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Italy
  • Nathaniel Stott
  • Anne Archambault
  • Nathaniel Stott
  • Anne Archambault

Italy

A walking adventure through the heart of Italy on the Via di San Francesco and the Via Ellenica Read more
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  • Italy

    Poggy Bustone to Rieti

    October 25, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    An "easy" day from Poggio Butone to Rieti. Rain overnight but clear this morning, though we could hear thunder in the distance around 11am.

    Cantalice was a beautiful distraction, we had coffee before a steep uphill then a ridge walk over the valley before a drop and climb to Santuario Francescano di Santa Maria della Foresta. Then finally into Rieti.Read more

  • Italy

    Rest day in Rieti

    October 26, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We planned a rest day in Rieti, so we took the day to wander around town. I think we both expected more, but it's hard to be fair because we've been to a lot of charming tiny towns and getting into larger cities is a bit jarring, especially when we think it's going to have more charm.

    Rieti is home to the "navel of Italy", what's said to be the center of Italy since it's mid point between east, west, north, and south. The central square and cathedral are interesting, and the river walk is pleasant.

    Unfortunately, our accommodation was right above the bar all the college age kids hang out at, so earplugs were required to sleep 🥱

    All that said, we enjoyed the down time and fully took to relaxing on our day off, even opting to cook in rather than eat out. Tomorrow on to Poggio San Lorenzo!    Read more

  • Italy

    Poggio San Lorenzo to Ponticelli

    October 28, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Beautiful sunny day today. The trail was not great in places, repeating the wet grass and wet toes of yesterday, lots of spider webs in the face, overgrown, and loose rock. But a stop to dry socks and toes out helped get things back on track.

    Walked past ancient Roman walls and an amphitheater. Stopped in Poggio Moiano for coffee, croissants, then lunch.

    Final leg of the day was down, then a very steep up, followed by beautiful forests and olive groves. Pretty fine day.    Read more

  • Italy

    Ponticelli to Montelibretti

    October 29, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Walking day 20, 51km left to Rome!

    A short day today, just a little over 8 miles, but beautiful. Blue skies, rolling hills, small towns perched on hilltops. We're also just starting to see the suburbs of Rome.

    As we did our planning a little over a week ago, we realized we'd gained a day on our walk, so the night in Montelibretti was a way to spend another night in a beautiful small town.    Read more

  • Italy

    Montelibretti to Monterotondo

    October 30, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The miles today felt good and went faster than I expected they would. The legs are certainly feeling good. The feet still get weary after about 10 miles.

    The walk today was through low rolling hills. After being up in the mountains, 2000ft or so above sea level, today we’re only about 300ft above sea level and it’s clear we’re heading into the flat lands of a coastal plain. That said, it’s surprising how many steep hills and large mountains are around us, it’s not what I think I expected around Rome.

    Finally, today we saw our first sign indicating we’re coming into Rome!    Read more

  • Italy
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    Into Rome!

    October 31, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we arrived in Rome. The itinerary originally had us hiking from Monterotondo to Monte Sacro, but that would have been a short day, it’s a suburb of Rome, and honestly accommodation wasn’t especially cheap. So we decided to just walk all the way to the hotel we’re staying at, arriving a day earlier but saving us the need to move around.

    The hike took us through some open fields and then into the Riserva Naturale della Marcigliana, where we got our first glimpse (wayyyyyy in the distance) of St. Peter’s basilica.

    The rest of the walking was city walking along busy roads. We entered Rome through Porto Pia, then walked along Via Nomentana into the heart of town.

    Final stop of the day was the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to get our final pilgrim stamp before St. Peter’s.    Read more

  • Italy

    Rome - To the Vatican and sightseeing

    November 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Final day of the Via Di Francesco and our first full day in Rome. There were three things planned for the day, but this is Rome so we did more 😉

    First stop, coffee. Anne found a cafe called Barnum on the way to the Vatican that had amazing coffee and eats. Some of the best coffee of the trip. Along the way, we ran into a marathon being run.

