Tag: photography
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The Way of St. Francis: A deserted pilgrimage
The red line has led us through trials and celebrations, more medieval villages than we can count, and memorable meetings with gracious Italians brimming with enthusiasm. We have met friendly and fascinating fellow trekkers, but many days we have not seen even one. We have yet to meet another American walker. We have not talked…
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The Way of St. Francis: Are We There Yet?
The dawn of a new day found us three days out from our last rest day in Rieti, with just three more days to walk until we reach Rome, our final destination. Our feet are tired, our hips are sore and barking dogs are getting on our nerves. But we’re still doing it…uphill and down,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Trattoria Favorita is a Favorite
B & B Piazza Cavour in Rieti has been a perfect place to rest our packs as we ready ourselves for the last 6 days to Rome. Our corner balcony (one down from the top) overlooked the piazza and was just a short walk across the river to the Historic City Center. We discovered a…
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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…