“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Dr. Wayne Dyer
Vetralla to Sutri
Guidebook mileage: 23.5 km (14.6 miles) minus the 5-6 km I walked yesterday.
Garmin watch mileage: 23.17 km (14.4 miles). I meander around the towns…that’s all I can say for the discrepancies.
I woke up again this morning at about 4:55 am before my 5 am alarm. I had a really deep sleep and I’m feeling good and strong.
Unfortunately, my clothes didn’t completely dry overnight. *sigh* Putting on a cool and damp sports bra first thing in the morning is definitely an eye-opener. Hello.
I made myself some coffee from the breakfast pack my B&B host had prepared, ate some toast, read the headlines, and walked out the door by 6:30 am.
The first section of the walk was through a beautiful forest. The temperature was cool and it was completely shaded…or course because when you need shade you never have it and when you don’t, you do!
One of my favorite sections of today’s walk (because there were two) might have been walking through acres and acres of hazelnut trees! Thank you to the guidebook for mentioning what these were, otherwise, I would have had zero clue.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE the taste of hazelnut…in my coffee, ice cream, etc. Also, for those who have hiked with me, they know that I’m a tree hugger…literally. I love to touch nature as much as possible and trees are such a grounding medicine for me. I was in heaven. I probably spent too much time hanging out with my new tree friends because eventually the farmer’s dog discovered me and began barking.
After the heavenly hazelnut grove, the trail hit the pavement on a narrow two-lane road with no shoulder. It’s slightly dangerous to walk, so thankfully it’s just a few hundred meters until the gravel path begins again.
Just as I was turning onto the gravel path, some dude on a bike started yelling (and I mean yelling – loud, not mean) at me. I stopped and he caught up to me. Meet Stefano. Fire on wheels.
Stefano only spoke Italian and spoke it very quickly. I kept saying, “Piano, piano.” Which means, “slowly, slowly.” I could barely keep up with his “word vomit” but this is what I was able to comprehend from our chat.
Stefano is from Rome and he is on a one week bike ride through the area. He was very concerned that I was not going to the lake. He shouted (while standing next to me as if I was hard of hearing – nope, I’m just not fluent in Italian) “BELLISSIMA!!! BELLA, BELLA! DEVI ANDARE!!! Or something like that.
I was not as enthusiastic as he was about this adventure. I previously saw the lake on the map but honestly, it was too far off the trail. I’m sure it’s lovely. I love water, but I don’t love it enough to walk several extra miles out of my way today to check it out. Sorry, Stefano.
I explained that I went swimming in Lago di Bolsena a few days ago but Stefano was still disappointed in my decision. Welcome to the club, Stefano, you are about the 532 person to join. He told me (more or less through a game of Charades) that I appeared healthy and had nice, strong legs so I should go. I guess that is a compliment from a cyclist? He said, I must come back to visit and walk around the lake another time.
Okay, Stefano, I’ll add it to my list. ✅ Lago di Vico. Ciao! 🚴
A little further down the gravel road, I came upon a woman taking out her garbage. I had to do a double take. This woman was stunning. She actually took my breath away for a second. She was a gorgeous Italian woman…you know the type…like a Sophia Loren. When we made eye contact, I actually blurted out, “You are Bellissima!” She laughed and said in perfect English, “so are you.” We laughed and smiled together.
Her name is Michaela (apologies if the spelling is incorrect). She is from Rome, teaches English as a second language, and owns the agriturismo farm/estate I was walking past. We discussed the Via Francigena and the lack of pilgrims, infrastructure, and popularity compared to the Caminos in Spain. She was very curious about my experience so far and asked for the information to follow my blog. For some reason, I have a feeling she could be a change maker for the VF…she had that aura about her. Like she knows people, or knows people who know people. I regret not asking to get a photo with her. She had a light about her that was magical. ✨
Someone has put in benches along this stretch of the VF. Thank you, whoever you are!