    Next stop, St. Peter’s Basilica, the final stamp in our pilgrim credential and issuance of the pilgrim testimonium. The Basilica was the culmination of 23 days of walking through Tuscany, Umbria, and into Lazio: 443 km / 275 miles, 12,035 m / 39,484 ft of gain, The walk in and around the basilica was a stunning finish (especially with the marathon), the heart of Christianity spares nothing in grandeur.

    The final planned stop of the day was the Pantheon, an incredible testimony to the engineering and artistic prowess of the Romans.

    Heading back to the hotel required passing by the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, also known as the wedding cake, which then led us to Capitoline Hill, and down the Via dei Fori Imperiali overlooking Roman ruins.

    Coming into Rome, it felt like this was a large impersonal city, and it is, but the ancient Roman artifacts around this city are awesome and I can’t wait to see more.    Read more

  • Italy

    The Pantheon

    November 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We visited the Pantheon on our first full day in Rome. The experience was, let’s just say chaotic. The plaza was packed with tourists, it was hard to move, the ticket situation was complicated…

    But once you get in, the ambiance of the building is incredible. The only natural light comes from the oculus in the ceiling. Which is more than enough on a sunny day to fill the space with a cool glow.

    We returned, by chance, Monday on our way to the Vatican Museum by way of a coffee shop (we’re from Seattle, we need our lattes). At 7:30am the Parthenon is closed, the plaza is empty, and the light is awesome. So we enjoyed the exterior of the Pantheon a second time!    Read more

  • Italy

    Around Rome

    November 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    A day walking around Rome.

    Started the day with “breakfast” of cream maritozzos at Regoli Pasticceria, a great way to mainline sugar into your bloodstream.

    Then Porto San Giovanni and San Giovanni Basilica. We also saw the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs (see Wikipedia), which we stumbled on by accident.

    Anchovies, supplì, and pizza for lunch, then Spanish steps, Piazza Popolo, and Trevi fountain, which was dry and under renovation.    Read more

  • Italy

    Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

    November 4, 2024 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    The Vatican Museum is intense. There’s a lot here and we didn’t even try to see it all. The museum is housed in the older living spaces of the popes, so this is also a tour through their palace. And it is grand, it rivals Versailles is scale and opulence. Every wall and ceiling has something, a statue, painting, bust, tapestry.

    The tour goes through several rooms painted by Raphael and is of course topped off by the Sistine Chapel.

    We listened to a Rick Steves audio tour, which was an hour long and does a great job narrating the highlights.    Read more

  • Italy

    The Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill

    November 5, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    A pretty full day touring the colosseum, forum, and Palatine Hill.

    We got tickets for the attic tour, which turned out to be an incredible way to experience the amphitheater. Normal tours access the first and second levels but the attic tour goes up to the third and fourth levels by private elevator. Bonus, there were only about 6 other people on the entire level!

    The attic, I think, also provides a better feel for how it must have really been to access the seats in the colosseum because it had fully enclosed passages and rebuild steps that mirror the original design.

    After lunch, we toured the archaeological park that contains the Roman Forum and a bunch of other buildings. It also includes Palatine Hill, which had the remnants of Caligula’s home and a great view over the forum. The site is vast and awe inspiring.

    The remains of the temple of Venus have a short video showing a reconstruction of the building overlayed on the current site and the scale is mind boggling.

    In Rome, I think today was the highlight of our Roman sightseeing.    Read more

  • Italy

    Bari

    November 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    A short stop in Bari as we wait for the bus to Alberobello. We left Rome this morning on the 10am high speed train to start the next part of our trip, a walk of the Via Ellenica.

    We hadn’t really intended to see Bari, but we had 3 hours so we walked the short distance into the old city for beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea and the Basillica Pontificia San Nicola.

