Category: The Way of Saint Francis
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The Way of St. Francis: On the 7th day, we rested
Our journey through the Umbrian mountains the past two days has provided stunning beauty, fascinating history and nearly constant trekking challenges. The 4th century church Pieve di Saddi (shown from the outside and inside) stands miles from any village. Caretakers welcomed us to picnic on the grounds and to tour the inside. A family…
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The Way of St. Francis: Wildflowers Are Blooming
Spring is in full bloom on The Way of St. Francis.
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The Way of St. Francis: Italian Trekkers Lift our Spirits
Fresh from a wonderful stay at Le Rasse Country House, just outside of Citerna, we joined fellow Italian trekkers for a quick photo before setting out on our rather grueling (see last post) day of ups and downs. We’d see them several more times throughout the day. A herd of cattle paused briefly when we…
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The Way of St. Francis: Snapshots of Our Day
Our journey today was a short on miles but the change of scenery could not have been greater. After a leisurely breakfast, we left the bustling city of Sansepolcro behind. With just eight miles ahead of us, we set our compass towards Citerna, a quaint village perched atop surrounding valleys. A quick stop for that…
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The Way of St. Francis: Tuscan beauty
Our steps took us along several large Tuscan villas Sunday. Sue liked this one best. Plenty of room for family and friends, plus a place she could play tennis! This is a quiet trail (we saw just five trekkers Sunday), but there is obviously interest in the Way of St. Francis, based on the record…
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The Way of St. Francis: The trail is closed
Today we faced a new trekking challenge: a closed trail. Still many miles from our destination, we stood before a sign threatening penalties (arrest?) if we crossed the tape strung across the Way of St. Francis. What should we do? Turn around and go back? A 15-mile day loomed, so we had set out from…
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The Way of St. Francis: Ups and Downs on Day One
Pieve Santo Stefano was our destination today, an easy stage according to our guidebook. And I guess it wasn’t too bad, although we did climb 1,700 feet before arriving at this lush green meadow. The meadow was irresistible and knowing that our feet were not yet trail tough, we enjoyed a snack and the view,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Chiusi della Verna
The sleepy village of Chiusi Della Verna awoke to brilliant sunshine today, Friday. We started with pastry, strong coffee (yum!), tangerines and packaged toast and jam downstairs in the hotel Bellavista, in photos above. Our room’s small window shows a burst of early spring. We are pausing in this village, dating to the 13th century,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Feeling his spirit
When he walked this part of Italy nearly 800 years ago, St. Francis reached out to all life, especially the most needy people. Today, at the Santuario Della Verna, the spirit of St. Francis touched all of us who walked the stunning grounds where he left his mark. Believers or not, visitors felt his presence.…
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