Via Francigena: Dispatch #4

I didn’t quite make my goal of posting once a week, but we have not taken a rest day since we last published a post! Once you start walking it is so hard to stop!

That said, we have done our best to keep our days a manageable distance, somewhere between 18 and 22 kilometers. We are not breaking any land speed records, but it is working well for us.

Steven has good days and bad with his plantar fasciitis, the bad days being really painful for him. It isn’t so much distance that affects him, rather it is the surface we walk on. If the road is paved, he does well. Gravel is his enemy and we have had a lot of gravel paths in Tuscany.

We have also had a great deal of elevation, these Tuscan hills are no joke when walking day after day. Still, the views are just unbelievably gorgeous.

So far the weather has been nearly perfect, not a single drop of rain since we left Lucca. Mostly we’ve had sunny days with temperatures in the 60s. Personally I like to walk in very cool weather and the days have been a little warm for me. I’ve said this before, but there is no chance I would do this walk at any other time of the year. Not only does it get hot in Italy, it gets humid. I am not a nice person when I am out in that kind of weather, so I try to avoid it.

When I said we’ve had no rest days, I will qualify that and say that Steven did take a day off after a particularly grueling walk the day before. I walked an entire stage by myself while he lollygagged around the beautiful medieval village of San Gimignano.

I jest. The day turned in to an absolute nightmare after he took a bus and met up with me at our next stop. We went to a restaurant for lunch and were asked to show our vaccinations. Steven usually keeps his CDC card inside his passport, and when he asked me with a panicked look on his face, “Do you have my passport?”, I knew in my heart it was gone.

So what was supposed to be a rest day for Steven turned into him running around to the police station to file a report, making calls and sending emails. He was in a bit of a tailspin as you might imagine.

My high school friend, Desiree, who lives here in Italy made lots of calls on his behalf, but to this day we have heard nothing of the lost passport. Steven believes it must have fallen out of his waist pack while he was on the bus.

He sent an email to the Irish embassy in Rome, but heard nothing back after a few days. He finally called and got an actual person on the phone. When he began to explain his predicament, she said, “Is this Steven? You’ve been weighing heavy on my mind!” At that point he finally relaxed. As of today, his new passport is winging its way to Rome. We know it left Ireland on April 14, but with all the Easter holidays, it has not yet arrived at the embassy. Fingers crossed that it will soon.

By the time you read this post we will be just a couple of days from Rome. More on that next time!

The pictures that follow will take you through the hills of Tuscany. It was truly a lovely walk. Enjoy.

Ponte a Cappiano

This is the pilgrim ostello built over the Arno river.
There were little sections in the floor made of glass where we could see the river flowing beneath.
We arrived there in a gorgeous but chilly day!
We left early the next morning when the entire area was engulfed in fog.
I will always remember this day as one of the most beautiful. A Tuscan sunrise over the dew-covered dykes of the Arno river. Absolutely stunning.

San Miniato

San Miniato is one of those great little towns built high on a hill. We could see it for miles and then had to climb up to it when we got close. We had our very best overnight experience here with a private apartment that was fully stocked!
The apartment had a washing machine so we got caught up on that! Hand washing will only clean so much and then it’s time to do a full wash! Steven stood guard over our clothes as some of them were pinned to the line over the railing which was five stories up!
Tuscan hills.
Sometimes I just have to stop, rest and take it all in.
We saw a few of the real thing, but not many.

Castelfiorentino

As you might imagine, we have a thousand photos of me like this. While they all look the same to you, each one evokes a memory for us.
We stayed in this villa which was about half a kilometer off the Via and completely isolated from any town. I froze my butt off in this place. For me, there is zero romance in the notion of owning a villa in the Italian countryside. You could not pay me enough to live in one of those things, beautiful as they may be.
Although the surrounding scenery was breathtaking. Still, no.

Gambassi Terme

This was another great pilgrim stop! The 12th c. Church of Santa Maria Assunta was the 20th stop for Sigeric, the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose journey is at the core of today’s Via Francigena route. It is a pilgrim favorite!

San Gimignano

Walking through the Tuscan hills was one of the most beautiful places ever, but the word “hills” is not to be taken lightly. Up and down, all day long gets very tiring, although it is great exercise!
San Gimignano, a UNESCO Heritage site, is a gorgeous fortified town with award-winning gelato! It is touristy, for good reason. There used to be 72 towers along the walls, but only 15 remain.
Great place to sit, eat gelato and people watch!
It was here that Steven lost his passport and perhaps it was because he got distracted by gelato? In any case, I was walking on my own this day while he rested his foot and took some time to draw.

Colle di Val d’Elsa

It was in this town that all hell broke lose when we realized Steven had lost his passport.

Monteriggioni

In places where we could not find a stamp for our passports, Steven drew one in and used this guy as inspiration. Thankfully he only had to draw stamps three or four times.
Which way??
Montereggiano, another town we had to yomp up the steep hillside to get to!
Photos just don’t to the climbs justice, but here I am dragging myself into the old town.
He doesn’t usually beat me to the top, but I was on my phone texting! The Bluefern Adventures gang met us here bearing gifts of bread for our lunch the following day and the all-important tape for my feet!
Inside the walls at the top of the hill, the place was hopping!
Janice, Gary and Amelia spent an afternoon with us! We so enjoyed their company, we haven’t had much on this trip!
Montereggiano. That’s the whole town right there, how cool is that? We stayed at the pilgrim hostel right in town. No heat. Grrr.
Some random castle on the way to Sienna.