    The city vibe has changed dramatically and feels very much more coastal Mediterranean than Rome or Tuscany and Umbria, and we’re excited to experience this side of Italy.    Read more

  • Italy

    Alberobello

    November 7, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    The town of Alberobello is a UNESCO site famous for the trullo buildings found here. These buildings were originally made without mortar, which is why they have such a unique design.

    Why no mortar? The count who ruled this part of Italy didn’t want to pay taxes to the Spanish viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples, so the buildings were built in such a way as to not be permanent. Hence, virtually all of these buildings are small, one story affairs, with only a small living space inside.Read more

  • Italy

    Alberobello to Martina Franca

    November 8, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Day 1 of the Via Ellenica had us walking from Alberobello to Martina Franca, a walk of a little over 12 miles on mostly flat terrain.

    The walking was good, but it was nice to have an easy day to get back into the groove. Most of the hiking was in relatively open terrain along paved and gravel roads, but we had some nice trail walking in oak forests as well.

    Darkness is coming early in southern Italy at this time of year, around 4:30pm, so no good pictures from town. At first we thought Martina Franca looked like it would be interesting, but the old city had narrow streets and loads of charm.    Read more

  • Italy

    Martina Franca to Crispiano

    November 9, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    A long day today (16.3 miles) from Martina Franca to Crispiano. We started the day in the fog of a morning marine layer, which gave way to Simpson like clouds layer in the day. The hiking was mostly interesting, open fields and a nature reserve with a beautiful path in a natural valley. But there was also some unglamorous road walking.

    The city of Crispiano is by far the least interesting town we've been in yet with none of the charm we've come to take for granted most nights.

    However, our accommodations we're probably the best on the whole trip, a full two room apartment with a very comfortable bed and well appointed breakfast. And for dinner we are at a traditional meat restaurant where they cook in a wood oven. We got the sampler plus an appetizer, which was more than filling and had bruschetta, roasted zucchini and peppers, meatballs, a meat and cheese platter, liver, lamb ribs, sausage, bombette, and a pork chop. All that plus a half liter of wine for €33. It was crazy.    Read more

  • Italy

    Crispiano to Massafra

    November 10, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today was a hard day for me, I've been nursing a minor cold since Rome with minor stuffiness but today I was just wiped out, so an 11 Mike day felt much harder than it should have. Thankfully my body was in good shape so I pushed through.

    Most off the walking today want especially pleasant. We walked on busy roads and in lots of places there was a lot of garbage on the trail. Some of the trail was overgrown. The was a magnificent section of walking in a narrow gorge, but that was the only real highlight.

    Tonight we're in Massafra, which, like Crispiano, is a functional but not beautiful town. The highlight off Massafra is the gorge running through town. In that gorge you can make it the remains of ancient settlements where people lived to provide safety.    Read more

  • Italy

    Massafra to Castellaneta

    November 12, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    A "short" day somehow turned into 12 miles, but it was a good 12 miles filled with, as Anne put it, "frescos, fossils, fruits, and focaccia."

    The highlight of the day was the numerous medieval caves we saw. Some were churches with frescos still visible. These caves fill the numerous ravines and gorges of this area in Italy.

    We've also been seeing fossilized scallop shells along the path and we got some up close views of them today.

    At lunch we had focaccia pizza after passing through fields of olives, oranges, and cauliflower.    Read more

  • Italy

    Castellaneta to Laterza

    November 13, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    A longer day today than yesterday (the GPS track says about 14 miles but I forgot to start my watch until over a mile out of town) brought us to Laterza.

    The star of the day was the Gravina di Laterza, a limestone gorge that we hiked along the rim of for the afternoon.

    We walked into town as it started too rain, continuing our relatively extraordinary luck with weather.    Read more

  • Italy

    Laterza to Ginosa

    November 14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    A relatively short day today. The forecast was iffy and we woke to light rain, but that quickly went away and we walked in cool overcast conditions.

