Today was a walking day.
Jennifer and I needed to walk, because we haven’t really stretched out since leaving Australia. Also though we needed to check our GPX tracks, to see if it all worked okay.
This Via di Francesco – The Way of St. Francis – is not as well travelled as the Camino Frances, or the Portuguese Camino. Today we walked an entire stage, and didn’t see one other pilgrim on the trail.
Also, the route is not as well waymarked as the Camino – there are some signs, but they’re intermittent, and as well, they don’t have km markings, they have figures which I can only assume represent the walking time to the destination.
But not everyone walks the same pace!
Weird.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter because we have the route all marked out for us with GPX coordinates, which we can follow on our iPhones using a GPS app.
Our dear friend Arlene, who is shortly taking her first tour on the Camino Portuguese, put us onto a terrific app called MotionX GPS. And the GPX route files have been generously provided to us by Sandy Brown, whose comprehensive guide book on the Via di Francesco is soon to be published.
So today Jennifer and I set out to see if everything worked ok – the app, the coordinates, the route laid out as recorded by Sandy when he walked from Florence to Rome last year, gathering all his detailed information for his book.
And it all worked a treat. With this setup you follow a track that’s marked on a map on your iPhone, and if you leave that track it’s very quickly apparent. Fabulous!
We didn’t set out to walk the whole route – 13kms from Sansepulcro to Citerna – it just kind of happened that way. We wanted to do some hill training, and the only really sizeable hill was right at the end – the hill on which Citerna was perched.
We got to the top, walked through the old historic town, and then found a restaurant with a great view out of the surrounding plains.
At the end of the meal I asked the waitress if she could call a cab to take us back to Sansepulco, but… we were told there were no cabs. Not in the town, nor in any of the nearby towns. Nor were there any buses heading back to Sansepulcro.
That left us only one option – we walk back.
After a fulsome lunch, the walk back was considerably slower than the walk there. But as the light dropped everything became more beautiful.
By the time we arrived back at our hotel we’d walked nearly 28kms.
A long day.
But today, because of all the surrounding beauty, and because of the gentle sunshine and the cooling breeze, I was reminded why I love walking so much…
PGS - The Way 
Looks great Bill. Just hold that weather. See you on Sunday. Cheers, Pete
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Hey Peter – hurry over. Don’t know I can keep up the sunny weather much longer!!
Safe travels, and look forward to seeing you in Firenze, Sunday!
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That, my friends, is an impressive 1st training walk. May the rest be as manageable 🙂
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Haha – we didn’t set out to do it that way, and this morning we’re both a little tender in the feet department, because most of that mileage was on tar – but it was good to do. Hope you’re well Britta – Bill
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Hmm, interesting to read this. I am in a Rome now…staying with relatives, but begin the VF from Lucca to Rome shortly. Having walked 6 different Caminos in Spain over past 10 years, and hoping now to avoid the over crowding of Spanish Caminos, I am worried I will be TOO alone! Visited St Peters yesterday…..hundreds of tourists, bus loads, but no sign of a gentle Pilgrim! Buen Camino to you and your group! I will continue to read with interest…..
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Wonderful – and Lucca is such a beautiful town. This time of the year it seems there aren’t many pilgrims at all. But such a beautiful time to walk in Italy! Hope the weather is good for you – Bill
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Thanks Bill…. Happy walking and buon Camino!
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Glorious scenery Bill – what a wonderful tour it’s going to be with vistas such as these ahead for everyone.
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Hi Jenny, yes it should be a truly beautiful walk. Tough going in parts, I think, but you need to have a sense of achievement when you get to Assisi, I believe. Hope each day you’re feeling better…
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Bill
So beautiful and green. Terrific pics of the landscape, yummy food and of Jen! Yearning to be there but will see you in India.
Hugs
Dale and Lynda
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Dear Lynda & Dale – yes the countryside is so beautiful here. Wish you both were joining us, but India will be very special. Take care, Bill
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Hi Bill,
Thanks for the plug and the nice words 🙂
Arlène
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Haha – no worries mate. Thanks for all your help too! Bill
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