Joanne's long walks: Via Romea Germanica Day 111: Vetralla

Aiutami, Signore, a mettermi in cammino... Anche se l'orizzonte mi sembra oscuro.

Anche se la ricompensa, agli occhi del mondo, non vale l'impegno.

Anche se la gente pensa che il mio apporto per un mondo nuovo non è granché.

(Help me, Lord, to set out walking,

Even when there is darkness on the horizon.

Even when they say it's not worth the effort.

Even if people think I'm not doing a lot

to make this a better world.)

- Pilgrims' prayer, posted in the hostel in Vetralla

We breakfasted in the café across the street from our hostel and then walked through the centre of Vetralla, where everything was shut at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, and plenty of houses were empty and up for sale. A real pity that this town seems to be in decline, because Vetralla has a beautiful old town centre with medieval walls and cobblestone streets.

A bit of history: Vetralla

The territory of Vetralla has been inhabited since the Paleolithic; in Etruscan times, the most flourishing settlements were Norchia, Grotta Porcina and Macchia delle Valli, where a temple dedicated to Demeter has been found. In Roman times, the centre of urban development in the area was Forum Cassii, a hub along the Via Cassia: the road to Rome that would become known as Via Francigena or Via Romea.

The first written record of Vetralla dates back to 1145: is a document in which Pope Eugene Ill invites the King of France, Louis VI, to join in the crusade. In the mid-twelfth century Vetralla was raised to the status of county: but in 1170 the count of Vetralla, Guitto di Uffreduccio, ceded half of his properties to the Magistrate of the city of Viterbo, Count Ildebrandino, so that he would control the rebellious people of Vetralla, who demanded independence. The city remained dependent on Viterbo until 4 April 1783, when Vetralla was granted the status of "city" by Pope Pius VI.

Vetralla is a much underrated town which has excellent potential for tourism, as a base from which to explore a vast area: the many Etruscan sites in the vicinity and, Viterbo, Montefiascone, Orvieto, Sutri, Rome, Lake Vico and the seaside. In addition, Vetralla is surrounded by woods perfect for hiking and mountain-biking, and we encountered plenty of hikers, bikers and picnickers on this sunny Sunday.

In the woods outside Vetralla we ran into Serafino: the perfect name for a "trail angel"! Serafino is a member of CAI, Club Alpino Italiano, the organisation in charge of trail maintenance and signage all over Italy. His local group cleans, marks and maintains the Via Francigena/Via Romea trails all the way from Acquapendente to Sutri, he told me. I asked Serafino to help me fix a strap that had come off my backpack and needed to be pressed on with a strong hand. We walked together for a couple of kilometres, discussing long-distance walks and travel in general - Serafino is leaving tomorrow for a trip to Istanbul and Cappadocia.

Serafino turned back toward home, and Mariella and I continued on, taking a break on a bench in the forest where we were joined by Antonella and Walter, with whom we have been walking since Città della Pieve. As usual, we set off separately in the morning but ended up running into each other before lunchtime and walked together for the rest of the day.

We walked through hazelnut groves and past the ruined towers traditionally known as the Torri di Orlando, two of which are actually Roman mausoleums, built around the first century AD by noble Roman families. The most prominent and best-preserved stands about 16 meters high, cylindrical in shape, on a sturdy square base. Opposite the Roman mausoleum stands the ruined bell tower of a church dedicated to Sancta Maria in Campis; the beautiful white marble portal that originally belonged to the church is now in the centre of Capranica, the next town we walked through, at the ancient Hospital of San Sebastiano.

Capranica's historic centre is very impressive, perched up on the top of a butte of tuff, like a miniature Orvieto, a maze of narrow lanes and staircases. I had originally planned on stopping here for the night, at the "Road to Rome" hostel run by pilgrims Travis and Juliane in their own home, part of the POP (pilgrims hosting pilgrims) network. But then I realised that our next stage would be too long, and so I booked a place to stay in Sutri instead. This meant we had another seven kilometres to walk - with groceries in our backpacks, as the grocery stores in Sutri are closed on Sundays. We knew we would have the use of a shared kitchen in our accommodation at Casa Vacanza Salza and wanted to take advantage of it! So we carried not only groceries but chestnuts that we collected along the way, to boil and eat with hot milk and sugar for dessert.

Between Capranica and Sutri the Via Francigena/Via Romea route passes through enchanting woods of chestnut, willow and hazelnut trees, beside a stream which we repeatedly crossed on wooden footbridges. A local association has recently cleaned up this section of trail, removing fallen trees and using the wood to build footbridges, picnic tables and benches constructed on-site.

Though we were coming to the end of a long stage, we felt less tired than before. Walking through the woods, the trees recharge your batteries as you go. It's a completely different feeling from walking alomg a road, or even through the fields! So we arrived in Sutri with enough energy left to explore the town, cook dinner - and boil, peel and eat all those chestnuts! 😄