    The trail today wasn't awesome. We walked literally through a freshly plowed field. The fresh dirt stuck to our shoes adding several inches and pounds to our feet. The end of the day was a trail through a ravine below Ginova, but it was mostly bushwhacking and culminated in me dislodging a large rock onto my foot (very large ouch).

    The canyons below the town are full of old cave dwellings that appear to be completely open to the public, so we explored some of them before ending the day at our BnB in town.    Read more

  • Italy

    Ginosa to Matera

    November 15, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Final day of the Via Ellenica. The day started cold and windy and stayed that way all day long. The forecast was for afternoon rain so we got an early start.

    Open skies with moody clouds and lovely open fields were the star of the day. Light rain came earlier than expected, around 12:30 after we ate a quick lunch, and was on and off the rest of the day. Winds were gusty, making everything feel harder.

    The final walk into Matera was great, the city opened before us along with the ravine. More than other cities on this walk, this city is built into the hillside and it's got medieval charm with narrow streets and lots of stairs.

    Totals for this eight day walk: 107.2 miles with 9750 feet of elevation gain.    Read more

  • Italy

    Morning Walk in Matera

    November 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    A quick tour of Matera this morning before checking out and picking up the rental car. The weather today is much nicer than yesterday, which makes the city feel more vibrant.

    The narrow alleys and countless cave dwellings give this place incredible charm, though as recently as 50 years ago many of the people living in these houses lived in deplorable conditions. It’s only been recently that the city has been revitalized and these cave dwellings turned into luxury hotels and restaurants.

    Last night we ate in one, an old cistern in fact. It’s weird to walk down so far into a cave to eat dinner!    Read more

  • Italy

    Amalfi!

    November 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After walking so many miles it’s weird to be driving. But yesterday we drove from Matera to Amalfi. The roads on the Amalfi coast are narrow and harrowing, so it was nice to get to the hotel, park, and spend the next day walking around exploring.Read more

  • Italy

    A hike to Ravello and back

    November 17, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We can’t really seem to stop hiking, even after walking about 500 miles in the last two months.

    So today we went for a loop hike around Amalfi, first up to the Torre dello Ziro, then through Pontone, up to Ravello for coffee and a walk through the gardens of Villa Cimbrone, back down to Atrani, and finally ending back in Amalfi.

    Lots of stairs were involved 🙂    Read more

  • Italy

    Mt. Vesuvius - Il Gran Cono

    November 19, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We booked tickets to climb Mt Vesuvius about a week ago. It was a little hard to tell how busy things might get and since there are only a limited number of tickets available each hour (they only allow blocks of 60 each hour), we bought tickets knowing the forecast wasn’t looking great.

    As we woke in the morning, the forecast was better, lighter winds and the rain was expected later than our 9:30 visit, so we grabbed to local bus and gave it a shot.

    The views over Naples from the bus were very nice (no pictures, sorry), but when we got to the parking at the top, it was socked in and never really got better.

    The excitement on the visit came on the bus ride down, where we saw a van very much on fire.    Read more

  • Italy

    The Roman City of Pompeii

    November 20, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    We spent a full day in Pompeii today. All the tour books say it’s a big place and they’re right. I feel like it took me at least an hour to fully get a sense of scale.

    It’s also very impressive. I don’t think I was fully prepared for the quality of what remains. There are frescos, reliefs on plaster that provide 3 dimensions to the art, and of course crazy mosaic tile floors. It was also incredible to get a glimpse into how the city worked. It’s easy to make see which buildings served food because they have counters to serve from and places to sit hot bowls. The laundry facility had large tubs to soak clothes. The bakeries had stones to milk flour and cook bread. And of course the brothel had small rooms with beds.

    The forecast for the day was very questionable, high chance of rain and high winds (the water in Naples bay was very rough), but like so much of this trip we managed to evade rain and enjoy the day.

    Pictures won’t do justice, but I’ll certainly try…    Read more