Via Francigena, 2025

This is my last post. After two full days in Rome as a tourist, I’m very grateful to enjoy and marvel at some of the art and antiquity. Words can’t express my feelings—it’s all just so overwhelming.

I was able to do just about everything I had hoped to do while transitioning back to “normal”: attend a papal audience (not by sitting, but by standing), see the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel (that I last saw in 1965 or 1966), the Basilica of St Peter’s, the Pantheon (right around the corner from my eponymous hotel), and Piazza Navona and its Fountain of Four Rivers (on all of which I’ve traveled).

A wonderful visit concludes as I sit at Fiumicino Airport (aka Leonardo da Vinci Airport).

After starting in Lucca twenty-five days and 267 miles ago, I arrived at St. Peter’s Square. I absolutely love this part of the Via Francigena and am so very, very grateful to my booster fans—couldn’t have done it without you.

My first view of Rome came from high on a plateau from which I had to descend. That happened through 16 switchbacks on uneven cobblestone trail that made for slow walking. Arriving in Rome was in stark contrast with the solitude of the rest of the walk that went through rather remote rural landscapes— very hard to handle when you’re tired.

Interestingly, my journey took 25 days in line with 2025 Jubilee celebrations. The testimonial certificate at the pilgrims’ office took me over an hour to get mainly due to tour guides having head-of-line priority. But it was well worth it. The line was many times longer when I left.

On day 22, I encountered a placard, a part of which I’m copying here: “…We sincerely hope that, at the end of your journey, “not only will you have walked the path, but the path will have transformed you".

Signed: The inhabitants of Capranica”

Yes. This walk has transformed me—how can it not, when you have to reach deep down so many times just to keep going to finish the day.

With one more day after today, I found myself trying to put it all together during this walk, only to be distracted and vexed as to whether or not I had a room at the end of the day. I couldn’t really confirm that I had a room near where I wanted, until I physically saw the hotel and checked in. It had to do with Booking.com who told me everything was booked in La Storta, but here’s a place 0.7 mi away. But I couldn’t verify that, and I’ve had some bad experiences. Anyway, all turned out well.

I’m very grateful to all my booster club members. It’s thanks to you that I am about to cross the finish line.👍❤️

The trail was mostly paved asphalt, dirt hard pack, or gravel with none of the challenging uneven rocks, boulders, or Roman Pavers. It went into the low 80s after lunch, and both heat and hydration were the biggest concern. I found myself just plopping on the ground several times to cool down and rehydrate.

The sounds of hazelnut maintenance equipment went on for quite a while after leaving Sutri—even on a Sunday. Even though I started at 7:30, I didn’t see other pilgrims until about 10:00—some in front of me and others passing me. What seemed like big stray dogs, turned out to be sheep herders working for their boss. Then I encountered an Italian national golf school along the trail—inn the middle of nowhere.

Campagnano, another hilltop small town, has 11,000 some people, along with quaint narrow streets. My reward for the ending killer climb to the top was a dinner at my hotel of grilled Porcini Mushrooms—they’re so delicious.

This leg was extremely scenic going through forest at the beginning and end portions of the walk. That provided shade as well. The end portion was very challenging for me since my balance isn’t nearly what it should be. The slightest narrowing of the trail with drop offs to one side strikingly slowed me down. But I made the 14+ miles despite the impediments. Most of the walk was downhill, but the temperature went well into the 80s after noon.

Much of the middle of the walk led through hazelnut orchards that were in maintenance mode. That meant the Hazelnut orchard grounds were worked with blowers to move fallen nuts and organic debris into neat piles or rows for harvesting, and to clear drive paths so that mechanical harvesters can operate efficiently without picking up too much dirt and other foreign material. The use of blowers apparently is an essential step in preparing for the harvest, to ensure a cleaner nut collection and more efficient harvesting process.

