Author: Mark Dowty

The streets of San Gimignano were empty when we got outside this morning. What a huge change from the throngs of tourists in the squares yesterday.

Morning Update

Today’s walk contains a choice of routes long-but-wooded or short-but-asphalt. We decided on the longer route because we’d done a lot of road walking the previous two days.

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We walked past a Swedish hiker who’s name was Borg (we think). He was a retired Lutheran priest and was taking his time walking for as long as it suited him. How nice is that.

As we were speaking with him it began to sprinkle and Allison donned her rain gear. I decided to chance it with just my rain jacket acting like a poncho. It doesn’t really do the trick but if the rain stayed very light it would suffice. This time my guess (and of course it was just that) turned out to be correct and soon enough we were climbing a hill and the rain ceased. Allison quickly packed up her rain pants and jacket and we were off again.

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In that period of time however we landed at the dividing point between the long and short variants of the Via. Because of the rain we changed plans and bore left opting for the short way.

This variant had one advantage in addition to its shorter length. It travelled through Colle di Val d’Elsa, the “city of glass”. Colle was renown in the Middle Ages for its fine crystal, and art form that is still prevalent today.

But before we reached Colle we stopped for a coffee in the small village of Le Grazie (the Thank You). They had really good pastries!

Colle’s medieval walls are mostly gone but the “new” gate still exists and makes an impressive entryway.

Inside Colle we visited the Basilica. Three particular paintings caught my attention. The first depicts an angel speaking to Joseph in a dream warning him to leave Bethlehem for Egypt with his wife and the child Jesus.

The second shows the moment soon after the resurrection when Jesus bids Mary not to touch him because he’d not yet ascended to the Father.

The third was the moment Jesus appeared to Thomas after his resurrection. Thomas, doubting his own eyes was invited to touch the nail holes in Jesus’ hands and feet and the spear wound in his side. I liked these because they are rarely the subject of paintings.

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Leaving Colle was a difficult few hours along very busy roads with little curb or margin. That was mentally tiring. But we did manage to find a little shade against a concrete wall by one of the many industrial zones we passed. So of course, that is exactly where we ate lunch. We joked about how relaxing our spot was however we will actually miss the carefree lunches once we return home.

When we finally arrived at the tiny village of Abbadia Isola (outside of Monteriggioni) we had a small problem. Paulo had made our reservation for the night at the small donativo in town. When we arrived however we were somewhat briskly told that there was no such reservation for any of us. It seems the number he’d called was misprinted in two of our three guides and actually belonged to a different hostel in a different town. Fortunately for us there was another hostel practically next door and they had space foe us for a good price.

Showered and clothes washed we had only to have a quick dinner and crash for the night. Tomorrow our destination is Siena. Tomorrow we also bid arrivederci to Paulo. He will not stop there or will at a minimum not spend a rest day there.

So our dinner together was a bit of a farewell meal. Sorry to see him move on…but that’s the pilgrimage way.

Our day began early and was cold as we left in the dark.

Morning Update

The sunrise, though, was spectacular!

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And for family and friends that know me well, know I do not watch many sunrises because that means getting up early. But getting up and out early on a day that involves many kilometers is the ideal way to hike.

We walked along a canal on a grass road first thing as the sun rose. It was a beautiful and peaceful way to begin the day. The path then changed to cinder and dirt and finally to asphalt for most of the day.

As we continued on the way we crossed the Arno river. This was a major landmark as a north/south border within Tuscany. The Arno also flows through Fierenza (Florence).

Our first pit stop was in the village of San Miniato. But just before arriving we found our first pilgrim donativo stand. Thanks for the gracious gift friends of the pilgrim.

At the top of the village of San Miniato is a tower. Of course we had to climb to the top even if there was an entrance fee. Each floor provided a little history of the town or tower and then the views at the top were impressive.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3btL-Y3T11M?feature=share

On our way down the many steps we noticed two pigeons who had broken through the man made barrier to watch all the people below. It was a funny sight.

Daily life continues as we walk through history of course. We stumbled across these beautiful flower girls waiting the the wedding to begin. I loved the shoes.

On our way out of town we stepped into a church which was an art museum dedicated to a local artist who actually painted religious scenes. But of course to be famous as an artist usually means you are dead so we just saw a picture of the painter. But a local lady chatted with us inside the church and told us all about Napoleon and some history of the area. This was all in italian and we understood some of what she said. And there was a pilgrim stamp there too.

We hit the trail or pavement again. Right around lunch time we crested a hill to find a rest area for pilgrims including a picnic table, trash can, water, and two people we know…JeanYves and Paulo. It is always nice to see familiar faces. They were going to make an extra long day of it so we bit them adieu and went off the VF toward our lodging.

Unfortunately it was a slog along pavement for the rest of the trip and until 30min before we arrived the heat and humidity seemed to increase with every step. The relief came with a crash of thunder ahead and a gust of wind. The sky darkened and our pace quickened. We were 30min away from our goal….would we make it?

We kept glancing at the hilltops where we knew JeanYves and Paulo were still hiking. It sure looked dark and menacing up there. Sure enough we were about 30 feet from our Ostello in Castelfiorentino when the first drops of rain fell.

There was shopping left to do so as Allison showered I grabbed my rain jacket and bolted to the supermarket. About 2min into the route the skies opened up and I took shelter.

My shelter turned out to be just outside an ice cream shop. You’ll be happy to know that with great fortitude I resisted having an ice cream without Allison. I opted to have a video chat with our daughter Sarah and granddaughter Evelyn.

Shopping complete, I returned and did the whole shower and laundry deal. So here I sit.

You know one of the great joys of traveling is trying new and exotic foods and lovely intricate wines….and then there is this: “Oh how low we have sunk.”

