We are constantly revolving, revising and revisiting our strategy. Today was the earliest wake-up. If we get out of bed by 5:30an, in theory we should be out the door in an hour. Pretty dang close. Had breakfast in our fine apartment minus caffeine, and we’re out the door by 6:45am. I know, no coffee? What will we do? It’s obvious. We will walk much slower! I’m not sure if we’ll make it at all. Sad day for the Baraga’s.

Of course we had a nice uphill to get to the top of town and then straight down. Literally it was a steep road that was similar to Priest Grade from Yosemite. If you’ve ever experience that in a car, imagine walking that for at least 3-4 miles. Nothing but fun on the Via Francigena!

Good news is we made it off the mountain alive and unscathed and had a fairly level path the remainder of the day. The facts are that nothing is truly flat for long around here. Just on the paper map 🤣

We met up with some Italians and their dog. It was a tiny dog, not sure what breed it was. Maybe a cross between a Jack Russell and a Chihuahua. The impressive part is she didn’t know she was a Chihuahua because that dog didn’t yip, yap, bark or make a bit of noise. She just moved around the trail like it was ready to defend her territory. She paced back and forth like a wolf, and when we got to roadways, she’d waited for her owner to pick her up and safely escort her across the street. Quite an intelligent dog and well dressed. I thought it had a bow on its harness but George had to inform me that was her poop bag. Brilliant! She even carries her own bag, per se.

We meandered around, hay and wheat fields, some all cut and waiting for the sun to dry it. Other crops were all cut, dried and rolled up with mesh around them. But the ones that glistened in the sun were rolled up, dried and Saran wrapped like they were ready to be placed under a Christmas Tree. They were meticulously arranged all over the fields, just waiting to be sold and made into something delectable to eat. Like the baked scones with brown sugar that I inhaled the last couple of days. Those were so yummy! I did share a few with George.

Today we have been talking about making a trip to Decathlon. It is the European equivalent to REI in the states. George has been putting electrolytes in his water and his drinking hose has black mold in it. No one seems to have anything to clean it with so we on the hunt to find a scrub brush made just for that, cleaning gunk out of our sippy straw. My straw is fine kind of, but I don’t pollute my water with special concoctions like my hubby does.

Ends up that Decathlon is in the town we are staying at, Viterbo. I mapped it out and it was only a mile off trail so we headed there before attempting to locate our room for the night. Sure enough, they had one pipe cleaner left and we snagged it. George also found a thin long sleeve hiking shirt and I scored a short sleeve shirt as well. Along with some new rubber tips for my poles do they don’t click and clack down the trail. I somehow lost one in the many rocks or grates that my pole got stuck in so now I have two brand new rubber tips. Yeah for me.

Before heading to the town of Viterbo, we stopped for some cold drinks and ate our lunch. I had carried it this far, and we were going to eat it. George spotted a Burger King and was wondering how much different it would taste in Italy. Hmm, really? Would Burger King taste different from one country to another? Lucky for me, it was not open till 12 and that would’ve been an hour wait. So sandwiches, olives, chips and scones had to do. I thought it was a fine meal!

So now for the rest of the story. We have walked close to 200 miles with George’s feet blistered, his back aching and too many ailments to list. But he has been such a trooper and keeps on keeping on. I have been hinting that I’d really like to see Sicily. It has been on my bucket list, especially now with all the Blue Zone reports.

So come what may, we are considering a possible diversion to parts way south. No command decision has been made but let’s just say, I’m checking with ChatGPT about options. Stay tuned for the ever changing VF with the Baraga’s. Who knows where they will turn up next. But the Vatican is still in my sights. One way or another, we will see the Pope!

Best made plans of Mice and Men. Here we go again. Sometimes you just need to make compromises. Hiking with a partner is all about adjusting to the ever changing ebbs and flows. When we went to bed last night, we planned to sleep in, have breakfast late and walk slowly to the upcoming town. It is less than 10 miles. Easy peasy, nothing to it.

George had a restless night, not too much to drink but then maybe that was the issue. We had nearly ran out of water, pretty darn dehydrated, and the humidity was fierce. Neither one of us were happy, but George was less happy.

