Stage 9: Bolsena to Acquapendente — May 30, 2022

24 km — 28^oC and cloudy/sunny — We met 21 more pilgrims on their way to Rome.

(By Laurel)

We bid farewell to the Faroe Islanders (they’re early risers as well) and we hit the trail at 5:30 a.m., having downed a jolt of coffee purchased from the convent vending machine (as I said earlier, nuns these days are savvy!).  The first half of our route consisted of gentle ups and downs, with the lake again in view to our left and intermittent trees giving us shade.  For the second half, there was no more lake and the path leveled out while we wended our way by solar farms, fields of wheat (mixed with red poppies), clover, beans, asparagus, hay, grape vines, olives, and LOTS of potatoes … we sensed that gnocchi would be prominent on restaurant menus in our next town, Acquapendente.

We arrived in town at lunchtime, and as we were very hungry and unable to check in at “Casa San Lorenzo” until 2:00, we made a bee-line for “Ristoro e Macelleria Poder Riccio.”  This is a restaurant/butcher shop, just across the street from where we’re staying, and which was recommended to us by our host … oh, the food was delicious!  Yes, we did eat gnocchi and a steak!

Later, we visited the Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro and walked through the 10th century crypt below it.  There are still some remnants of frescos painted on the walls — mind-boggling to think that they were created by artists 800 years ago!

And today we exited Lazio Region, thereby entering Tuscany!

Leaving the convent (hostel) and climbing up past the castle to exit Bolsena

A street scene by the castle, early in the morning

Starting to walk past fields

…. More fields ….

Banners on a municipal building in Acquapendente (a Tuscany thing?)

In the crypt … 

A fresco in the crypt

Stage 8: Montefiascone to Bolsena — May 29, 2022

17km — 24^oC and cloudy/sunny — We met 27 more pilgrims on their way to Rome.

(By Jim)

Laurel and I are early risers; we like to start walking as soon as possible to avoid the hottest sun of the day.  Monasterio San Pietro starts its day at 6:00, so when the bell rang to signal breakfast and the unlocking of the monastery door, we were packed and ready to go.  To our surprise, we were not the first.  Our Hungarian neighbour was nowhere to be seen.  Since we had already lost bragging rights for the day, we stopped by the dining room for some coffee and croissants.

When we hit the road at 6:15, it was 18^oC and cloudy—perfect weather for walking.  As the day warmed and the clouds disappeared, the trail obliged us with enough shade to keep the walk pleasant.  With Lake Bolsena on our left and wooded hills on our right, we walked until the two converged into the beautiful town of Bolsena.

Our accommodation was a convent located right on the main piazza and run by the Sisters of the Most Holy Sacrament.  We were checked-in by a cheerful nun at the same time as a couple from the Faroe Islands.  After showers and a short siesta we explored Bolsena’s old town, the fortifications, and water-front before enjoying a glass of local wine with an antipasto salumi platter.

There were only five of us in the dormitory and we were all in bed by 9:00 pm and at least two of us were snoring by 9:15.

Shade, hills and lake views

Laurel loved the poppies

Suore del Santissimo Sacramento Convent

La Rocca Moaldeschi Della Cervara, fortifications above Bolsena

Church of Santa Cristina

The beautiful streets of Bolsena

Stage 7: Viterbo to Montefiascone — May 28, 2022

16 km — 30^oC and hazy/sunny — We met 31 + 26 more pilgrims in a group, on their way to Rome.

(By Laurel)

We would have enjoyed staying longer at Il Castelletto, as it is so relaxing, however, our trail beckons us.  Our kind hosts offered to drive us past the city, in order to get us off to a pleasant start on this leg, and we gladly took them up on their offer.  As we glided past car dealerships, big box stores, and general urban-ness of modern Viterbo for a few kilometers stretch, I certainly appreciated not plodding on all that pavement.

They dropped us off in the countryside, on the VF path, at Bagnaccio Thermal Bath (Hot Spring).  This hot spring is similar to yesterday’s (Bullicame), except that this one is NICE — pools of different temperatures from very hot to tepid, surrounded by tidy green lawns, lounge chairs, and some shade trees.  It was opening for the day at 8:00 a.m. and we were the first in line (just ahead of a dozen middle-aged Italians, the men in speedos and the women in bikinis).  Admission is 5 Euros, but our pilgrim passport gave us free admission!  We dipped our feet in for a few minutes, then headed out on our trail.

