Walking along the usual gravel road,very little traffic.
FRESCOES EVERYWHERE …
Christina suggested we have a picnic supper overlooking the lake on a table close-by our rooms. Four of us went down to a Carrefour Express which supplied all our needs and we set the fare out alfresco style with our saint’s very own wine
Thanks Christina and Mike for some of the photos
Awake at just after 06.00.
Routines are essential for Camino preparation and begin the night before by getting all the packing done barring what is needed for the morning. This includes supplements to take after breakfast, socks and feet bag ready, walking poles by the door so they are not forgotten! It’s important to remember any washing that may be hanging around somewhere. After a shave, attention turns to feet preparation which includes massaging Vaseline into toes and any sensitive spots, putting on polyester toe caps ,a dusting of tea tree powder then trail shoes on. Gear on next, then two aluminium water containers to which soluble hydration tablets are added,plus an other litre bottle of water – all placed in day rucksack along with any other bits and pieces after an application of sun cream. Put all electric leads in case – close it , check the room for any forgotten items – take the case to reception for collection by luggage transfer to that evening’ s hotel, then breakfast usually at 07.00 -07.30 . Hoping to be on the trail for 08.00 most days.
Sloways, our travel company booked two taxis to take us upto the summit of Radocafani.
An amazing setting.
The previous evening it was decided to take taxis down from Radocafani as the descent was 500 metres of steep tracks . Not a great distance, but it would help preserve our knees for the next ten days’ walking.
The Beatles :https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4HjTH_fTM&si=Yisa5ZLiwwT0aySQ
Crossing from Tuscany into Lazio.
This morning we left our homely B&B to have breakfast ( included) at a small Trattoria in this piazza.
After a coffee stop on this busy town it was,decision time.
Fountains rule opposite our cafe. There was no option but to use Mapy.com to enable a short cut off the Francigena route. I must admit to being somewhat dubious because main routes are made to enable a safe passage, however, the walk began simply enough.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6fayQBm9w&si=Aix-DW-nwyT2xoKT
Dinner was served under an ancient tree – it was a very good meal served with panache and a smile . I can’t speak highly enough of enough of the help given to me by the receptionist in acquiring two,taxis to take the group down from the heights of Radificoni the next day as there were no buses on Sundays.
9km we said, it will be a breeze we said…Wrong! Friday 13 th? Nobody in this group is superstitious but perhaps we might avoid walking on that day in the future 🫣
The day began peacefully and uneventfully….But.
Then on to B&B Il Vecchietta Via del Cassero, with its wonderful garden and vistas; a medieval house whose stone walks made for a very cool interior
The first part of the walk was very pleasant and uneventful ,with good views of the ever enchanting Tuscan countryside.
Up the hill and another solitary sink for scrubbing.
We walked for some way alongside a single track railway, passing through fields of Alfafa and young Sunflowers
A welcoming place for pilgrims and we had a chat with French group who apart from a large group of Aussies yesterday are the only folk we have met on the Via,so,far.
Buonconvento, only a few kilometres from Siena, is one of the most beautiful villages in the whole of Italy according to ANCI classification. Enclosed within a city wall built in 1379, the medieval village originally only had two entrances at opposite ends of the main street: towards the north is Porta Senese, where the original wooden doors and windows with metal fittings remain, and towards the south Porta Romana, which was destroyed in 1944 by the retreating Germans.
Via Soccini runs right through the historic centre, and was named in memory of the ancient family whose members included illustrious jurists, as well as a couple of heretics who organised various doctrinal Socinianism movements that developed during the sixteenth century.
Thanks to the group for some of the photos.
We called in at a local supermarket enroute to the start of this stage and stocked up with bananas, cereal bars and water as there was a long stretch before coming to a a cafe . We had enjoyed an excellent breakfast at the hotel which would sustain us for the most part. We walked past the Duomo .
We then traversed the famous setting of the annual “Palio” a mad horse race around the periphery of the square.
We were making our way to the Porto Romano to exit this wonderful city.
The soil,takes on a distinctive grey colour for a wide expanse in this area.
Thanks to group,members for some of the fine photos
Tomorrow’s walk is to Buonconvento and Tom has promised a shortcut!