After breakfast we decided the best choice of action was to find a pharmacy, and replenish George’s dwindling supply of ibuprofen. That stuff is gold around here. Without a prescription, they will only sell you 400 mg tablets and 12 doses. So that’ll keep him going for three more days for a whopping 7.60 Euros which is equivalent to $10. That’s nuts. We can buy a boatload at Costco, for next to nothing. Needless to say, he bought two packets.

After his purchase, I hit the grocery store and found nail polish and remover. Also, very important stuff! Then I bought us two bus tickets and we were on our way to Montefiascone. Yep, no hiking program today. But I was able to remedy that once we got off the bus.

Montefiascone is, yep, you guessed it, on top of a hill. The bus driver told us this was our last stop. Okay then, I guess we walk from here. It didn’t look like any pictures I’d seen in the book, so I imagined we had a trek ahead of us.

We were directed by an older pilgrim and then a lady from England that we needed to follow the highway up a very, very steep road. Well, of course we do! And so we did. Up, up and more up, till we finally found the Cafe Central in Old Town. The Apartment wouldn’t be ready till 3pm so we had some time to kill.

After dropping our packs at the Tourism Center, we had a sandwich and headed up to see the vista. It was quite the climb, up way too many steps to count. But it was worth every heartbeat that skipped and every labored breath that was missed. This is why you come to Montefiascone!

There is a lovely park on the hilltop. Once we arrived breathless, we had our breath taken away a second time. You can see the snow covered mountains of Umbria in the distance. I can only speculate, that on a super clear day, you might be able to see all the way to Rome! Bolsena Lake’s southern tip is right below and the fields of patchwork green are abound! I just can’t get over the beauty of this region. Tuscany is incredibly gorgeous but Luzia in its own right, is justifiably just as stunning! They are like sisters that have their own unique qualities and you just can’t choose a favorite.

After walking around the park, we headed to Rocca del Papi. It is a historic medieval castle that was the summer house for Popes who would travel through. Built in the late 12th century by Pope Innocent III, it is still a popular destination for people of all faiths. Back in the day, it had four towers but today there is only one remaining. And yes, we climbed it!

What an incredible way to see this region. I had a bit of vertigo as it was pretty dang high. But boy oh boy, I’m glad I did. So there’s that for not wanting to do much walking, climbing, or hiking today. Somehow we managed to overcome all that nonsense!

Once again, it is clear why these people in Italy live so long. It’s not the pasta or the gelato, it’s not the red wine or the olive oil! It is the constant hills, steps and stairs that makeup everyday life. So if you want to make it to 100, go find a hill to walk. It seems to work great for the Italians!

Just as we think we are at the end of our rope, God reminds us that we are stronger together. With His strength, all things, not some things, but everything is possible.

I’m starting to not trust our VF App. It said today was a moderate day with little climbing. The majority of elevation would happen the first half of the day and then we’d be coasting in the afternoon. I was onboard with that, psyched myself up for what I expected to be true. B-flipping-S. It was nothing like that and I was feeling pretty darn duped! Oh well, another day on the Via Francigena. I can tell you right now, George will never do this route again! He is all sorts of done! Moving on.

The morning was doable. Actually it was exceptionally nice. I think I know what the Lazio Region is known for. It is comparable to the Central Valley of California. Fertile lands that are meant to grow baby grow! Once we left the thriving metropolis of Acquapentente, we entered fields on top of fields, loaded with fruits and vegetables.

I ended up talking with a foursome from Northern Italy as I had no idea what I was looking at. The huge fields that were planted so perfectly are their golden potatoes. Oh I have to tell you, potatoes here are nothing like our russet potatoes. They are yellow, creamy texture and they roast them with rosemary and a pound of butter. Then drizzle with olive oil and you think you went to heaven! They are one of my favorite things in Italy. Who would’ve thought? George would disagree and tell you pasta hands down and preferably lasagna, but I am hooked on their potatoes. I can’t get enough of them. Other things I saw grown were Chick Peas, Olives Orchards for days, Peppers and Eggplant. No tomatoes but I’m sure they grow them somewhere else!

We made it to our one and only town around 11am. It was San Lorenzo Nuevo. We stopped and had panini’s, macchiato’s and drank lots of water. It is not terribly hot but the humidity makes you think it’s 90. After our lunch and George’s final chocolate croissant, we hit the trail. Well at least I thought we did.

