Third training session without backpack this morning: Collestatte Piano-Ceselli 20 km (after Terni-Miranda-Terni 15km and Terni-Amelia 22km). Applause to the inventor of Valnerina. A state road (s.s. 209) covered thousands of times withour ever realizing that on the other side of the river there was a wonderful path, fairly well marked, almost all plain and well trodden. Not only: such path would also be part of an alleged Via di Roma/Via Francigena di S. Francesco. I suppose it is the route that Saint Francis covered in 1209 to join Pope Innocent III in Rome and bla bla bla. It shouldn’t have anything to do with The Original Francigena from Super Sigerico. Anyway, without doing it on purpose, I found myself covering also this piece of Francigena. Needless to say, on the wrong direction.
Random reflections:
* The clowds dispenser obviously forgot his turn on Valnerina, so that the sky was rarely clear.
* I tried an old pair of leather boots: they kept me dry from the morning frost of a field I accidentally crossed, but also left me with the first two nice blisters under the left foot. Anyway, dirt patch – when not rocky – is more comfortable than asphalt.
* It looks evident that I still didn’t get this all transpiration and clothes layers stuff. Luckily, August forgot the heating on and around midday I was happily in my t-shirts and short pants regardless of any technical gear. Come on, Super Sigeric didn’t have any gore-tex or pile.
* Fishermen VS bikers: 1, at least for my hate for the second ones’ clothes.
* Hitchhiking is not trandy anymore, only odd people with easy accelerator pick you up: today this crazy-eyed guy asked me if I could provide him with a job at the local steel factories while dribbling cars like skittles.
great man, good read!
really happy to hear that you are on your way!
all the best