The Way of St. Francis: Snapshots from a rainy day

As we said “ciao” to the flowered hilltop city of Spello before 8 a.m. today, Trevi beckoned from its mountaintop perch 12 miles away. Several hours of mostly forgettable city and suburb walking followed; a bar stop for coffee and lunch supplies was the highlight. The expected rain began, so we hurriedly donned rain gear for the first time on our trek to Rome.

A left turn on the Way of St. Francis took us gradually uphill to an afternoon of snapshots for the memory book. Olive groves, with red poppies bursting beneath them. Large shade trees sheltering the packed gravel farm road. A tiny medieval village looming high above. Lunch on a bench next to a monument offering a place for rest and contemplation. And, the best sandwich of the trip: ham, egg, and mayo on a flaky-crusted squishy roll.

The rain drops got bigger as the trail narrowed and entered a thick forest. Geese scolded from behind a fence. The path eventually opened to a narrow road through a handful of homes. Three young people in a tiny car gave us enthusiastic thumbs up from behind their hard-working windshield wipers.

Rounding a corner, we caught a glimpse of Trevi above the olive trees. It looked so close. But it was not going to be an easy catch. A treacherously steep single-track path remained as water dripped from our wide-brimmed hats. In medieval Trevi, GPS led us to our hotel, where our host quickly ushered us into our warm, modern room. A large, tiled, walk-in shower became our best friend. In the hotel dining room, hot English breakfast tea and a plateful of cookies provided a crowning snapshot of our day.