With 4 miles to go, the town of Capranica offered a last rest stop with cafes. Here’s where I spotted the price of my porcini mushrooms (28€ per kilo or $15 per lb) as well as a welcome placard for pilgrims with which I very much resonated. I copied it below:

Dear pilgrim, welcome to Capranica!

Your journey along the millennia-old Via Francigena has brought you here, about 60 kilometers from your destination, the Eternal City.

Today, we are fortunate to see you, meet you, and welcome you.

Upon entering Capranica, you passed through our precious hazelnut fields, which tell of days filled with hard work. You have savored the beauty of nature and places steeped in history, such as the ancient Vicus Matrini. In just a few steps, you will reach Castrum Capralice. Here, for centuries, the inhabitants of our village have welcomed travelers from all over the world, driven by different motivations, united by the shared experience of "walking the journey."

You will walk through alleys whose cobblestones have supported the steps of thousands of people and whose walls still echo the emotions left behind along the way. Soon, you will discover the purlying waters or the san rocco fountain. Before delving into the enchanting Etruscan valley of Donazzano, a place that will leave you breathless (and that’s the part that really challenged me!).

We admire you for the path you are walking, as it represents life itself, with its joys and sorrows, challenges, and hopes. Today, we are happy to be part or lt, even if only for a short stretch.

We sincerely hope that, at the end of your journey, “not only will you have walked the path, but the path will have transformed you".

Signed: The inhabitants of Capranica

Much of today was downhill, but some long uphills tested my perseverance and then an occasional killer uphill popped up,—you didn’t want to stop for fear of not being able to start up again.

Leaving Viterbo was most unusual in that the paved one-lane road cut through the rocky hillside as if a river cut its gorge. Ample rest spots appeared when I most needed one. But the most interesting rest place I found was the Bench named Barbara—I couldn’t say no.

For dinner, I was able to order custom fried Porcini Mushrooms and skipping the pasta with it. My antipasto was a salami selection that’ll provide tomorrow’s lunch as well, and then I also had a mixed salad and a tiramisu (I’m comparing the tiramisus of the various restaurants).

I followed the app, Visit a City, for their recommended sights to see in Viterbo to the letter for the 4-hr version. First Palazzo dei Papi. The Papal administrative body (Papal Curia) was moved from Rome to Viterbo in 1257 and remained until 1281. The papacy was in the midst of great political instability thereafter and moved to several other sites including Avignon in 1309.

What really fascinated me was that when the cardinals were required to elect a new pope here in Viterbo following the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268,

they were taking so long to pick a new pope that their presence was bankrupting local Viterbo businesses. That, apparently, drove the infuriated local people to lock the cardinals inside the palace and to remove the palace roof, exposing those inside to the elements. They vowed only to unlock the door once a decision had been reached. This was the beginning of the “conclave” process (i.e., with key). BTW, the first Pope elected at Viterbo took almost three years!

Secondly, I went next door (with the same audio set) to the Viterbo Cathedral built at the site of an Etruscan Temple.

Lastly I saw the ancient Romanesque Church Santa Maria Nuova followed by a visit to the San Pellegrino District of Viterbo that’s known for its well-preserved medieval buildings.

Today’s journey started with an unusually short but steep climb to the very top of Montefiascone that served as defensive castle and papal residence. The views were magnificent. A steep descent followed that gradually became a gentle downhill. The most fascinating part of the trail over large payoff it was the Roman paving technique: layered with the final layer consisting of tightly fitted, large, flat, carefully cut stones. Since some of these protruded a few inches above their neighbors, I took great care with foot placement.

Pellegrinos are welcomed to Viterbo by artwork in the middle of a roundabout. My exploration of this city begins tomorrow, my last rest day before Rome.

I expected to be much more rested walking after a rest day, but almost the opposite. After consulting my experts, problem is that during a rest day you become dehydrated, don’t eat enough, and reduced cardiovascular efficiency. Solution: stay hydrated, eat as if walking, and plan a shorter sightseeing walking day.

