Category: Uncategorized
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Simple things are the best
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…
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A day in the olive groves
Today we made the short trip from Spoleto to Poreta (about 15 km or 10 miles). Since we knew that we would get there relatively quickly, we did a bit of sightseeing in Spoleto first. There is a beautiful cathedral (duomo) which contains a letter from St. Francis to Friar Leone from 1222 (a thousand…
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Paths, Roads, and Highways
Today was the most arduous and difficult hike to date. The section from Pontuglia to Spoleto was not long (only 18 km), but the terrain was very challenging. The first 6.5 km (4 miles) was straight uphill. No flat land. Just a steep climb from 450 meters above sea level to 950 meters. The last…
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Down By The Riverside
Today was one of the longest walks of the entire trip. We walked from Piediluco to Pontuglia, a little town in the hills outside Secelli. In total we walked over 34 km ( about 21 miles) in 7.5 hours. The path was relatively flat because we followed a river from the lake in Piediluco. The…
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The Sausage You Follow
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…
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Things go better with Coke
Today was supposed to be one of the most challenging stages of our 12-day journey to Assisi. While the distance was manageable (18 km – 11 miles) the terrain was rated as “very demanding” and the forecast for rain would make it even worse. So we prepared for the worst, and had one of the…
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In the center of it-all-y
Today, we hiked from Poggio San Lorenzo to the city of Rieti. This was another 20 km hike, made more difficult by the rain that greeted us as we embarked. But this did not dampen or spirits ( or our resolve). Although it did make the first 4 km very hot, because the rain gear…
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A day of Ups and Downs
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…
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The kindness of strangers
This day was brutal, but thanks to the kindness of 3 strangers, it has a silver lining. First, after walking 17 km (11 miles) of what was supposed to be a 30 km (18.75 miles), we arrived at a hilltop town around 12:30 for lunch. Unfortunately, the lunch venue was closed, we were informed about…
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One small step for man…
Today began with a lot of excitement. We met in the hotel lobby at 8:30 and set out looking for a cab to take us to the edge of the Roman suburbs. But first, we needed a group picture at the base of the Spanish Steps. To be clear, this was Juan Pablo’s idea, even…
Walking Across Italy 