Tag: travel
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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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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: Hanging Out In Gubbio
We were afraid we’d miss touring the Basilica of St. Ulbaldo, perched high above the city of Gubbio. On our rest day we had no intention of conquering another peak on foot. However, when an alternative presented itself, we were first in line to hop aboard! Seemingly hanging from a thread, the baskets of the…
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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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