Via Francigena del Sud Day 6: Abbazia di Fossanova (Priverno) - Terracina

Road (to) from Rome Day 6: Abbazia di Fossanova (Priverno) - Terracina

22 km

There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing

- Anonymous wise person (probably a pilgrim) 

After gathering to receive the blessing of the prior at the Abbey of Fossanova, we set off at a lively pace in the hopes of beating the rain to Terracina. It was an easy, perfectly flat walk along the bank of the Amaseno River; we had a choice between walking along a quiet paved road or on the grassy embankment. 

Eventually our route left the river and after about nine kilometres we came to a roadside bar and took a break.

We set off again under a threatening sky, but the rain did not actually start until we were four kilometres away from our destination, Terracina. When it began to sprinkle we stopped to put on our rain gear. We had the option of climbing aboard our back-up van, but the vast majority of our walkers decided to brave the elements. It soon began to pour rain, but I was well wrapped in waterproof layers and they all seemed to be working just fine, so it was actually quite exhilarating to walk for an hour in the heavy rain. Thank you, whoever invented Goretex! I felt perfectly dry, although when we arrived I discovered my T-shirt was actually wet down the front, where my jacket zipper is, despite the poncho I was wearing on top of it for added protection. The only critical point was our feet: we walked through some very large puddles, and at one point an overwhelmed storm drain had given up entirely and was spouting water like a fountain instead of draining it off! We waded on through, ankle deep in water - there was no way around it! 

The storm was over by the time we arrived in the centre of Terracina. We peeled off our wet layers, and many of us unashamedly changed our T-shirts right then and there, in the middle of the town square... Oh, the things you find yourself doing when on a pilgrimage ! 

Once in a semi-presentable state, we entered the town hall to meet with the mayor, who received us with a buffet of refreshments and a small and super-lightweight gift as a memento of Terracina! 

We reconvened at six pm to visit an exhibition of the work of early twentieth century artist and sculptor Dullio Cambellotti and sample a glass of the local dry moscato wine, grown at a high elevation in the foothills of the Monti Ausoni, at Mangiare con Gusto, a festival of sustainable zero-km food and wine that had just opened in the main square of the historic town centre. The old town centre of Terracina, somewhat abandoned and neglected until recently in favour of the lower town by the sea, is an intriguing blend of constructions from different ages. The medieval cathedral and tower in the main square are flanked by a post-war town hall on one side and the ruins of the Roman forum on the other, uncovered when the constructions that previously concealed them were destroyed by bombs in the second world war. The excavation of the forum and the Capitolium, a massive 1st century BC temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, is still underway. A section of the Via Appia paved with slabs of travertine runs through the town square and under an arch, bearing the inscription A. AEMILIUS A. F. in letters that were once filled in with bronze. 

Amidst all these Roman ruins and buildings of subsequent ages are cosy bars and restaurants, lit up with fairy lights and packed with people in the evenings, bringing back to life the old town centre which, according to the town councillor who showed us around, had been largely abandoned until recently in favour of the Borgo Marino, the new town in the flat land below, between the mountains and the sea. 

Roman theatre in Terracina 

The cathedral was built in 1074 on the site of a Roman temple, while the mosaics date from the 13th century. 

Places you can walk to from Terracina?