Four stages to the journey today with most of us up at 05..00. Taxis to Digbeth coach station for the 07.05 to Luton airport . It was 20 minutes late but made up most of the time via a convoluted route,taking in stops at Bham airport,Coventry – slow there – Northampton, Milton Keynes, Luton town and eventually …. The airport ! I may have missed one stop out,I think.
Getting through baggage check in and security was very efficient- 30:minutes, although I got frisked about six times at security 🤨. Then flight departure from Gate 43…after 20 minutes everyone had to disembark from the bus to be told the plane was in operative,please go to gate 11, the other side of the airport. Arriving there, checked in for the 2nd time…sorry you’ll have come back from the entrance to the planes because this plane developed a puncture on landing. After an hour, we checked in for the 3rd time and eventually got on board, people remained in good humour, however,and the flight was enjoyable , the captain making up 25 minutes.
Pisa airport was a doddle and our minibus awaited our departure- I had whatsapped them about the delay. A 90 minutes ride through the Italian countryside to Siena and our hotel which was very welcoming .
We enjoyed a cold drink on their patio with Swallows dive bombing everywhere and everyone loved the setting in the evening sunshine. We adjourned to a nearby restaurant for dinner which was great value ,with humorous friendly sevice.
Tomorrow the Camino Francigena begins.
“The last leg starts with a long segment along the sidewalk of the Via Cassia, very traffic congested. Once passed the Grande Raccordo Anulare (Great Ring Junction) the Path enters the green Insugherata Park, a wild oasis in the outskirts of Rome. Then it enters once again in the traffic of Via Trionfale, for then entering Monte Mario park. The view from the overlook of “Mont Gaudii”, the happiness’ Mount, will let you forget the pollution and the traffic, before of the descent to St. Peter’ square, your destination. Frequent eat and drink points and fountains along the itinerary.” GRONZE
Leaving Giustiniana, we cross above the A90 Autostrata tunnel,turn right and pass through the gates of the Insugherata Nature Reserve – an hour’s welcome respite.
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/insugherata-natural-reserve
Then through the Roman residential neighbourhood of Sant’Onofrio, two blocks on we reach the Via Trionfale,one of Rome’s historic main arterial roads – cafes, etc,.
Following footpaths we should get our first sight of Rome.
Sylvia Nilsen writes: “During the Holy Year of 2025, pilgrims who go on pilgrimage to the four Holy Doors of Rome (Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, Basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls) will receive, on request, an official ‘testimonium’ – a certificate proving they have undertaken a pilgrimage to the Tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul.
The testimonium can be collected at the official Jubilee InfoPoint, located in via della Conciliazione 7, in Rome. Info Point . This certificate is a testimony of the pilgrim’s spiritual participation in the Jubilee, a year of grace for all men and women in the world. The testimonium will be personalized by the volunteers at the InfoPoint with the name and surname of the pilgrim, and the date of the pilgrimage.
In addition, those who arrive in Rome on pilgrimage by foot or by bike, having travelled one of the many paths towards the eternal city, will be able to receive a special, even more personalized Testimonium.
The official Testimonium of the Jubilee will carry a special watermark, with unique properties, guaranteeing its authenticity and certifying it as an official document of the Jubilee. Thus, each certificate will become a unique and significant memorial of the spiritual journey undertaken.
Pilgrims are asked to apply only for the official Testimonium which can be collected only at the InfoPoint in via della Conciliazione 7. Info Point
For large groups it is advisable to book the Testimonium in advance by contacting the InfoPoint.”
https://www.scribd.com/document/260035187/Travel-Guide-24-Hours-in-Rome
After refreshments we depart along the central street as it descends among old stone and stucco homes,reaching the valley floor where we reenter the Parco Veio. The road becomes a path through Alfalfa and Bamboo trees, then heading up past a sports complex. After crossing a bridge look carefully for a poorly marked left turn onto a gravel road. Shortly we come to a Veio shortcut option ( 1.8 KM ) offering a shorter route to Isola Farnese, bringing us alongside Etruscan archaeological sites and an ancient mill.
The centre of modern Isola Farnese is a non descript ,disappointing commercial cluster where the Via Cassia meets the Via dell’Isola Farnese. Medieval Isola, easily missed by walkers, is a cluster of buildings around the castle ( now a wedding venue ).
Although La Storta is the official ending of this stage our accommodation is RESORT LA ROCCHETTA in La Guistiniana.
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