Via Francigena Where’s My Luggage?

Day 15

The next section ahead of us would lead to the lakeside town of Bolsena. We had no idea how much charm would ooze from every ancient wall and cobbled street. Had we been more on-the-ball, we would have traded our rest day in Aquapendente for a second night in Bolsena.

We stopped for a quick lunch as we walked through San Lorenzo Nuovo and ended up spending an hour chatting with fellow walkers Tim, a British chap and an exuberant young man from Hong Kong. Finally it was time to pack up and hit the trail. Our lunch buddies took off while Reg and I slowly counted down the miles.

About 2:00 p.m. we stopped for a break and I pulled out my phone to check email. Yikes! There was a 9:00 a.m. note from our luggage transfer service claiming they could not find our luggage at our last hotel and to contact them immediately. Reg was sure it had been stolen and began to sweat about how we’d replace not only our clothes, but our suitcases and everything else in it.
After a flurry of emails, texts and phone attempts without response, we continued toward Bolsena, hoping it was large enough to outfit us with at least one fresh set of clothing. I had decided that once we arrived in Rome, a shopping spree was in order.

As it turned out, the driver had found our luggage and had already delivered it to Bolsena…they just hadn’t bothered to send a follow-up email. So, we were able to have a wonderful evening (fully clothed) in an incredibly charming city.