One has had to develop a certain level of boldness by now.
I dawdled leaving my beautiful cottage at Bagni San Filippo this morning, hoping for my bra to dry but it did not. It has spent the last two days soaking in hot springs posing as a bathing suit. I used the mesh bag my friend Adele had recommended I bring to carry my wet underwear on the outside of my pack, secured with a big old diaper pin so I wouldn’t end up braless for ever.
I wandered the village a bit looking for a stamp for my passport, but since this place is not on the Via Francigena route I came up empty handed. Somehow I don’t think I’ll need it to remember this stop.
My All Trails app helped me find my way out on a trail this time instead of the road I walked to get here. I had to detour around private property, forge a stream and trail blaze a bit to get back onto the main route.
Day 13 April 25 Bagni San Filippo to Radicofani
13 kilometres
Just as I was about to join the main Via Francigena, my buddies Katja and Miroslav cycled by and I got to say good-bye. They have run out of time to complete their own VF plans and are heading home to Slovenia, but will be coming to tour Canada in the fall. I sincerely hope to see them again.
Despite my late start I arrived in Radicofani too early to check into the Ospitale dei Santi Pietro e Giacomo. Suddenly there are pilgrims everywhere, laying in the sun, lunching, eating gelato; just enjoying this beautiful little town. Where were all these people up until now???
It’s a full house in my hostel tonight but once I checked in I quickly showered and changed into my exploring dress and headed back out. The thing to do here is climb the hill to La Rocca – the Fortress so up I go.
There’s a day moon in the sky this afternoon and that always reminds me of Ray. He loves day moons. The climb is not inconsequential, and the fact that this old lady has that energy left at the end of the day amazes even me.
A handsome Italian man hit on me up here – dramatically trying to woo me to dine with him tonight. This one was neither old nor toothless. Things are looking up. Instead of embarking on a wild adventurous affair with a handsome stranger, I elect to order a cold beer and call Ray. Maybe next time.
Dinner was a delicious spaghetti bolognese, red wine and an apricot torta. I’m sleeping communally tonight so I used one of my scarce sleeping pills and scored a 77 on my fitbit sleep score. If anyone snored I didn’t hear them.
Day 14 April 26 Radicofani to Aquapandente
32.7 kilometres
I have a choice today. The official route is 22.8 k and at least for a while follows one of Italy’s busiest highways. The variant avoids the highway but adds 8 k. Guess which way I chose?
I’m leaving town before 7 AM thinking I may have to forgo coffee as this place I’m staying has no kitchen. I googled restaurants open near me and to my surprise the nearest one was 59 metres away! I got to enjoy an Americano con latte and chocolate croissant while listening to old beatles tunes blasting loudly. This trip has been blessed.
The first 10 k of the walk should have been nothing but pleasant but I was really struggling. For some reason my pack felt like I’d added a dead body to it. I’d packed quickly this morning while one lazy pilgrim was sleeping in. No matter how I adjusted the straps it just felt wrong. Finally I found a quiet spot where I could completely repack, and suddenly that same pack felt almost weightless! Just goes to show you how important proper weight balance is.
Despite the crowds of pilgrims at Radicofani, today’s walk has been surprisingly lonely. I keep waiting for the Spanish Camino type of crowds and they just aren’t here. Maybe it’s the variant? Are all those people choosing to walk the highway? I met a couple of Brits that have lost their guidebook and let them photograph the next few days from mine.
In Proceno I met Dutchman Bernard but he has elected to stay here tonight and I was moving on. I stopped for a really nice long rest, some pasta and white wine before tackling the 7 k hill up to Aquapandente. It was almost 6 PM when I arrived.
For just 35 euros I have rented an entire apartment here complete with a full kitchen, beautiful shower and a teeny tiny bed. There’s a bigger bed in the locked second bedroom that is meant for the couple I could have been sharing this space with. The only thing missing in action is WiFi so no extended visit with Ray tonight. I found a nice bar on the main piazza and enjoyed two glasses of wine, visited with Ray and a couple of other friends then retired home with a 5 euro takeout pizza.
