Via di Francesco

Today, I moved from the Valnerina Valley to the Spoletan Valley. That meant crossing the Apennine mountains and, as the VdF shows me every day so far; it was wonderful walking, not easy, but a real joy to move through. The first 10 km continued along the Greenway del Nera and then the rest of the walk (29.28 km) was a big climb (from 300m to 950m) up the mountains, followed by a visit to a Franciscan Convent (The Sanctuary of Saint Francis) and then a descent into Spoleto. The big surprise came as I was about to enter Spoleto; the track was closed (literally, a big, high boarded fence I could not climb, and the temporary route totally bypasses the town! I had to reroute a way into town, and I still have to work out the path I'll be taking tomorrow! What a day - I'm exhausted, but sipping an Aperol spritz, which is putting a glow on everything. My Camino magic today was a place called Sensati - it was a rest area, almost at the top of the mountain, that has been made to delight - and it does. Finally, I got rained upon three times; the last time, I broke out the Great Pumpkin when I heard thunder, but I didn't really need it.Les mer