Day 10: Pieve Santo Stefano to La Verna

I woke this morning to the sound of thunder, lightning and rain. It cleared up around 7 am, so I set off having armed myself with two coffees. They Way today was by far the all over best it has been on the VdF. I walked 18.3 km, I ascented 1018 m (descended just 313 m) to an elevation of 1253 m - the highest on this pilgrimage (Mount Calvano). I would have expected to see deer, and maybe some other wild life, as the way was mostly forest, and I did not encounter a single sole until after I had walked ten kilometers and then, I only saw 13 south bound pilgrims. If course there were birds, plenty of bird song all around. It did get pretty warm, and the forecast thunder storm at 11 am did not eventuate, but the temperature did drop somewhat. I arrived at La Verna and was a little put off by the tourist swarm as I entered, but that was soon replaced with awe and I am so happy that I have made it. The gaffer tape on my boot worked well, so I'll keep using it until I finish. I am staying in the hostel in the Santuary for "foot" pilgrims. I was lucky enough to get the last bed and even luckier to be the first pilgrim to arrive, so, I had my pick of bunk and got a shower and washed my clothes without any fuss.Read more