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 )