Once we headed out of town, we had our first sighting of Lake Bolsena. It’s was formed by a volcano that erupted 105 BC or near that time, and is now a source of recreation and tourism. It is about 1/4 size of Lake Tahoe but seems much bigger from my view point.

So back to the trail. I’m pretty much the navigator on this trip. I plot a course out in the morning and for the past 12 days, it has served us well. When we left, I assumed, first mistake, that the trail would take us off the main road and we would head south. And south we did, and then at a pretty good decline. As I’m following this path that resembles a trail, I realize I haven’t seen a sign for awhile. Number two clue. I come to a screeching halt, look at my trusty map and realize we are way off course. Dang it, and back up the incline and to town we go. After scratching my head for what seemed like an hour, I finally got us back on course. It was a terrible design of signs that even the Germans headed off course. In fact on the same line I originally was on. Lucky for them, I rerouted them before they made the fatal error and had a bonus mile on top of our already 18 mile day. Compass Head relinquished her title!

Once back on course, we were in the woods on a bonafide trail overlooking the lake. It was quite nice with some trees to shade us, a slight downhill, great views of the lake and a few rocks to make it interesting. Yep, we were back.

The afternoon was a bit longer than we thought and both of us were running out of water. George spotted a nice resort and we left trail in search of H2O. They had a pool, so there must be water. This place was completely deserted. Finally after my failed attempt of breaking and entry, only to find nothing but a bottle of vinegar, I knew we were in deep trouble. Nope, that didn’t taste good, but George found a bathroom with running water. I guess that’ll do. We filled up our water bottles, nodded farewell to the nice but abandoned resort and made it back on trail with water bottles filled to the brim.

We finally arrived in the Old Town of Bolsena inside the castle walls. Our GPS went haywire and for the life of me, we traveled around like mice caught in a dead end maze! I was ready to pull my hair out, when by the grace of God, we found a real street that led us out of the castle walls. Praise the Lord, we will actually get through this day.

Gelato was found and that cures all ailments. We put away our walking sticks, and being powered by nothing but cream and sugar, we made our way to Lake Bolsena. After milling around what looked like the streets of Carmel, we found our fine digs for the evening. Thank goodness. That was one heck of a day!

With all that we go through, all the ups and downs, hills and valleys, the Lord God never leaves us. His perfect peace is upon us from now till eternity.

After a relaxing day in Radicofani, we were ready to bust out of town. By 7:30am, George and I hit the trail running. Well probably not running, but a brisk walk. It was almost all downhill for the first 8-10 miles.

The morning was perfect for a long stroll. George has acquired his trail legs and he is much faster now. Rarely did I ever really leave him in the dust. He is hardly ever far behind. But today, he was keeping up. Even with umpteen blisters, double hernias and a bum knee, he’s doing amazingly well. Hmm, so what does that say about me? I’m pretty well preserved and George is keeping up. I need to step up my game!

We had tremendous views this morning. Today is somewhat bittersweet as we will cross over from the Tuscany Region to Lazio. I’m not sure what to expect but I guess when I get there, I’ll let you know. We walked on a ridgeline for most of the morning so we had views both to the east and west. Nothing but green hills, mountain tops and valleys below. At times when you look down, it’s like a version of the Grand Canyon but instead of oranges, pinks and reds, it’s green. Lime green, copper green, forest green and kelly green all wrapped into one palate of, well you can imagine, nothing but green!

We had a couple of bike packers pass us on the dirt road, and a couple from Australia I imagine, based on their ascent. Then we met a German couple that we played hop scotch will all day. They would pass us and then we’d pass them. This continued until we finally stopped for a long lunch. But I’m sure we’ll see them again.

There were few, well actually no services available with the exception of a farm that had a serve yourself snacks and drinks. I love these little outposts. They seem to pop up when you least expect them and are such a treat. Today was no exception. We were living off our morning espresso and Nutella cookies from breakfast and most definitely, in calorie deficit. As we came into an agricultural field, there was a sign boasting of all the farro, spelt and e’peautre (type of puffed wheat) that is grown there.

We walked through the field and saw the Germans sitting and eating some goodies. They pointed to the box and there was the “Holy Grail” of all things wheat from this farm. They had packs of puffed wheat with honey, chocolate covered wheat, something like rice crisps, farro flatbread and lots of other tantalizing options. We obviously went for the chocolate and the farro bread, along with sparkling water to cool us down. What a Godsend as we had nothing for provisions! We munched it down, left 10 euros to cover our snacks and went on our way. Once again, we never seem to go unnourished!

