Via Francigena Day 45: La Giustiniana to Rome (Vatican)

Saturday, October 4th

Our initial thought about today’s walk was to take a train partway to the Vatican, making the day’s trek @ 5 miles, rather than the official 11. Late yesterday we decided to forego walking and, instead, to take the train all the way to the Vatican. This morning at breakfast we read that the Pope was holding a Jubilee audience at 10:00 am and all pilgrims were welcome to attend. We caught an early train and then hot-footed it to the Vatican, arriving @ 10:15, just as the Pope was beginning to address the audience. It was moving to see and hear him in person. 

Later in the afternoon we returned to take part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, feeling a sense of community with pilgrims from all over the world as we walked through St. Peter’s Square praying and singing hymns. It’s amazing how crowded the Vatican is during this Jubilee year. At times, it felt almost suffocating. We’re all excited to be heading home tomorrow, weary and foot-sore but proud to be carrying our testimoniums representing the 600+ Via Francigena miles we traveled (primarily on foot).  

Via Francigena Days 43 and 44: Sutri to Campagnano di Roma & Campagnano di Roma to La Giustiniana

Thursday, October 2nd

The Via Francigena route from Sutri to Campagnano di Roma is 15.2 miles. The day was very windy and we decided to shorten our walk by taking a bus from the town of Monterosi to Campagnano di Roma. Total miles today was 8 miles with 400 feet of elevation, a relatively easy day made somewhat harder by the headwinds. Our path was relatively quiet, taking us through fields and forests, far from traffic.

Today's typical scenery

This is the first golf course we've seen in the
600+ miles we've traveled

Another typical scene

Friday, October 3rd

We had a peaceful, contemplative, albeit relatively long, walk today through the Parco Veio in the Sorbo Valley. Our route involved a few major climbs followed by some significant downhills for a total elevation gain of 1550 feet over 15 miles. We stopped a number of times along the way. Our first stop was the Santuario della Madonna del Sorbo. According to legend, Mary appeared to a young swineherd and told him to tell his village about the apparition; if no one believed him, she would perform a miracle. The villagers only believed the young man when he showed them his previously mutilated arm, now completely healed. A church and convent were later built in honor of the vision.

Our second stop was the town of Formello, which has the last picturesque medieval neighborhood on the Via Francigena. We stopped for a mid-morning refreshment before continuing on our way. We also stopped for lunch on a cement curb alongside the trail and then stopped again for an afternoon snack in the town of Storta. All of these stops delayed our arrival in La Giustiniana until late afternoon. By all the traffic on the road, it's obvious we are now in a bustling suburb of Rome.

Throughout our walk, we've seen trees like
these on the hillside, trimmed up high. What a
lovely canopy they provide.

The Santuario della Madonna del Sorbo

The fresco above the altar in the Santuario della
Madonna del Sorbo depicts Mary's ascension
into heaven

This tree limb apparently knocked over the
Via Francigena signpost

Enjoying the view of the waterfall below the bridge

An ancient mill sits beside this waterfall 

These ancient Etruscan wheels sit outside the mill 
providing a hint as to their original use

 

Via Francigena Days 41 & 42: Viterbo to Caprarola & Caprarola to Sutri

Tuesday, September 30th

Viterbo is a popular starting point for pilgrims who want to walk to Rome and receive their certificate of completion (testimonium) but who either don’t have the time or the desire to walk more than the minimum 100 km (this is interesting because the previous town, Montefiascone, boasted that it was 100 km from Rome). We saw a slew of these 100 km pilgrims leaving Viterbo this morning. 

We had a long hike today with 2500 feet of elevation gain over 14 miles. It was also a very dangerous hike. Soon after leaving Viterbo, we veered off the official Via Francigena route and took a less-traveled route to the town of Caprarola, which is not on the official Via Francigena. About a third of the way we passed through the town of San Martino al Cimino, where we had a snack, chatted with some American tourists and visited the abbey. As we left town we noted that the other pilgrims were heading in the opposite direction as we were (the two Via Francigena routes came together briefly at San Martino). We didn’t think anything of it as we knew we were traveling a different direction.

The map in our Macs Adventure app immediately put us on the SP81 highway, a very busy road with numerous blind curves, no shoulder, and few places to jump off the road unless one wanted to end up in a clump of brambles! Not only did we have to contend with these road conditions, we also had to contend with Italian drivers who drive at least twice the speed limit and very seldom move over a comfortable distance when passing pedestrians. It’s not an overstatement to say this was a harrowing, almost near-death experience!

To top it off, after walking @ 2 miles on this road we came to a junction where we saw a group of pilgrims emerge from a forest trail to the road and head toward their destination of Vetralla. After enlarging our downloaded map we saw that we could have taken the forest trail from San Martino rather than walking the busy highway. We also saw that we could continue on the forest trail and it would take us to Caprarola. 

We immediately ditched our downloaded maps and followed the forest trail (called the Strada di Mezzo, meaning the Middle Road). It was a much quieter and more peaceful trail than what we had just endured!

View of the altar in San Martino's abbey church

Strada di Mezzo

View of another volcanic lake

Jerry walking along the busy road into
Caprarola. Although this isn't the SP81 
and Jerry had room to move over, it 
shows the lack of highway shoulder 
available to pedestrians.

