Walking Across Italy

Today we hiked from Portonovo to Osimo, about 12.5 miles on the road, but a climb of 178 floors, according to my Fitbit. And the last hill, into Osimo was about a mile and a half at a 45 degree pitch. Ughhh!

The route was a bit more difficult than we imagined. In the past, we had been following pilgrimage routes which are designed for hikers and clearly marked. But this is not a pilgrimage route. It is a virtual travel route where Stephen (our leader) must constantly watch his GPS signal to see if we are on the right track. Needless to say, we missed a few turns in the first hour, but then got on the program.

Today’s hike took us on all kinds of roads – dirt, gravel, asphalt, animal trails, and even on metal bridges. At one point we found ourselves trapped between a guardrail and a fence on a narrow bridge. To get out, we had to take off our backpacks, climb over the 6 foot guardrail, stop traffic on the bridge, and the run like hell to the end of the bridge. Not too smart, but it was the only way.

The most interesting adventure occurred in a little town called Camerano. There, we met a 75 year old man who told us that his young grandson told him that he wanted to go hiking with him. The man told him “se potresti durare” (if I might last) until the child was old enough. I felt that way today. I’m hoping to last until we get to the Ligurian Sea. It’s another 240 miles and 19 days of hiking. My legs are killing me. So, I hope I might last until we get to the other side.

Camerano also had a unique art installation. Someone had covered a tree in the central piazza with giant, colorful grape clusters. JP stood underneath waiting fir some juice to fall. Silly man.

Our B&B in Osimo is in the top floor of a 6-story apartment building. Si, after climbing into town, we had to climb 6 stories to get to our rooms. The good news is that nothing brings you back to life like a plate of homemade pasta with beef ragu. I have to say that this plate made all the climbing seem like a distant memory.

See you tomorrow.