We walked a bit along the road with all the big trucks, buses and way too many cars. Luckily, we found a side trail that took us into the clumping grass, as George calls it, and I was glad to get away from the menacing traffic. We had to opt back and forth from road to clumpy grass and finally found a true oasis. It was similar to a Roach Coach just on the outskirts of town.

Ends up this is a well known spot for locals as there were a few guys who obviously knew about this dive bar. I asked what their special was and without skipping a beat, the owner told me about his pulled pork panini with pickled cabbage. Sure, I’ll take two. George and I grabbed some chips, beer, soda and had a proper lunch. Oh was it tasty! We ate every last bite and then attempted to finish out the last few miles of our day.

George took the lead and we walked slowly waiting for our joints to get lubricated. We only had 5 km which is around three miles left. Not too bad. But it was. Today had blessed us with little climbs, but mostly downhill and flat. But that last mile, did us both in. I’m gonna go a little George here. It was a loose gravel 40 degree pitch that you couldn’t drive a tractor up, let alone walk. Why in green tarnation would you have this type of roadway up to the city gates? Probably because you didn’t want anyone coming over unexpected! I felt like a crusader trying to capture a city on my last leg! It was absolutely brutal. Somehow, someway we arrived only to find our apartment was at the top of the city’s streets. Go figure!

But it was well worth it. I sent our host a message we’d be in town by 3:30pm. As we rounded the corner, there she was. The biggest smile, like she had been waiting years for us to show up. She walked us upstairs of course, because all apartments are upstairs. But when she opened the door, it was perfect. A full living room, kitchen, with two bedrooms in case we want to spread out. Thank you nice lady! I collapsed on the reclining couch and immediately took off my shoes. Today was indeed, a training day!

After much discussion, George and I came up with a simple day. Let’s sleep in, eat the gourmet breakfast and take a leisurely hike to the proper town of Radicofani. We were in the outskirts and after talking with the Spaniards yesterday, they convinced us that it is a nice layover. So layover it is.

After the splendid “eat all you can eat” gourmet breakfast, we schlepped our packs on our backs, and off we went. The climb out of our fine farmhouse was the biggest challenge of the day. Well that’s my take. George may have other words for the three miles we walked but you can stay tuned to his version on Facebook.

Once we hit the road, it was fairly easy going. We followed the VF, which it appeared that today, we were the only ones who did. Everyone else fancied the much less enjoyable road walking! In case you haven’t heard, I distain walking on highways, roadways or anything asphalt and man-made. Just to be absolutely clear!

Lucky for us, it was a much nicer route and we actually could hear cow bells gonging. Well I thought they were until we made it around the corner and saw a working sheep ranch with hundreds of lambs and many sheep dogs.

The big matriarch sheep dog was lying down, overseeing the younger dogs as they corralled the stray or wayward sheep. It was quite impressive watching, as not a single lamb was unaccounted. The Shepard appeared to be napping in his Toyota pickup truck. He didn’t need to do a bloody thing!

There were a few sheep that wandered onto our trail but as we approached they headed back down to greener pastures. There were a few white cranes or storks that would land on the back of an unsuspecting sheep, and hitch a ride. I could’ve stayed all morning watching this fascinating story of Shepard meets dogs and dog meets sheep. Quite the spectacle.

Yet the climb up to our tower in the sky was still a little over a mile so we proceeded. Once in town, it was little goings on. We were greeted by a couple of women doing the best to inform us that the cafe is closed on Mondays. Another fellow came out and help us with translating, where is the laundromat? We have not properly washed our clothes in weeks and that has gotten my full attention! He introduced us to Jean as he spoke English much better than I speak Italian. Before I knew it, he was escorting us to the laundromat and also sold us his book! Great bartering still exists.

Before we found our laundry, I had shared with Jean our desire to get to our apartment. It seems that everyone knows everyone in small towns and he walked us to our abode. Many people converged and before long, we were in our apartment, bags dropped off and heading for a proper cafe and groceries. Small towns have become my favorite places as you never wander far before someone greets you and tells you where to go. In a very civilized and nice manner!