Having stayed down at the lake, my day started by climbing back up to the Via Francigena Trail with its intermittent beautiful views of the lake. At one such vista point, I spotted a prickly pear cactus (aka Barbary Fig) with very ripe fruit that brought back the memory of eating 5 or 6 of these at a rest stop.

The trail soon narrowed and became very bouldery, enough to throw me off balance and cause my first fall, but with a soft landing rolling on top of my backpack: no bruises, no blood, and no scrapes. It did make me slow down and be much more cautious.

Then came the unexpected at the next break: mosquitoes, biting right through my thick socks. Thanks to loose clothing that covered arms and legs, two bites in feet was the total damage. Continuing through shaded forest along a babbling brook also offered glimpses of small waterfalls. The trail opened up and vineyards guided me through the middle. By 1:00, I could see my day’s goal: Montefiascone on top of a hill, of course. It would be another two hours before getting to my hotel room. I spent much time inside a very interesting church (actually one built over another), Basilica of Saint Flavian. My climb continued right up to the hotel doorsteps with more the next day.

Montefiascone has a rich history dating back to the Etruscans and later to serving as a Papal summer residence.

Julie (and husband) from Australia met me again at Montefiascone along with Bana and Juanita from Philippines that evening. As I entered the restaurant where they were eating, I spotted what Bana had in front of him: a Blueberry thin Filet Mignon. I ordered it and it was the best dinner in Italy so far.

 I caught up on my housekeeping chores, then finally left my hotel room late afternoon to see what’s going on. The answer: NOT MUCH. Only one bar/cafe was open and it was full as you can see from the photo. Aperol Spritzes are still very popular! I was left with only my hotel for dinner (prix fixe)—good choice.

Another near-16 mi walk brought me to Bolsena, a real vacation spot (and well earned rest spot for pellegrinos). The walk had two distinct types of trails: the first 7 mi up to San Lorenzo Nuovo was standard gravel trail, but the second half was rugged with some seriously jagged stretches. It also provided promising glimpses of the day’s destination.

San Lorenzo Nuovo was a perfect rest spot. I ordered my usual Café latte, but it came with a marvelous surprise, a custom-engineered spoon optimized to stir the sugar at the bottom of the cup. They tilted the spoon’s bowl just enough to where more of the bowl was parallel to the bottom of the cup (it looked almost like a golf club)—see the pic below.

I included some pics of the rough terrain including the stairs I didn’t take—you had the very steep option of going around.

You’d swear that time stood still in a few places where we took a time out—it was wonderful. A fellow from Marseille crisscrossed my path several times; he was an exceptionally strong hiker and an admirably free spirit and there to help whoever needs it. He beckoned me to take a brake where he got permission to pick figs and plums on a property we passed—I didn’t hesitate, then rested under the fig tree that nourished me. Here time stood still —it’s such a simple unblemished memory.

A bit later, mon ami de Marseille beckoned me again to rest at a place that was for sale—it had friendship, chairs and some shade. What more does one need at that moment in time?

Acquapendente awaited me with a decadently large, modern lodging that, once I broke the code of how to gain entry, left me in total awe. Yes, I did unabashedly deserve this after another hard day—pretty cool.

Dinner was a salad and “little hats” cappellini filled with Gorgonzola cheese along with two big beers—I needed to rehydrate. And I’ve regularly been asking for salt to manage my cramping. It’s been working well along with taking electrolytes in my water throughout the day.

 Tiring day, even though I tried to break this 20+ mi day into bite-size pieces. It’s the distance and the climb at the end that made this leg a real killer. A start at about 7:00 am revealed a beautiful sunrise amidst a cloudy sky and a steep downhill brought me back to the main Via Francigena.

The trail was varied from rocky, gravelly, dirt, clever stream crossing, to portions along the country road (yet separated by a good safety margin). Toward the end I got my dreaded glimpse of the day’s endgame climb that I had to psyche myself up for.

