Category: The Way of Saint Francis
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The Way of St. Francis: Twists and turns
The mountainous challenge of two days ago faded into the distance as our Tuesday morning walk from Arrone led us through a wide river valley. A peaceful, easy stroll. I glanced ahead and saw our day was about to change. The mountains quickly got higher and closer. The Way of St. Francis turned left and…
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The Way of St. Francis: An Easy Stroll Along The River
After our marathon day yesterday, we spent a leisurely morning, enjoying the hospitality of the folks at 3 Archi Hotel. Our day was a short one, just over 6 miles to our next stop in Arrone. We took one last look back toward the mountains we had scaled yesterday, thankful for our flat, low altitude…
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The Way of St. Francis: It was going so well
Our Sunday began shortly after 8 a.m. when we departed our Spoleto apartment for a detour from the usual Way of St. Francis. A 2016 earthquake left the Roman acqueduct unsafe to cross (actually, Sue was relieved she didn’t have to cross the narrow walkway over a deep gorge), so we went downhill and…
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The Way of St. Francis: Escalators to history
History is written all over Spoleto and our apartment is within the medieval Umbrian city center. We took a day away from the Way of St. Francis to explore an area where civilization dates to the bronze age. An aqueduct and theater helped emperors strengthen their control in Umbria. Popes extended their influence here…
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The Way of St. Francis: Over The Hump
Yesterday afternoon we arrived at our hotel in Trevi so incredibly soaking wet that the owner simply handed us our key. No passports, no check-in, no formalities. Plenty of time for that after showers and hot tea! We awoke to more rain this morning and grudgingly donned our rain gear as we set out to…
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The Way of St. Francis: Spello Spelled Fun
The charming hilltop town of Spello stands guard over acres and acres of olive trees that the Angelini family (pictured above) is passionate about. We would also learn of their passion for wine. Yesterday our path took us through the olive groves on our way to what would be a delightful and educational dinner at…
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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…
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The Way of St. Francis: What is it like?
What is the Way of St. Francis like? After 117 miles in Italy, we have walked on busy highways, country roads, city streets, forest roads, paved farm roads, gravel farm roads, a long levee and wide gravel paths. We have sometimes had to walk on busy roads because there has been no shoulder. Drivers here…
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The Way of St. Francis: The Way to Assisi
The Way of St. Francis led us into Assisi yesterday, our ninth day of walking. We’ve covered 109 miles and endured 37,046 feet of elevation change. While the above photo appears to show a pleasant downhill stroll, in reality our day began and ended with steep climbs. All a distant memory today as we enjoy…
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