Tag: The Way of Saint Francis
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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: 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: All smiles in Italy
Our hotel lobby has the perfect answer for visitors to Gubbio who want the selfie without leaving the building. This city of 33,000, with most buildings dating to the 14th and 15th centuries, is a wonderful maze of alleys and passageways that author/philosopher Hermann Hesse loved to explore. A medieval church is never more…
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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: 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: Packed and Ready to Go
Ready or not, we’re off to Italy where we’ll begin The Way of St. Francis, a pilgrimage that traces the pathway traveled by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century. Our journey begins in the eastern portion of central Tuscany in Chiusi Della Verna, a small community located below Santaurio (Sanctuary) Della Verna.…
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The Way of Saint Francis: Training Begins
I stopped for a quick photo this morning as Reg and I neared the top of the 500 foot climb behind our home. With our upcoming Italian pilgrimage (The Way of Saint Francis) just around the corner, today seemed like a good day to reacquaint ourselves with our backpacks. If the weather cooperates, we should…
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