How difficult can it be to find your hotel especially when your 50 meters away—EXTREMELY, so you have to ask someone. 
BTW, the hotel’s included breakfast was the skimpiest so far! Dinner, however, at Radicofani was fabulous: homemade thick spaghetti!

This post covers my rest day in San Quirico d’Orcia (day 12) as well as my walk to Castiglione dʼOrcia (day 13). The relatively short walk was intended to shave some mileage off of a 20+mi day from San Quirico d’Orcia to Radicofani. It took me a bit out of the way and challenged me to a hefty climb, but on balance, it will make tomorrow’s walk at least 5 miles shorter.

The morning of my rest day was very rainy but it cleared up by late afternoon allowing me to eat a healthy dinner at the square in front of the Church of Madonna di Vitaleta and breakfast at the same place the next morning. I essentially hibernated in my room all day except for the evening meal.

The walk on Thursday (day 13) was characterized by steep descents 15% and a particularly steep climb up to Castiglione most of which I avoided by walking with the cars on the paved road. Staying here took me off the via Francigena anyway, so it didn’t really matter how I negotiated this last mile.

A rest stop at Bagno Vignon at about 10:00 made me aware that these little towns of no more than one or two thousand are being used by tour groups as a 3- or 4-day base camp from which to do day hikes and bus excursions, and then move on. One of the pics captures such a group, all English speaking.

Out the door by 7:30 trying to beat the rain forecast for the afternoon. The cloud cover kept the temperature down in the 70s, but walking nearly all of the day in the open still made it warm. Vineyards were all around and so were places for wine tasting as I passed through the Montalcino Area (only a mile from Montalcino, famous for its world-renowned Brunello di Montalcino wine). I tasted some of the Sangiovese grapes waiting to be picked to become Brunello wine—VERY sweet, almost like raisins.

At the 7-mile mark I spotted my lunch break point—all downhill for another mile. Lots of pellegrinos had the same idea. I met one in particular from Utah, a fellow APOC pilgrim, Kathy, who has a near 2K following on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@kbhothothot?si=G57ucGT9kfz2Osfb The picture includes Kathy who interviewed me regarding my long walk from the Ukraine-Polish border to Santiago. 

The insalada mista was the first I’ve had on this journey with tuna and egg—ever so grateful since I didn’t venture out for dinner in the rain.

The last five or six miles had some serious hills and, in particular, the last mile came with the long promised rain that made finding my hotel with Google Maps a real challenge—smartphone screens don’t like wet fingers.

Great hiking day (Day 11), even though it reached 80 for the last few miles—and broke 100 cum miles today, now well over a third of the way! The gently rolling hills of Tuscany were so impressive today, probably because the trail took you around them as well as over them and views of the hills were spectacular. Much less walking through forests and more walking in the open. Didn’t see but one vineyard, but many fields lying fallow right now waiting to be harrowed for the next planting season.

It’s interesting that the town of Buonconvento is apparently a source of inspiration for poets, writers, ancient and modern painters, and photographers; a recurring subject for postcards, posters, and calendars; and a favored setting for films and advertisements. Can’t argue with that, although I’m not quite getting those vibes.

So much to experience in Siena, but I was ready to move on. Today’s contrast was stark, and yesterday’s memories lingered. Took one last picture of il Campo, Siena’s prime plaza.

For the first time, I saw dozens of pellegrinos on the trail—nine alone in the picture I took. They all seemed to stop at the next coffee bar where I chatted with four Canadian ladies. We suddenly realized we had only 3 miles to go. The day flew by and I checked into my hotel by 1:30. I skipped dinner out tonight since the nearest restaurant was half a mile away; still had some food from breakfast.

A magical day: Today (day 9) on Sep 6, Siena celebrated its Titular Feast (the legend of how it came to be called Siena), the Feast of the She-wolf. I was swallowed up by the procession of hundreds of celebrants on their way to the Siena Cathedral.