Wednesday, October 1st

After yesterday’s physically and mentally exhausting trek, today’s walk, although not entirely devoid of busy road walking, was a little more peaceful. Again, like yesterday, we walked an older Via Francigena path toward the ancient Etruscan town of Sutri, where we then joined up with the official Via Francigena. It was a short, easy day with 850 feet in elevation gain over 10.25 miles.

When we have a short day like this, it’s always nice to do a little more sightseeing than simply visiting the village church. Sutri, with its rich Etruscan and Roman history, was the perfect place to immerse ourselves in Italy’s past and Sutri’s Parco Naturale Regionale was the perfect venue. We visited a 4th century BC Etruscan necropolis (cemetery) where this ancient people buried their dead in caves, a 1st century BC Roman amphitheater cut directly into soft tufa stone, and the Mitreo, originally a pagan place of worship to the god Mitra and later converted to the Christian church of the Madonna del Parto (Madonna of Childbirth). We were able to enter the 13th century church, which is actually a cave, and view the beautiful frescoes inside.

Caprarola in the morning mist

Picturesque street in the quaint town of Ronciglione

We left  Ronciglione via these stairs

Last view of Ronciglione

Sutri

Roman amphitheater

Etruscan necropolis

Inside the Mitreo

Fresco of the Madonna del Parto

Via Francigena Days 39 and 40: Bolsena to Montefiascone & Montefiascone to Viterbo

Sunday, September 28th

Our route today from Bolsena to Montefiascone had us primarily on quiet gravel roads and peaceful forest paths with numerous views of Lake Bolsena as we climbed the hills high above the lake. Although we had a few steep hills throughout the day for a total elevation gain of 1800+ feet over 10.6 miles, it was a pleasurable walk.

In Montefiascone, we visited the Basilica di Santa Margarita and its Crypt of Saint Lucia Filippini where the incorrupt (non-decomposed) body of Saint Lucia is housed under the basilica’s high altar. Sculptures of the Stations of the Cross (the largest I have ever seen) line the interior walls of the crypt.

According to the signposts in Montefiascone, we have 100 km to Rome. Only 6 more days of walking!

View of Lake Bolsena and one of its islands

Tranquil forest path

A mushroom forager shows us the chanterelle
mushrooms he found

Cairns left by passing pilgrims

View of the Basilica di Santa Margarita

One of the bigger-than-life size stations of 
the cross

The tomb of Saint Lucia Filippini

Monday, September 29th

On our way out of town this morning we stopped at the pilgrim viewpoint for a last look at Lake Bolsena before heading down the hill and out of town. After a long 3.5-mile downhill walk, we had a short climb and then the rest of the way was relatively flat. Total mileage was 11.5 miles with 500 feet of elevation gain. 

Part of our route today was along the ancient Via Cassia, a road built by the Romans in the 2nd c. BC to link Rome with Florence. We also traveled gravel roads and forest paths as we walked through more farmlands. Farmers are busy either tilling or harvesting their fields. 

View of Lake Bolsena from the pilgrim viewpoint

Walking the Via Cassia

Tending sheep

One last view of Montefiascone

Pilgrim welcome sign to Viterbo

View of Viterbo's charming old town

Another charming street

The sculpted doors of Viterbo's
Cathedral of San Lorenzo

Via Francigena Day 38 and Rest Day: Proceno to Bolsena & Rest Day in Bolsena

Friday. September 26th

We slept in a 1,000-year-old castle last night! Our hostess was a descendent of the original owner and the castle and other buildings have remained in the family all this time. Talk about a family legacy! She and her husband now run the hotel and restaurant and still live on the premises. They both must be in their eighties, but she spoke perfect English, showed us to our apartment yesterday, offered to do our laundry, waited on us last night at dinner and was ever the consummate hostess. 

Taking our dinner order. The wine is a
private label of the Castello di Proceno.

Our route originally was going to be 18.5 miles, but we decided to shorten it to 11 miles by arranging a transfer from the town of San Lorenzo Nuovo to Bolsena. After a heart-pumping climb to the town of Acquapendente, the remainder of our trek was a gentle uphill to the town of San Lorenzo Nuovo. We walked past plowed fields that earlier in the season contained hay and grain, past a large grain elevator and two solar energy farms, and then more farmland, this time a large, harvested field of potatoes. Total elevation gain today was 1270 feet.

Tranquil forest path

View of Acquapendente

A bit of a jungle

Saturday, September 27th

Today was our last pre-arranged rest day. The town of Bolsena sits on its namesake lake, Lago di Bolsena, which happens to be Europe’s largest volcanic lake. Between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago successive volcanic eruptions led to the collapse of the earth’s crust in the volcano’s caldera, forming the lake and its two islands.

We spent the day visiting La Rocco Monaldeschi della Cervara, a castle originally built by Pope Adrian IV in the 12th century and which now houses a municipal museum. We also walked along the lakefront, explored the many shops in town, and visited the Church  of Santa Cristina and its catacombs, where we also attended a Saturday evening Mass. Ready for our last week on the road.

View of Lake Bolsena

Etruscan and Roman artifacts at the municipal museum

View from the tower of La Rocco Monaldeschi
della Cervara

Another tower view

In the catacombs

Sarcophagus of St. Cristine 

View of La Rocco Monaldeschi della Cervara

Beautiful moonlit night over the lake