I miss my soulmate so much tonight, but I’m so glad he’s not here with me. This is a part of my life I have no interest in sharing with anyone. No compromises, no consultations, complete selfishness.
Besides WiFi this place is missing a stamp for my passport.
Day 15 April 27 Aquapandente to Bolsena
23.8 kilometres
I’ve planned for an easy walk today; flat and relatively short. It actually turns out to be neither of those things, but it starts off that way this morning.
The vineyards of Tuscany have turned into wheat fields and sheep farmers. It’s a busy season, tractors are out plowing and planting, dogs are out managing their flocks with impressive herding skills. I watched one dog flexing his control, I think just for fun. The sheep would follow this guy anywhere.
The halfway stop of today’s walk is San Lorenzo Nuovo where I stopped for what might be the worst foccacia of the journey so far. One block later I saw a counter crowded with what looked like the best foccacia. I bought a gelato here to stroll through the rest of the town with. Made me feel better.
This is where I first saw THE LAKE; Bolsena Lake that is. This is the largest volcanic lake in all of Europe. I knew I’d see a lake today but I had no idea I would spend the next thee days admiring this beautiful scenery.
All morning I finally start experiencing encounters with familiar pilgrims. Phillip and Jane are Brits having their bags transported from one posh hotel to another. Swede Lars and Fillipino Josephine are a couple I meet several times, Ben from Quebec is quiet and introspective. A Finn going the other way tells me he’s hiking to Canterbury, but he’s just joking. Finnish humour? I had no reason not to believe him.
The afternoon is spent on beautiful undulating trails, always with the lake on my left. Bolsena is a gorgeous medieval town with an incredibly modern tourist area on the lake. My accommodations, Casa di preghiera Santa Cristina are quite mean but in the heart of old town and only 15 euros. I met up with some new friends for cocktail hour down by the lake, waded in Bolsena Lake wishing I had a bathing suit with me and then dined alone in old town beside my hostel.
This was my best dinner so far, some kind of steak with arugula and parmesan with a chocolate dessert that was to die for. I paired it with a couple more glasses of a fabulous red wine. It takes some time, but once you get used to dining alone it is really quite enjoyable.
Day 16 April 28 Bolsena to Montefiascone
17.5 kilometres
Today’s walk is a stroll through forest trails broken by small farm roads. The hills flagged by my All Trails app turned out to be nothing at all. There are still few pilgrims but I’m getting to know the ones there are. There are many people doing small sections of the trail, often locals and often only on the weekends. Bolsena Lake is always on my right.
I arrive in Montefiascone early and hungry. In Italy if lunch is being served you should eat lunch. One never knows when the next meal might be served. I found a busy restaurant where my Dutch friend Bernard and Gina from Norway were about to order. We settled in over ravioli, spinach salad and red wine.
Montefiascone has a colourful tale attached to it. Some time around 1883 a German named Johannes Defuk was traveling to Rome and sent his scout ahead to look for the very best wines. The scout was to leave the message “est” on the door of any tavern with the best wine. When the scout arrived in Montefiascone he found the wine so good he left the message “est est est”. Defuk agreed with the triple assessment and never made it to Rome. Instead he stayed and drank himself to death on the fabulous white wine of the region.
Bernard and I spent the rest of the afternoon indulging in the est est est white wine of the region. Gina joined us again for some serious sightseeing of this beautiful town.
As I get closer to Rome, the papal influence gets stronger. Tonight I am staying in Monestero San Pietro and there are large paintings of popes adorning the walls. I’m in a dorm room but Bernard is the only other person sleeping here. He jokes to Ray on my call that he’s sleeping with his wife. The joke is funny on our end, after all the est est est we have consumed. The nuns here cook us a feast. While the nuns are all in habits, the priests they are cooking for look they all work in banks.
I go to sleep in my almost private room, tired, drunk and and full of the nun’s pasta.