So here we are at noon, in town, having macchiatos, making friends and doing laundry. And we made our first non-consumable purchase of this trip, a book from a local author. I think that wraps it up. Oh, just in case you were interested, OSHA does not exist in small town Italy. Next door to the laundromat, two guys are hanging from plastic corrugated safety ?? edging on the rooftop. Yes, they are attached by a harness and one single rope. No backup safety line, just two guys dangling and applying plaster to the third story. No scaffolding required. Only in Radicofani!

As my grandson Quin would say, best day ever! We woke up to birds singing, sunshine blazing and to top it off, it is Sunday, the Lords Day. It just can’t get any better than that! After days of rain, this was the first in quite sometime, that not a drop of rain fell on my head. Praise God, we have turned the page!

We had an apple and two small individual packets of Nutella left from yesterday. Sounds like the perfect breakfast to me. Coffee can wait! We packed our backpacks and off we went out the door.

My only issue this morning was we had to backtrack and follow steps we already did prior to get back on track. But George said that he would follow me anywhere. No more road walks, and we can follow the intended red line. Big win for Team Kelly.

The most beautiful thing about this morning was our first few miles were, drum roll please, downhill! What? How can that be? But it was and we were loving it. Honestly, without a doubt, today’s stage was hands down the absolute most beautiful section yet! How come no one warned us of this? Do they not see the beauty of this stage?

Being on the official VF, we met a couple of new pilgrims. Two guys from Spain, Miguel and Emilio were our first. We talked for a bit, but they picked up speed and were long gone, out of sight.

No caffeine was a bit of a problem but about five miles into our morning stroll, we ran across the cutest Donation Based Espresso Bar I’ve ever seen! Think of a Lemonade Stand. The two Spaniards were already indulging so George bellied up to the bar and made us two cafes. We drank full strength espresso, talked with our new friends and were fueled for the day.

The trail was a mixed bag of ridge lines that had 360 degree views of lush green hills, vineyards, valleys below and rock bottom rivers. Some of the creeks were flowing and we even got our shoes washed off after walking through of few patches of muddy slime. It was indeed, a perfect day. Even George was loving it!

With two or three miles to go and no food in our belly’s, we came across a Bar & Grill right on trail. We made a sharp right turn, ordered some food and drinks, then listened to quite an intensive presentation given by Backroads. They are an organized group that hires locals to help experience outdoor adventures. There were 15-20 bicyclists who received GPS, battery operated bikes. They plan to tour the Tuscany region between Radicofani to Siena in search of the best Chianti. Now that sounds like a fun trip.

As we finished our grub, the group jumped on their bikes and had their first look at the hills of Tuscany. Good luck riders! As we were leaving, George said, and I kid you not, “I hope there’s a hill so I can work off the big bowl of pasta I just ate.”Your wish is my command. And off we went to finish our day, climbing straight up an old gravel path. Be careful what you ask for….

I found this great organic farm online a few days back and booked it. They call them Agriturismo which means swanky farmhouse in my book. This place is on a bluff that overlooks the hillsides and valleys we recently walked through. They produce olive oil on the property, raise guinea pigs, have a few donkeys, and a plethora of big and small dogs. Farm to Table is what they boast on their website.

We checked in and entered a room fit for royalty. A King sized bed, fireplace, soaking tub for two, everything and then some. Oh my, we have arrived. After ten day of walking, this is what we were waiting for. I changed and went to the pool. No, it’s not heated but I had to attempt the challenge of another cold plunge.

We ran into the couple from England/Australia who we met on day one-Victoria and John. She’s the one who does not carry anything on her back. And her husband carry’s little. They have their luggage transferred daily. When they booked this trek, they had a company book all their accommodations and transfer their luggage. There are definitely pros and cons about it, but mostly, it’s been a grand way of traveling for them. They bee-bop down the trail with a spring in their step, and always tend to get to town much faster than George and I. Except when they make a wrong turn or fall into the river! She’s had a few days that have left her crying on the trail. This is not her typical way of traveling. The rain has been a real deal breaker for Victoria but better days are ahead. And they too, are walking to Rome.

