Tag: Italy
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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: 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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The Way of St. Francis: A puzzling Assisi reception
Our arrival at one of the most important religious places in the world did not go as expected. It left us puzzled. The Basilica of St. Francis stands on the mountaintop in Assisi and sets a high bar for spectacular settings. We had completed the 109-mile pilgrimage from another icon of Catholicism, La Verna. Now…
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The Way of St. Francis: What Keeps Us Going?
There’s no doubt this is a difficult Pilgrimage, filled with highs and lows of all kinds. Yesterday we arrived at our hotel so wiped out that we couldn’t help but question the wisdom of walking The Way of St. Francis. So, what keeps us going? Mornings like this one! When I asked at our hotel…
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The Way of St. Francis: Italian warmth
“Everything hurts.” As we climbed to our rustic hotel in Valfabbrica, those two words summed up our day on the Way of St. Francis. We celebrated warm showers, beer at the Pinky Bar, and dinner up the hill at a ristorante with linen tablecloths, the works. My birthday calzone was as big as a football,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Mountaintop surprise
Three carryoncouple posts in one day, you ask? Probably too many, but please forgive our enthusiasm. The Way of St. Francis just gave us another reason to celebrate. After yet another climb, we reached our accommodation Saturday afternoon on an isolated mountaintop with sweeping views of Umbrian valleys. We were welcomed to the Casalotto Francescano…
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The Way of St. Francis: Which Way Do We Go?
We’re always a little unsure of finding our way when we begin a distance trail. With so many trails converging from La Verna (where we began) and leading to Assisi, markers can be a little confusing… Armed with our guidebook, and for the first time, a satellite trail map to follow with Galileo Pro, we…
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The Way of St. Francis: Bargains in Italy
The euro may cost about $1.22, but lower prices make Italy a bargain for Americans. Our accommodations, all clean, comfy and with full bathrooms, have been from $70 to $100 a night, all but one including breakfast. We bought breakfast once: four yummy, fresh baked items, four Americanos and two sandwiches for lunch. Yep, that…
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