Via Francigena del Sud Day 7: Terracina - Monastero di San Magno (Fondi)

Road (to) from Rome Day 7: Terracina - Monastero di San Magno (Fondi)

A large group of walkers assembled in the cathedral in Fondi to receive a pilgrim blessing and a small rosary in the chapel where a fresco of St James, patron saint of pilgrims, was uncovered recently. 

We then set off uphill out of the town and walked along the Via Appia Antica, at times buried under a gravel road but at other times emerged in view. Then we turned off onto a rocky path hugging the side of the mountain, between the temple of Jupiter, above us but invisible to us, and the sea below. The day was extremely hot and humid, making for very tough going, uphill on a steep, rocky path with no shade in sight. After about nine kilometres we stopped at a house whose owner, Alessandrino, let us use his garden tap to fill our water bottles. We poured water over ourselves and wet our hats and clothes to combat the heat, and I took a break from the sun in his cool, dark tool shed while we waited for the rest of the group to catch up. The backup van took aboard some members of the group who felt they couldn't walk any farther in the heat. 

Thanks Alessandrino for saving our lives!! 

Cooling off in the tool shed

Descending toward Lake Fondi

But those of us who continued on were rewarded for our perseverance as the sky clouded over a little and we eventually came to a cool wood of spindly holm oak and large cork trees.

Descending into the valley below, we were met with a warm welcome and a big lunch courtesy of the municipality of Monte San Biagio below the epitaph marking what used to be the boundary between the Papal State and the Bourbon Kingdom. At the foot of the epitaph a group of sommeliers were hard at work sampling 23 varieties of Moscato di Terracina for the Disfida del Moscato di Terracina competition. 

But we didn't get to find out who won the first prize before it was time to start walking again! Walking in single file on the shoulder of the road, until we turned off down a country lane, which took us past the town of Monte San Biagio and, eventually, to the Monastery of Monte Magno. Father Francesco welcomed us, along with the mayor of Fondi, a representative of the Park of the Monti Ausoni and a troop of Scouts! 

After a brief pause at the Monastery the group carried on towards the town of Fondi, another hour's walk. But Sofia from Valencia, Alfredo from Arona and I are stopping here for the night. For two nights, in fact, as tomorrow is a day of rest! Though I believe there is an event-packed programme in store for us...