We had the most marvelous conversation while waiting for our 7:30pm dinner. The Brits yakked all about places to see and things to do in their homeland. I think we have a trip planned next year, indeed. Dinner was a set menu with all the local ingredients farmed directly from this property. Was it the most exquisite meal of the trip? You can say it was one of the meat meals of my lifetime! It started with a non-typical assortment of cheeses, prosciutto, cured meats, tempura and crusted breads with olives and tapenades. Next was the wheat durum they use to create pasta unlike anything we have in the states. They use a light Pechora Cheese sauce with shaved hazelnuts that melted in your mouth. George was in heaven and the Maitre D’ brought him seconds. Now this is pasta! Our main course was stewed boar meat with a red wine sauce and wilted spinach. Finished with some blueberry flan that was custard-like and a cafe. Thank goodness, we only needed to walk to our room. Good golly, Miss Molly, that was one of the best days ever! I flopped in bed and slept like a well-fed baby!

I’m gonna say we have arrived to the halfway mark! Bravo Baraga’s. Someway, somehow with God’s grace, we made it to our humble abode before the big rain came. I’m thinking as long as we are tucked inside before 3-3:30pm, we are sheltered from the afternoon showers.

Glorious start to the day. George made me an espresso. I diluted it and created an Americano. More hot liquid to drink which warms me up in the morning. We bypassed breakfast, as I was hoping to get some miles in. The final waves of storms, like that’s a true statement, are predicted to come between 10am-2pm, Our most prime walking time.

We walked through the sleepy town of Torrenieri and saw two pilgrims, a couple of older Italian men yakking in the street and one Italian woman on her morning stroll. That was it. Nothing compared to the hustle and bustle of the bigger towns we’ve left behind.

Guess what? We had a morning climb. It was up and over a rather large hill, only to come straight down the back side and back up again. This is an ongoing theme in the Tuscan Region. We saw a few locals out for their morning workouts. I know this because there was nowhere to go. No stores, no Cafes, no Bars, just hills to climb!

Just before 10am, we had our first rain. I found a covering that was the entrance to a Cemetery. These sacred burial sites are tributes to the host of ancestors that have passed on. They are well manicured with rich marble and ornate tombstones. Some dating back centuries. We didn’t go in. I just used the entrance to deploy my umbrella and put on my rain jacket. George followed suit but he also has a pack cover. A little more insurance for his very few priceless items.

We headed up the hill and arrived at our first proper town, San Quirico d’ Orcia. It had a proper bar with cappuccinos, pastries and fruit. We took one of each and waited for the weather to pass.

Once we ventured back, the plan of the day was to stay on the roads because after stepping off the asphalt, we had five feet of caked goop on our trail runners. It was not pretty. So road walking it was. The biggest issue is there are cars, trucks and big buses that we have to share the road with. I don’t like this type of hiking. It’s number one scary, there’s no peace and tranquility and it just takes one knucklehead to end your day. But with that being said, most of the drivers are quite courteous, give us a little extra room and seem to NOT use devices while driving. Wow, what a concept!

We shared the road with many drivers, did not see a single pilgrim walking the highway and arrived with a few more gray hairs. Well, maybe not, as grey hair is all i have, and George has no hair. I’m not sure if that really paints an accurate picture, but you know what I mean.

I wanted to stop at Bagno Vignoni, as it was a Christian layover for many followers. It was such a lovely town, with a hot springs pool that no longer is available, but needless to say, it’s still the centerpiece of town.

What I was unaware of was the small, but endearing Saint John the Baptist Church. It is an extremely old church, that has a single nave plan with a simple facade. Inside is an 18th century Sienese painting representing Saint Catherine from Siena. Each 24th of June there are celebrations in honour of Saint John. This place became famous thanks to Santa Caterina Benincasa who lived here between 1362 and 1367.

We strolled through town, and decided to eat and wait out, yet another storm. After finishing lunch, George was ready to hit the road for the final push. I was done road walking and muddy trails were not going to deter me. So he went his way and I went mine.

There was less than two miles to go, well maybe 3, and 500’ elevation. The road was a zip zag of hairpin turns and seemed to climb fairly quickly. The VF Trail was a bit more of a roundabout way. I nodded George farewell and headed off the road. Yep, my shoes got some mud on them, and yes it was a bit longer, but I was happy as a pig in slop! Literally. And guess what? I saw pilgrims! We all embraced the muck and enjoyed the endless views away from speeding cars and click clack of poles on asphalt.

