Tag: Italy
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The Way of St. Francis: One Wrong Turn
Our walk yesterday took us from the picturesque village of Poggio Bustone, through forest lands and into the bustling city of Rieti, population 50,000. Lulled by lonely trails and quiet country roads, we missed our turn to the village of Cantalice, finding ourselves with (what else) a steep uphill climb to reclaim our path. Then,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Pizza, pizza, pizza!
Local Italian culture filled the tiny Pizzeria da Paldo next door to our B&B Thursday night in Rieti. We thought we ordered four pieces of pizza and a salad, but the enthusiastic man behind the counter served up a platter double-stacked with four kinds of pizza and a big plate of ensalada mista. We ate…
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The Way of St. Francis: Italy at its best
As I sipped coffee at a bar in Poggio Bustone Wednesday afternoon, Sue wandered down the road a few doors and returned with a dinner invitation. The fellow in the white t-shirt runs the La Laconda Francescana Ristorante and hostel, where he later served us a delicious two-course meal with more wine than we could drink…
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The Way of St. Francis: With a Little Help…
With a little help from our friends at the front desk of Hotel Miralago, who arranged a taxi, we arrived at our destination today, Poggio Bustone, dry and none too worse for the wear. The short ride up a winding mountain road allowed us to beat the torrential afternoon rains we feared might once again…
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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: 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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