Day 27: Montefiascone - Viterbo

18.5 km

 

Another short stage today. Before leaving Montefiascone I visit the Cathedral and climb to the top of the Torre del Pellegrino, a lookout tower by the Rocca dei Papi, which was the seat of temporal power of the Papal State during the years that the popes were in Avignon. From the top of the tower I can see all the way to Radicofani - three days of walking away behind me!

 

Lago di Bolsena & Rocca dei Papi

Duomo di Montefiascone

Montefiascone 

Just outside Montefiascone the Via Francigena follows a section of the original Roman paving of the Via Cassia, perfectly preserved.

The olives are ripe and ready for harvesting

These guys are doing it the easy way, with a mechanical branch shaker that causes the olives to fall onto nets spread out on the ground.

Montefiascone retreats into the distance as I follow winding country lanes.

Coming to Terme di Bagnaccio, a hot spring where I enjoy a very welcome hot bath before proceeding!

Finally I arrive in Viterbo and locate the pilgrims' hostel, in the little building next to St. Thomas International School. Here I am reunited with the French, Begian and German pilgrims who were with me last night in Montefiascone and on Wednesday in Radicofani.

After settling in and discussing the options for the next leg of the walk with the ospitaliere, I head out to explore Viterbo, hoping to take a few photos before it gets too dark - we put the clocks back last night and suddenly it seems late, early! 

Day 26: Bolsena - Montefiascone

19.5 km

Bolsena in the early morning light. I explored the old town, found a shop that opened early to get lunch supplies, had breakfast in a bar and headed for the Basilica di Santa Cristina.

 

Santa Cristina, an early Christian martyr, lived and was buried here at the the time of the persecution under Diocletian. Other local Christians at the time of the Roman Empire wanted to buried near her tomb, and so the catacombs were formed.

 

After leaving Bolsena quite late in the morning, the day's walk took me through farmland and vineyards high above the lake.

Lunch break 

The path heads into the magical woods of Turona

Where I once again take a brief detour to what was a holy shrine in the third century BC, excavated in the 1950s but now taken over once again by nature.

Enchanted waterfall - the spell is broken by a group of motorcyclists roaring past. Don't think they're supposed to be on the Via Francigena!

Here I have a nice break in the sun and dry my laundry before setting off again.

 

The view from my bedroom window at the convent in Montefiascone at dusk. I dine in the convent with some of the other guests, also because the nuns lock the doors at 9 pm!

 

Locked in at 9 pm on a Saturday night! But I don't mind. I have dinner with some other guests of the convent, including some Romans who are here for the weekend to walk just one leg of the Via Francigena as a Sunday hike. They are very impressed with the story of my Long Walk. But the other member of our party at dinner is an African young lady who finds the whole idea of walking to Rome new and intriguing, but says she'd like to do it, because here in Italy she doesn't get to walk much. Back home, she says, as a young girl, when her family needed some money she used to put a big basket of fruit and vegetables on her head, walk 20 km through the forest to market, then walk back again at the end of the day.

 

Now I'm the one who's impressed!

Day 25: Proceno - Bolsena

33.5 km

 

Yesterday I shortened the distance by stopping in the village of Proceno instead of continuing on to Acquapendente, and today I paid the price!

I woke up early in the morning and as soon as it was light I walked the remaining 7 km through the woods to Acquapendente. But there was so much to see and do there, I tarried too long... I needed to buy a couple of things, and luckily it was market day in town. Then I went to the civic museum to see the 26 metre long reproduction of the entire Via Francigena in relief. And on the way out of town I stopped at the cathedral - the beautiful medieval crypt was a great surprise! I'll upload photos as soon as I have a good enough internet connection...

After leaving Acquapendente I walked through farmland for the rest of the morning, without seeing a soul along the way.

I stopped to eat my lunch and take a rest in a public park coming into the town of San Lorenzo Nuovo, which is in fact "nuovo", in the sense that the oldest buildings I saw might have been a couple of hundred years old. That's new, for Italy!

From San Lorenzo Nuovo I walked along a path through the woods marked "Via Francigena" and "Tempio". After a while the two paths split, but by now I was curious about the temple so I followed that one. I can't resist an archaeological site... Just call me Indiana Joanne!