With the different routes, George found the receptionist and was heading towards me as I made it to the final stop. Yeah, we both made it alive and had our perfectly different experiences. I do believe this will be part of my strategy going forward.

We arrived in the medieval town of Castiglione d’ Orcia. It was a fortress built a long, long time ago to defend the Roman Empire. It is perched on a hilltop and has commanding views for hundreds of miles. It is a spectacular sight to see. We have a room that most likely served the soldiers who lived here. Now all we need is a sword and armor to keep the invaders away. I believe our mighty Lord has us covered.

All is good in our world. We were up and out before 7:30am which is amazing for us. Granite we had no breakfast waiting for us. We just packed up, went down our seven flights of stairs, and headed out to the streets of Siena. All we needed to do is find the South Gate to Roma and we’d be on our way.

I am so impressed with the street cleaners in Europe. Whether you are in Portugal, Spain or Italy, they are up at the crack of dawn picking up trash, spraying down the streets and making everything look pristine every single day! No back up alarms like my trash trucks at home. Just nice quiet fairy’s taking care of business before the rest of world wakes up.

I saw something interesting this morning- Dog walkers. All the owners had their four-legged friends out doing their business. They are super conscientious about picking up poop, but what I’ve never seen before was after the dog went wee, they had a squirt bottle of water that they would dilute the urine with. Not just one dog owner, but every single one! I never gave it thought but I could only imagine what the city would smell like if they didn’t do that. I applaud all the dog owners of Italy. Bravo!

We found a Bar, aka Cafe and had our morning fix, Cappuccino with Cornetto’ also known as a croissant. We sat like civilized Pilgrims and watched each person come in. Not a single tourist among the patrons but us. Well then, I believe I was in the right place.

The day was fairly easy. Today we left the winery region of Tuscany and entered the farmlands of wheat, rye and alfalfa. This is such a great time of the year to visit being everything, and I mean all of it, is so green! We headed up and over many of the private farms and before long we were in larger than life farmlands. Waves of grain being blown in the wind, almost like a symphony of wheat stalks. It was quite beautiful to see. Much like the waves crashing on the beach, the waves of grain flutter in the wind, back and forth in a chaotic but rather organized manner.

The guidebook told us we wouldn’t have any services or towns nearby and they were right. We saw a handful of Pilgrims but no one we recognized. Many have already left as they only intended to walk to Siena and others we’ve lost with our slower pace. As we always say on the trail, HYOH “Hike Your Own Hike” and we are certainly doing that now.

After debating how I planned to accommodate my hubby, the stages are now much more doable. We saw many more bikers, pack bikers, roadies and just guys out for a morning ride. Italians are quite fit. Age doesn’t seem to deter them and the EBike craze is starting to show up here too. But what I don’t see are kids riding bikes or scooters or anything of the sorts. They walk or some of the young adults ride Vespas. But most walk. It’s quite refreshing, not having to jump out of the way of some lunatic blowing past you at 40mph on some two-wheeler. Now I sound like an old lady yelling at the kids to get off my lawn! Sorry.

We did some minimal hill climbing today, small ups and downs, and we did manage to make it to a cell tower. Once on top of the last hill, we could see our town below. It was early still and I kept my promise to get us into town at a much more reasonable time.

We walked through the residential area. No one was out. Must be working or at school. I finally navigated us to a SuperMercado, their version of a Walmart. Picked up some provisions for the next day or so and by 2pm, we had arrived!

Now that’s more like it. We offloaded our worldly possessions and in the shower I went. Washed my hair, and within a few minutes, George was fast asleep. First nap he’s taken since we got here. I have certainly done my job. He slept and I planned out the next couple of days. Life is good and I’m redeemed.

So just in case you were wondering, what’s for dinner tonight? I can tell you it’s not going to be pizza or pasta! As we went down to the Bar, the Maitre D’ was placing the 30 kilos of Long-Horned Cattle who gave up his life for us, in the display case. Sorry, to my one vegetarian friend who may read my blog. Beef is what’s for dinner tonight!

I had to add to the posting today because this is too good to pass up. We have had some great dinners on this trip. But hands down, our dinner tonight goes into the history books! Best Beef Ever!

