Category: Italy
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Via Francigena-Halfway Point
Day 9 Our destination today was Ponte d’Arbia (population 472). We never know exactly what to expect from the small villages we stay in, but are rarely disappointed. A 16-mile journey with nearly 1,300 feet of elevation gain awaited. We were offered a Pilgrim Meal for dinner, the first of the trip. The three-course meal…
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Via Francigena Offers Contrasts
Day 8 Our hotel in Monteriggioni, Rooms and Wine at Castello, has been our favorite accommodation…so far. A friendly greeting, a spotless room with a rooftop view and excellent breakfast choices set the mood for our 12-mile walk to Siena. We enjoyed a peaceful morning of walking through forests and fields. Vineyards were left behind…
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Via Francigena Miles Add Up
Day 7 Oh my gosh, that was a long day! What did we do wrong? When we left San Gimignano we were prepared for a 14-mile day with 2,358 feet of ascent, a bigger/longer day than we like. By the time we finally dragged through the gates of Monteriggioni 8 1/2 hours later, it was…
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Via Francigena – Time Out
Day 6 Today we slept in! Our room in San Gimignano is clean, comfy and mostly quiet. The first order of business was to pick up our laundry. Reg found Lavanderia Viola, a laundry where he dropped off our bag of trail-dusty clothing yesterday when we arrived in town. Today, after breakfast we picked up…
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Via Francigena – Up & Down, Up & Down
Day 4 We anticipated a long day (15 miles) with lots of climbing (2300 feet) as we made our way to our next stop in Gambassi Terme. After a stretch of road walking the path took a turn onto a dirt track, plunging us into to the quintessential Tuscany countryside. We followed along, up and…
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Via Francigena Easter Sunday
Day 3 Our day was a success. We found morning coffee and food. Had a mostly uneventful walk, had time to explore at the end of the day and somehow made dinner reservations with our bad Italian and their not so great English.
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Via Francigena Tests Our Readiness
Day 1 Rain ushered us out of Lucca Friday morning. The guidebook mapped out a city walk for today, but also suggested an alternate, rural (muddy) route with some climbing. We chose the easy, flat city trek for the first day out. This was probably the right choice given how tired our legs and backs…
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Our Via Francigena Begins
The journey gets real. We arrived in Lucca, Italy today where our Via Francigena begins on Friday – tomorrow.With help from an incredible taxi driver (he refused to leave us stranded), we left luggage at the appointed spot, a dingy bicycle shop attached to a car park garage, where the Friday pick-up driver will transfer…
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Via Francigena Prewalk
After three plane flights, a train ride and a 25-minute walk to our Bed & Breakfast, we arrived in Florence, Italy for a two night recuperation stay. Several months ago I stumbled upon a blog post by the Jetsetting Fools featuring a free walking tour in Florence. Perfecto! I stashed it in our Italy email…
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