I probably should have stayed on the Via Francigena because there wasn't much to see - the Temple was an archaeological dig still underway and mostly covered with white plastic sheeting. From there Google Maps showed me an alternative, shorter route to the hostel out in the country above Bolsena that I was aiming for, but it was still a long way - and the hostel turned out to have closed for the season. So it was getting dark by the time I came into Bolsena and found the Casa di Preghiera Santa Cristina, right in the old town. I called the number on the door and the priest who answered sent a volunteer to welcome me right away. Once again I have the whole place to myself, which is a bit eerie in this case because there are rooms and rooms of bunk beds - the place is set up for Scout groups and the like. I even have my very own private chapel, and a glow in the dark statue of Mary on the patio where I hung out my laundry!

I was too tired to walk far in search of a restaurant, but luckily there's a bookshop and cafè right across the street that makes an excellent bowl of pumpkin soup. My only criticism: the wifi is not strong enough to upload photos!!

 

17 km before lunch...

...and close to 17 more after!

 

The dawning of another day on the road

Leaving Proceno in the early morning light

Path through the woods where I pray I won't meet any wild boar

Acquapendente

Acquapendente

The city walls as seen from inside the bishop's palace (now the city museum)

Relief model of the Via Francigena

In the crypt of the cathedral

After leaving Acquapendente the countryside changed; I walked through farmland

Cornfields

Solar fields

Abandoned farmhouse

Through the town of San Lorenzo Nuovo

Along a woodland path, taking a detour to an ancient temple site

Where there wasn't really much to see, but there was a magnificent view of the lake!

Finally, a bed! This time I chose the top bunk. 

Nice to see that Mother Mary slept in a sheet sack just like me!

Day 24: Radicofani - Proceno

26 km

The exciting thing about making a pilgrimage, or voyage, is that when you wake up in the morning you never know what the day may have in store for you. 

And a minor decision - whether to set off on a certain day, or the next day, whether to go right or left at a crossroads - can change the whole course of events. As in life in general - another example of how a pilgrimage is a metaphor for life!

Today, for example, who would have thought that I would eat my lunch on the strip of grass between an unpaved country road and the ditch, but dine in the evening before the fireplace in a medieval castle, chatting with the lord and lady of the manor!

But let's start at the beginning: leaving Radicofani at dawn

The first part of today's walk is the most spectacular yet!

After walking through amazing scenery along country roads all morning, I come to the crossroads. Here there is a rest stop with water and benches, and a café where the owner dispenses not only hot coffee, pastries and sandwiches but advice as to which route to take.

Those in a hurry to get to Rome take the direct route, walking by the road, while those who want to enjoy themselves along the way take the longer route, which takes a detour through the countryside via the castle of Proceno.

I opt for the longer route, as do the other pilgrims who had spent the night in Radicofani, who are just leaving the rest stop bar as I arrive.

Radicofani soon becomes a pimple on the landscape once again, but in the opposite direction from where I am used to seeing it! 

At one time, I never would have thought I could walk this far in a day!

Proceno approaches, and the castle tower is visible

Soon I reach my abode for this evening: a newly opened pilgrims' hostel in a 16th century palace on the main square of the town!

Travelling as a pilgrim, you have access to special places not open to all. The hostel is a freshly renovated apartment on two floors, and this evening I have it all to myself!

The volunteer who lets me in tells me he works at the castle up the road,  and that the lady of the manor herself will be conducting a tour for some guests at 7 pm and would be happy to have me join in. So after washing, making a cup of tea and blogging about yesterday, I wrap up again and head out into the windy evening toward the castle.

What an amazing place! One of only 19 castles in Italy to still have a fully functional drawbridge. The owners still live there, and they rent rooms in the castle itself and in their hunting lodge 10 km away to visitors. They say it is particularly popular in winter, because there is a fireplace in every single room - 21 fireplaces in all! The restaurant and wine bar also has a fireplace, and this is where we all retire for dinner after the tour. The lady of the castle herself takes our orders. Pilgrims are offered a special menu: a main course, wine and dessert for €12. The large German family staying at the hunting lodge orders a three-course meal and the lady of the castle grills their meat over the open fire while I finish my dinner and sip my wine, talking to the man of the house about the Via Francigena. He sees it as the village's main hope of recovery from abandonment and decay, just as Silvana did at the sandwich shop in Radicofani. I do hope they are right - these are two places that are real treasures, well worth visiting and worth preserving for the future. But just far enough off the main road to deter tourists in a hurry.

In short,  this evening, I wined and dined in a castle and slept in a grand palace built by a noble family in the 16th century - all for a grand total of €22! 

The "castellana" insists on giving me a double portion of dessert so I can try her hazelnut cake.

I retire to my chambers

Four beds but I have the room all to myself

It's lonely in that big palace, but I feel safe with these guys guarding the entrance!