It was a lovely walk all morning!  From several kms away we could see our destination ahead of us, the town of Montefiascone on its hilltop and with its very large cathedral dome predominant in our view (one of the largest domes in Italy).  It just got more beautiful the closer we got.  On the last section of trail leading into Montefiascone, the Via Francigena is actually a Roman road!  It’s amazing — large flat stones placed with precision, the road uniformly 13 Roman feet in width (that’s 3.9 m to us modern folk), and quite smooth!  Some residents have garages, at the backs of their homes, that open to the Roman road and today they drive their cars in and out of their garages on it.  It boggles my mind … this road was built in the 2nd century BC!

In Montefiascone, we had booked in at the “Monasterio San Pietro.”  As we awaited our 2:00 pm check-in time, a group of 26 walkers went past us … and, to our dismay, straight into the monastery!  We were afraid that we had lost our beds?!  Not to fear!  The cheerful and efficient sister-in-charge welcomed us in right away and even up-graded us from the dorm into a private double room.  We ate a satisfying communal supper with the walking group (who turned out to be an Italian Nordic Walking Club — go figure!) and a pilgrim from Hungary.

Bagnaccio Thermal Baths

Montefiascone and its prominent dome on our horizon

The Roman Road, Via Cassia

Getting closer to the town and the dome

Now we’re there

View of Lake Bolsena from Montefiascone 

Rest Day: Viterbo — May 27, 2022

15 km — 33^oC and hazy/sunny 

(By Jim)

When we arrived at Il Castelletto yesterday we were exhausted and, therefore, happy about the prospect of just hanging out in the shade during our rest day.  Laurel, especially, had been beaten down by the kilometers and heat.  Imagine my surprise, when after an early breakfast in the garden this morning, she suggested we walk to an ancient thermal bath and then tour Viterbo’s old city.  

Bullicane Thermal Bath is located about 4 km west of Viterbo — free and open to the public.  It’s been around since well before the 1300s and is believed to be Dante’s inspiration for the Inferno in the Divine Comedy.  It’s true the sulphurous fumes would not be out of place in hell, but today, neither would the location — lunar terrain adjacent to a military base with security fencing.  The walk was not pretty either.  What started out as a sidewalk along a busy street ended up as a thin bramble-lined shoulder of an on-ramp to the Rome highway.  I guess we should have paid the 10 euros and gone to the fancy spa.  In spite of all this, the water was warm and how many of us can say that we’ve waded through the sludgy inspiration for hell!?

Viterbo’s old city is a different story.  In the 12th and 13th centuries, the walled city was the official residence of the Popes.  Towers, portico, churches and bridges are scattered through the city built on a prominent hill connected by cobblestone streets.  Overlooking it all is the imposing, yet starkly simple, Duomo di Viterbo.   This was Laurel’s favourite church so far.  In its day, Viterbo was the benchmark for beauty and luxury.  Today, it is still beautiful, but would best be described as a “fixer-upper” with “good bones.”  We enjoyed exploring the streets and when we arrived back home had clocked 15 km on our rest day.  If you start your day in hell, there is no rest for the wicked.

Salad and wine in the garden was a nice end to the day.

As we prepared for bed the heavens lit up and exploded with thunder telling us “enough with the hell references!”

Stage 6: Vetralla-Cura to Viterbo — May 26, 2022

 21 km — 31^oC and hazy/sunny  — We met 16 pilgrims on their way to Rome.

(By Laurel)

According to the guidebook, an easy hike.  According to me, a tough one!  I collapsed in relief when we finally reached our accommodation at “Il Castelletto del Salamara” at the edge of Viterbo.  Perhaps it was the heat and sun, our hottest day yet?  Perhaps it was our unplanned side jog going the wrong way for a bit when we missed our turn and then had to backtrack?  Perhaps it was not drinking quite enough water (where are those Italian fountains when you need one)?  Or maybe it was a combination of factors?

Today, again we walked through several olive groves and hazelnut groves.  Sometimes we passed fig trees which had dropped lots of soft fruits onto the path.  Once, a cherry tree laden with ripe red cherries tempted us to have a taste (we did!).  Just before Viterbo, our route was on an Etruscan “Via Cava” — this is a unique narrow roadway cut deeply into the tufa stone over 2,500 years ago.  It felt like walking through a narrow man-made canyon.  Room for only one car and one walker to go through at a time!  