Wikipedia’s history has it that the city of Siena was founded by the sons of Remus, Aschio and Senio who, to escape the wrath of their uncle Romulus, fled Rome, taking the Capitoline she-wolf with them, stealing it from the temple of Apollo. The lore also wants that, having arrived on the Tuscan hills, Senio founded Siena (in Latin Sena) and Aschio the village of Asciano.

I ordered tickets for the Cathedral Complex the day before, picked them up at about 9:45 and was one of the first to enter the Church—before leaving, 100s had swarmed into the Cathedral. It’s Siena’s main attraction! The pics speak for themselves—the marble art of the floor is over the top astounding!

After the cathedral, my ticket also allowed entrance into the OPA Museum (Opera della Metropolitana) that houses stuff that was originally in the Cathedral. The HIGHLIGHT for me was the 14th century Maesta altarpiece by Duccio di Buoninsegna—first altarpiece to have both a front and back side. BTW, it was discovered to be Duccio’s work when it was removed piece by piece from the altar in 1943 to protect it from WW II damage!

To quote Wikipedia: “Though it took a generation for its effect to be truly felt, Duccio's Maestà set Italian painting on a course leading away from the hieratic representations of the Italo-Byzantine style towards more direct presentations of reality, as developed in the course of the Trecento associated predominantly with Giotto who presumably was Duccio's pupil.” In today’s lingo, we call it truly a DISRUPTER.

Then I had an Aperol Spritz at Piazza del Campo, “the main public space of the historic center of Siena, a city in Tuscany, Italy. Its name comes from the Italianword campanilismo, which translates to "local pride" and campanile "bell tower."[1] The campo is regarded as one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity.” (Wikipedia)

Last stop was Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico, begun in 1226. St Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461; she was declared a patron saint of Rome in 1866 by Pope Pius IX, and of Italy (together with Francis of Assisi) in 1939 by Pope Pius XII. She was the second woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church, on 4 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI – only days after Teresa of Ávila. In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Patron Saint of Europe. (Wikipedia)

Got started on day 8 at 8:00 and reached the Siena city limit at 1:20, but then it took me another 1 1/2 hrs to arrive at Hotel Duomo—rest break before a killer hill of at least 20% incline and 80 deg (27C) and a coo-down break once in the outskirts. Hilltop towns are great for medieval defense but not for pilgrims!

At breakfast, I spotted two great posters of Siena Palios and their famous horse races in the city center on the Campo (main square) (I encountered my first such festival at Gambassi Terme on day 3). Took a good pic of the back side of Monteriggioni’s wall, but my most curious find was a smoother serpentine trail for several kilometers along the Francigena specifically for wheelchairs—pretty cool! Then a stop at a super friendly, donativo rest stop and later at cemetery helped break up the day’s 13.7 mi.

It was soon obvious that Siena is very POPULAR, both day and evening (pic of beer festival a block from my hotel). Tomorrow is a rest day to see some of the many sites.

 Got started on day 7 at 8:30 and checked into my rustic room at 1:30—another hill-top town with the last half mile really steep. I departed Colle di Val d'Elsa in a series of sharp switchbacks until reaching the valley floor that surrounds this hilltop town. The trail was a mix of country roads, gravelly backroads and shaded trails through forests some dotted with outcrops of stone that made foot placement quite challenging.

Although the temperature hit low 80s, I managed to rest along the way to cool down periodically. The town of about 10,000 has a rich history going back to the 1200s. As a walled bastion, Siena built it and used it as a forward defense against Florentine advances. My hotel, called Rooms and Wine al Castello, has a rustic touches inside along with ultramodern bathroom plumbing. It’s located on the hilltop’s single square lined with its church and numerous restaurants. 

At 5:00 pm, the hotel provided a wine tasting for its five guests (2 Dutch, 2 UK, and me) that centered on their own vineyards producing Chiantis —very informative.