19 kms — 31o C and sunny — We saw no new pilgrims today, on their way to Rome.
(By Laurel)
Our walk today was really nice and, thank goodness, rather easy compared to the past few days. The trail traversed a hill or two, but ones that we could “take in stride.” There was steady shade provided by wooded tracts, interspersed now and then with short sunny sections. The countryside was quiet and peaceful; we heard birds singing rather than traffic rumbling (until near Aulla, that is, where modern urban sprawl took over).
We had left Filetto very early in the morning, at about 5:15 a.m., and had kept up a consistent pace. As a result, we strode into Aulla at about 10:30. The hostel wouldn’t open until 4:00 in the afternoon — we didn’t know how we could hang around for FIVE and a half hours … we didn’t see a nice leafy park or a charming old town centre (sadly, it had been destroyed by bombing in the Second World War). And did I mention that it was hot and sunny? We considered getting a room at a hotel or BnB but could not find any vacancies, even with the assistance of the friendly young lady at the tourist information office. After consulting our guide book which said that we’d fall in love with Sarzana, and determining that the rail employees were no longer on strike, we decided to take a noon-hour train further down the VF. The Via Francigena App listed a guesthouse in Sarzana called “La Foresteria di Palazzo Picedi Benettini,” so we booked a room there for the night. It was a charming and cool place to stay, as it turns out to be located in a building dating back to the 1300s and has been, in its past, a bishop’s palace and a residence of the wife of Napoleon. Though showing some wear in places, it still retains much elegance.
Fish is common on restaurant menus, since Sarzana is very close to the sea; we ate a delicious lunch of seafood dishes, including fish soup and octopus salad. Yes, our guidebook was spot-on — we are taken with Sarzana!
Top photo: leaving our little apartment in Filetto early in the morning; we had our own terrace
Second photo: view of Apennine Mountain peaks from our terrace
Bottom photo: the church square in Filetto, steps from our apt., still asleep in the morning as we walked through
Two photos above: on our trail this morning
A cool green section that we hiked through
Another view of Apennine peaks, along our way today
Top left photo: outside doors to the guesthouse — they are huge doors!
Bottom left photo: in part of the entrance hallway
Right photo: on our way up the stairs to the guesthouse — marble statues adorning the landings
Bottom left photo: a terrace for guests to relax on
Bottom right photo: a seafood feast in Sarzana
No comments:
Post a Comment