Siena

Walking into Siena.
View from our room in Siena. We had a private room. Really beautiful town. I was so happy we visited here last year because we did not have the energy to be tourists this time!
Looking back at Siena as we departed.

Ponte d’Arbia

Steven loves the look of these Cypress trees.
Probably not entirely correct, but it shows we are making progress!
We walked miles in these gravel farm tracks. The gravel was not so great for Steven’s foot, but it was better than being on a busy highway!

Buonconvento

Another quaint village.
All empty. Sad.

San Quirico d’Orcia

One thing we have seen plenty of on this trip is Roman architecture. Roads, arches, towers, buildings, they were really master builders.
When we arrived here the church was hopping with activity. Turned out to be a funeral, so we didn’t go inside.

Gallina

Winding our way through vineyards and olive groves. We were heading to Radicofani, but broke the trip into two days due to elevation.
We crawled over this barrier to cross a river. I’m glad it held because it was a very long way down!
Lots of watchtowers dotting the countryside.
This was a “please don’t make me climb up there!” moment.
A gorgeous section on the way to the agriturismo where we stayed the night and splurged on a delicious dinner!
I love how these grasses sway in the wind, like an ocean of green.
Agriturismo Passalacqua near Galina, exactly halfway to Radicofani. This was a great place to cut a long stage into two days.
We had a full three bedroom apartment to ourselves, and this was the view from our bedroom.
We had this soup for our first course, potato pumpkin with rosemary croutons.
Second course was pasta with tomato sauce made with black tomatoes from the garden. Everything was organically grown on the property. Our main course was wild boar, which was hunted in the valley, near the property.
Tuscany green. Radicofani is way out there on the left, on a hill, natch!
View from the dining room window.
Our dining room where we ate our dinner.
Rested and ready for the big hike up to Radicofani!

Radicofani

Five miles to go, all of them UP!
That tower is the castle at Radicofani. You can see it for miles. It haunted us, knowing we had to climb up there.
We made it! Adorable little town, but where is everyone? We seem to always arrive after lunch when everything has been shut tight, but before they opened up again in the evening.

The walk to Radicofani was a tough one and it was especially hard on Steven. The terrain had been very rocky, almost like a dry river bed, and so he was in a lot of pain. We tried to find a bus or taxi, some other way off that mountain, to no avail. So we walked.

The day we left Radicofani was the day we walked out of Tuscany and into Lazio. You know what is in Lazio? Rome! Lazio is the last of seven regions we walk through to complete our journey. It won’t be long now, see you in Rome!

Finally, Steven has been documenting parts of our trip in painting and sketching on his iPhone. This is a scene along the trail in Tuscany. If you would like to see more, you can keep up with what he’s doing by following his Visual Art page here.

Up next: Rome!

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18 Comments

  2. Nickie

    You have to say that some “adventures” (like losing an all-important passport) are dreadful, but it seems you guys will get through it okay, Your pictures today are perfect, so wonderfully crisp and clear. Hope you’re having fun walking to Rome!

  3. Liz

    I keep repeating myself, but your photographs and descriptions are so amazing! What a nightmare with the passport! Your dedication to this pilgrimage is very inspiring.
    Is Steven able to wear a insole pad or at least a heel cup? That is the only thing that made hiking bearable to me when I had plantar fasciitis decades ago.
    You were very brave to cross that bridge – did you ever figure out why it was blocked off?
    Stay well and stay safe.

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you, Liz! Yes, Steven is wearing a special insert in his boots specifically for PF and it has helped. The bridge is a big hot topic right now on the VF forums with pilgrims approaching. Apparently the bridge is not “approved” and so can’t be used. Not really sure what that means, but probably bureaucratic.

  5. Catherine+Wolfe

    As I scrolled again past that lovely painting, I realized it will always have extra sentiment to y’all because you were there. What an exquisite memory. Sissy, I love hearing you describe your feelings about the hills! I can close my eyes and hear your voice! Steven, I sympathize with you on the plantar fasciitis. Elevate and ice plus Ibuprofen or Paracetamol helps me. When I ruptured the PF in a silly fall at home, I had to quit dance classes as there is no repair for that injury and my leg was too unreliable. My deepest thanks to both of y’all for generously dragging this group of voyeurs along with you. At least we’re not in the back seat, fighting over territory – LOL

    Be safe!

    1. 2chouters

      Thanks for your kind words. Honestly, it doesn’t feel so epic until it’s over. On the Via, it’s just one foot in front of the other!

  7. Ron and Ton Corbin

    Hi guys we are currently running along the coast of Brittany. We have about 60 days planned for this trip as we try to remember how things work over here. So far we are having a great time as always. Sorry to here about Stevens planter fasciitis, I have it also and when it kicks in it is one of the most painful things. I hope he gets well soon. Your trip is amazing

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you so much! I have thought about you guys and wondered if you’d be back for a long stay. Sounds like you have a nice tour planned.

  8. Laurel

    Absolutely gorgeous….I love those villages and the countryside, and your descriptions of your daily life on the trail. I know what you mean about photos not showing how steep a trail actually is. And I understand how daunting it would be to see those little mountain villages beckoning in the distance, knowing that you have to hike up to them after a day of miles and miles on a rocky trail. You’re doing great! Thanks for taking us along.

    1. 2chouters

      Even in our last few days I would just cringe when I saw a big climb coming up. The difference is I could motor right up without getting winded, which always surprised me!

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