We will spend two nights here, as our legs need a rest and our laundry needs to get done.  Il Castelletto promises to be very relaxing — a small apartment attached to a farm house with a lovely shady green yard right outside our door.  Our hostess, Rossana, has attended to every detail — olive oil and fresh eggs (products of their own farm), a scrumptious homemade “welcome” pie, pastries, fresh fruit, and all the comforts of home.  

A foot specialist at Vetralla — thankfully, we don’t need their services.

Groves of hazelnut trees

Getting a stamp in our passports, along the path

Stopping for a rest in the shade

The Etruscan Via Cava, approaching Viterbo

Wonderful hospitality at Il Castelletto

Stage 5: Sutri to Vetralla — May 25, 2022

24 km — 28^oC and sunny — We met 21 pilgrims on their way to Rome.

(By Jim)

We slept well, got an early start and we were surprised to see many coffee bars opening up as we left town at 6:40 a.m.  We resumed the VF trail back at the Etruscan tombs and were soon walking under a cool, quiet canopy of beech trees that followed a stream through the hills towards Vetralla.  Periodically the trail would emerge between hazelnut and olive groves, then return to the peaceful shade.  This was our perfect trail and it continued for 6 km.

All good things eventually end and our trail joined a dirt road to first descend and then steeply ascend to the picturesque town of Capranica.  Dirt road gave way to pavement, stone steps and cobble stones as we climbed the ancient fortifications and entered through its now-unguarded porticos.  We stopped for coffee beside the town hall, where we got a stamp for our pilgrim passports.

Leaving Capranica, the trail meandered through more hazelnut and olive groves that provided periodic respite from the now blazing sun.  Near the mid-point of our day in the middle of an olive orchard, we found ourselves walking among the rubble and ruins of three towers.  Known collectively as the towers of Orlando, two are 1st century Roman and the third was a 10th century bell tower of a Benedictine church.

Just as the sun and heat was taking its toll, the trail returned to shaded forest and guided us all the way to Vetralla-Cura, our stop for the day at Casa Francigena.  Showers and siesta came in quick succession, after which we bought some supples and enjoyed a refreshing salad and Prosecco, that our host had thoughtfully left us.  Just as the Camino in Spain, the Via provides!

Stage 4: Campagnano di Roma to Sutri — May 24, 2022

22 km — 27^oC and sunny — We met 18 pilgrims on their way to Rome.

(By Laurel)

Grazie to our kind hostess, Janna, who was up early and gave us coffee before we hit the trail at 6:15 a.m.  Passing through town, we grabbed a second cup and a maritozzi (a sweet bun filled with whipped cream, which is very popular for breakfast)— no bacon and eggs around here at this time of the day, you can have that for lunch and it’s called carbonara.

Our path went downhill very quickly, out of Campagnano di Roma, as the town in built on a hill.  We then hiked through parkland, followed by some fields of hay and wheat.  The poppies are thick along the roadways and in the farmers’ fields, making a cheerful sight.

We passed by Monte Gelato which, to our disappointment, wasn’t made of ice cream …. at least, though, our route didn’t make us climb over it …. we were grateful that elevations today were minor.

Because we had not located a place to stay in Monterosi, we hopped on a bus and jumped off at the next town, Sutri.  Here we were booked into a well-appointed small apartment named “Butterfly Casa.”  Sutri is a charming Medieval town perched on a hill, and has ancient Etruscan tombs carved into the tufa stone cliffs just near the town’s base.  I had no clue what tufa is, so thanks to the internet, I’ve learned that it’s “a porous limestone that is formed by calcareous particles laid down over many centuries as a sediment at a hot spring.”  I also needed a refresher on the Etruscans, and again the internet came to my rescue:  “the Etruscan civilization flourished in central Italy between the 8th and 3rd century BCE. The culture was renowned in antiquity for its rich mineral resources and as a major Mediterranean trading power. Much of its culture and even history was either obliterated or assimilated into that of its conqueror, Rome.”  In the afternoon, we wandered and wondered beside the ancient tombs.  

( Sources:   designingbuildings.co.uk and worldhistory.org )