We ended our night with a video call with Isabel our baby girl and her new puppy Sully. Life is good.

Today we put our pilgrim hats back on and woke up at 5:30 (5:00 for me) and had a quick breakfast after packing. We were able to hit the road before 6:45am for our 29km re-entry to the pilgrim life.

Morning Update

The morning was pleasantly cool and less humid than the last several days.

The walk out of Lucca was stereotypical Italian suburb with fast paced cars and progressively rural neighborhoods passing one after another.

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During our walk we left the governance of Lucca and entered Pisa. Each town we passed had a 12th century church and a history related in some way to the growing pilgrim path. Over 1100 years ago Sigeric passed this way and most of the towns are easily recognizable for his records.

We also crossed a significant geological dividing line where sandy soil and a more arid environment predominates.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lIyIid3-nPs?feature=share

The destination for the day was Ponte a Cappiano and more specifically the Ostello Ponte di Medici. This Ostello is actually on a bridge over the canale Maestro. At one time the bridge held all the accoutrements of a mill including a gorge, mill, tavern and hostel. The tavern survives as an Ostello. The glass floors and interesting views of the Ostello make it a fun place to stay.

https://youtube.com/shorts/1DF0tqrvdrw?feature=share

I’d emailed ahead a d was assured that there was a kitchen and a nearby supermarket so that we could do dinner here tonight but somehow some signals got crossed. There was indeed a nice kitchen but the supermarket is 1/2mile away. Ugh.

Allison went with JeanYves and Paulo for groceries and I was left to guard the bridge. They brought back a feast and we ended the day with a pilgrim meal of our own making.

Our first rest day since Day40 in Besancon France. That was 36 days ago peeps. This was certainly overdue and what a fun city to choose.

Back in 1999, Allison and I visited Lucca for an afternoon and hoped one day we’d be back. We’d never have guessed we’d WALK here, but that’s how life changes you.

Morning Update

Lucca is a walled city and has its full share of tourists and vendors hawking touristy goods. But it’s such a pretty place that you can overlook all that as you walk around its twisted streets that all have Roman roots.

In the piazza Anphiteatro you are literally in the center of a Roman Amphitheater.

The 13th century Duomo borders the Roman Forum. It contains several important art works on the interior (some of which irritated me for reasons I won’t explain here). The one image of the last supper I enjoyed because it was from an unusual perspective.

But the two things that intrigued me most were the labyrinth carved onto one pillar and the carvings for each month and the zodiac on the front portico.

Labyrinths are associated with a pilgrimage and some full size ones exist throughout Europe. The exterior has magnificent marble columns as well.

The 13th century Cathedral at San Michele is just as beautiful. The interior is stark but the crucifix above the alter shows Christ not suffering but triumphant in death. I like different representations like these.

Since this was a rest day the “waking around” had to stop. So Allison and I sought out a good spot for lunch. Serendipitously (good word right), we walked passed a couple who sat beside us at dinner last evening. They recommended the bistro called Ciacco who’s “motto” was “No pasta, so pizza, no stress”. There were no tables available so we walked on. Finding nothing better we returned and a spot had opened up. “Due insalasti per favore!”

We talked again to Jim and Brenda, and their two friends Scott and Lisa. Brenda had already hooked up with this blog so…a shout out to these guys and the laughter we shared one afternoon in Lucca.

After the late lunch we were done for the day. It was time to take off the vacation hat and become pilgrims again. A quick trip to the supermarket yielded groceries for dinner (microwave stew and a pre-packaged salad) and breakfast and lunch for the next day. It was sad to return to living in relative luxury. We are once again poor pilgrims.

Funny story to end the evening. The microwave we thought we’d see in the Ostello….was a toaster. Hmmmm. We’ll figure it out somehow.

P.S. more and more pilgrims joining the route. Yay!

Early morning and fast packing meant that we were on our way by 7 after already having a yogurt breakfast.

We shot a morning update but embarrassingly left the lens cap on. Oh well, enjoy the audio anyway.

The morning was cool when we left Camaiore. Four Polish ladies who’d shared the B&B left at the same time and we walked with them briefly until Allison’s 5th gear kicked in and we were off to the races.

It’s good that it was cool because three strenuous climbs awaited us. Ok, so they were nothing like the Alps in expanse but for a morning it got us huffing and puffing. The first climb was intentional, the second was labeled Via Francigena, but apparently it wasn’t the main route but rather an alternate “panoramic route”. We didn’t see that detail until we’d rejoined the main route and looked back at a sign. Oh well… ?? We needed the exercise ??

The third climb was also intentional but this time the “official route” climbed but there was a flatter/easier alternative…and that was our morning.

We started running into “Passion crosses” which were popular at the turn of the 20th century when a group called the Passionistas (no joke), were popular. These crosses all share features from the biblical account of the crucifixion such as a spear and a sponge on a pole Sometimes there is a crown of thorns and a hammer and nails as well.

We ate a rather posh lunch of Parmesan cheese, crackers and smoked salmon before making our way into town. Lodging had not been firmed up but in the end we opted for a hotel/B&B instead of the Pilgrim Ostello. We both needed a break.

The walk into Lucca along the Fume Serchio was nicely shaded and but the suburbs were big and the afternoon dragged on until we met the walls of Lucca.

22yrs ago, Allison and I visited Lucca. Here is our reflection of that event and a brief tour walking into the town.

https://youtube.com/shorts/c9CPxY1pzAA?feature=share

We checked into our b&b which is just inside the old Roman Amphitheater.

https://youtube.com/shorts/n4Jcjiik2E4?feature=share

We ended our evening with some class. A concert (opera) and a nice dinner together.

Here’s to over 75% through this adventure.