours, we made our way up the last hill to the midevil town of Trevi. Juan Pablo had selected a restaurant for us and since it was lunchtime, we went directly there. The restaurant was a small osteria with 8 tables, half of which we out on the street. The kitchen was in one storefront and the indoor seating was in another, a few doors away.

The menu was quite limited, but they agreed to make a vegan pasta with mushrooms for Ms. Caroline, the same pasta with some crispy bacon for Stephen and Juan Pablo, and then, a sausage lasagna for me. To start of, JP ordered an Olive Oil Bruschetta for the table. What is that? Well it was nothing more than olive oil soaked toast. Sounds horrible, right? Not at all. It was delicious!

Juan Pablo was so entranced by my lasagna, that he ordered a sausage and potatoes dish for us all to share.

The point of all this food is to suggest that each of these dishes has only 3 or 4 ingredients. It is simple food, prepared and served in a simple manner. And yet, it is filled with flavor and totally satisfies the heartiest appetites. It is hard to name any other cuisine that utilizes this simplicity. And isn’t that a great metaphor for life? Too often we think that the complicated thing has to be better, but it’s not.

After our simple meal, we said good-bye to Caroline and made our way to Foligno in another 3 hours. It was an easy wslk with the sun at our back and the vision of getting to Assisi in front of us.