Started with some cheesy soufflé that George nor I knew we had ordered, but the cute waitress assured us that we had. And so we ate it. Then we drank 1/2 bottle of Sangiovese while we waited for the side of beef to be cooked, to perfection I must add. When they wheeled it out, I about fell off my chair. That is the biggest piece of meat I have ever laid by eyes on. It was already d-boned it, sliced and was presented on a platter fit for a King.

George, King RoadWalker Walksalot made sure to get a piece from the good side! We learned this from our friend Curt when us girls took the small side of the T-bone steak, leaving the big portion for the men. Oops, I guess there are better sides of beef. Curt, both sides melted in our mouth! To finish it off, we had a shot of Amaro Del Vecchio Tuscano, a local liqueur that was made for a night like tonight.

So now I must ask, how does one go to sleep and attempt to walk tomorrow? Great question. We will write about that another day. Buona Notte…

After yesterday’s fiasco, we are regrouping. This is suppose to be a vacation and I’m looking at it as a training camp for my upcoming CDT hike. George does not want to hike the CDT, and he most certainly doesn’t have any plans of prepping for it. Truth be told, he didn’t prepare for this Camino so let’s get real! I just need to cool my jets and give him some grace. Today we took our first bus!

Google Maps is quite the inclusive app. Whether you want to walk, drive, take a train or a bus, it has an option for you. I plugged in bus to Siena and it had the time table, when and where it would pick you up and what’s the closest drop off to our next hotel. About thirty minutes later, we were at our destination. That would’ve taken all day, so now we have a Plan B.

Getting to our lodging was fairly painless until we entered the building. There was nothing mentioned on Hotels.com about climbing up the bell tower to get to our room. Five flights and 70 steps later, I arrived. As I checked in, the owner operator asked if I was solo? George was nowhere to be found. But in the stairwell, he was slowly but surely making his way. He’s my Sherpa, slemping his big ol’ backpack and not having a heart attack before getting to our room. Wow, there were a lot of stairs!

Siena is another cultural phenomenon of arts, deli’s, churches, and has the annual horse races in the Piazza del Campo. It has something for everyone. And that includes one of the best people watching in Italy. Everyone comes to the Piazza, rain or shine.

George and I were here some twenty years ago, and reminisced of our trip. Back in the day, Rick Steves was the guy to follow. A friend of mine Janice turned me on to his videos and books. I scoured through them and studied them like the Bible. One of his many recommendations was to come to the Piazza and go to the painted blue door in the NW corner of the plaza. Sure enough I did just that, and asked for a room. It overlooked the square, and was the best $50 we spent in Italy! The blue door is no longer there. They must’ve painted over it but the room is still overlooking the best view in Siena. Good times!

We spent the day walking and running between a few rain drops that fell from heaven above. When it started raining, we would find a church and sneak in. Churches here are like Starbucks at home. Every corner has one.

We made our way to the Duoma Di Siena, the biggest church in this region. It is massive and reminded me much of Santiago de Compostela. Since we were in town so early, we had the opportunity to be tourists. We bought our passes and were awe struck by the sheer beauty of this sacred place. The columns emerald green and white, and made of marble. The ceiling was hand painted with gold stars separately placed to showcase the stars above. As the Tour Guide revealed, it is, as if, you can reach the heavens and see God’s glory! It truly is spectacular. You absolutely understand how important Christianity was and still is, to this day. There is nothing so close to the grandiose truth, this Duomo has impacted the Siena region for centuries!

After our leisure day of milling around Siena, I began contemplating our next day or two. The next 3-4 stages are horrendous. So I’m installing a new and improved program. Cut off about 6-8km a day, find a town before the last exhausting climb and enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of Italy. Hopefully this way I can keep my hubby from revolting and securing my hiking partnership for the next of this month. It’s a win-win for both of us. There’s still some climbing with 13-15 miles a day, but we won’t be killing ourselves and we will still make it to Rome with plenty of time to eat, drink and be merry.

The verdict is still out but I’ll be sure to update with the new and improved strategy. The fact is that this is a vacation of sorts. It’s suppose to be fun and giving us time away from house projects and everyday activities that seem to blur together. These are memories in the making, and not horror stories about “I made it out alive.” Well, the jury is still out but praying this is a better case scenario. Stay tuned for the never-ending saga of the Baraga’s on Holiday. Until you hear from me again, Arrivederci.