There was one town between Vetralla and Sutri called Capranica. I stopped in a Carrefour (supermarket) to grab some trail mix, a piece of fruit, and my new favorite gum, Brooklyn. I LOVE exploring markets in other countries. I could spend hours looking at all the different products…probably because I love to eat.
It was only 10:30 am when I arrived so I stopped at a bakery for a macchiato. While I was there, this handsome devil walked in and I was smitten. 🐾❤️ We exchanged glances and flirted for a little bit.
Capranica is a charming little town. The people are friendly, it’s clean, there are flowers (and laundry) everywhere, and it is old. I’d like to go back for a visit and learn more about the history. That’s the tough thing about the Camino, we just blow through a town without ever really getting to know it.
After walking out of the cute town of Capranica, there was a huge and painful hill but thankfully that was the only one of the day. But this sucker was straight up. Whew.
After a little meandering and winding along the path, I enter the second forest of the day. O. M. G. Walking through this forest was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done in the world. Not kidding. I know everyone raves about the hills of Tuscany, and it is beautiful there, but this forest between Capranica and Sutri is a show-stopper. The region of Lazio doesn’t get much love nationally or internationally but if you are ever in Italy and want to take a day hike, this is the spot I’d recommend. It’s like walking through a Lord of the Rings movie. I even saw indigo blue dragonflies! A first for me. There were butterflies, dragonflies, and moths flying all around me. One of the green dragonflies landed on my phone while I was taking a picture. The smell of the soil, water, floral, and fauna were euphoric. Now I know what Jimi Hendrix was singing about when he sang the line, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky.” My drug of choice was nature. My serotonin level must have been through the roof! It was incredible.
My photos don’t do it justice so Kari has added some of the gorgeous video footage to today’s recap video at the end of the post.
I had one little wee mishap at the end my walk in the woods. To get out of the forest, there is a “bridge” to cross the stream and then the path leads up to a dirt road. You know what, let’s not even call it a bridge, let’s call it some logs, a rock, and a short 2×6, okay. When I saw it, I knew immediately I should not try to video while crossing this thing. That was my first good choice in the situation. My second good decision was using my trekking poles for stability. Good thinking, Blondie.
My not-so-good judgment was not taking one extra second to evaluate that damn 2×6. I started out fine on the two limbs, stepped on the rock (yay). I was half way across when I stepped on the 2×6 not realizing that it wasn’t fully on the stone. So to put it bluntly and in hiker lingo, I ate sh!t and landed in the water. Thankfully, my hiking sticks kept me upright and only my shoes, socks and feet were soaked. It’s actually deeper than it looks. The water was above my ankles. See photo below, taken just before I crossed.
I was soooooo close to the end of the day but for the remaining 1.2 miles (2 km), I heard the perpetual sound of, “squish, squish, squish,” as I walked. 💦
I honestly couldn’t help but laugh. I had so much fun in that forest that I didn’t care about some wet shoes. They will dry.
Not too far down the road, I ran into some road construction guys on a lunch break. It was just a little after 2 pm and it appeared they were grading the dirt to make a new road. When I walked up, they all looked surprised, like they’d just seen a ghost. So I could only imagine what I looked like covered in mud on my legs and my squeaky new wheels.
They just stared at me, so I said, “Ciao! Buon Appetito!” They started laughing hysterically…and then speaking very fast in Italian. One guy asked if I was a pilgrim on the VF. I said, “Si, andiamo!” (Yes, let’s go!) and waved my arm for him to come with me. They all started cracking up. I wanted to take their photo because it was a classic hard-working man’s scene but I didn’t want to be rude while they were eating.
It reminded me of working at my parent’s lumber yard. I’d go out to a job site to find the guys hot and exhausted from working but thoroughly enjoying a meal out of their lunchbox in the shade. Good memories.
Once I made it to Sutri with my sloshy shoes, I found a bench in the shade and immediately took them off my feet. I’m sure the locals thought I was pazza (crazy) because I put my shoes in the sun and started wringing the water out of my socks and shoe insoles. What has become of me? I have lost all sense of decency. No wonder I’m single. Ha!
I had planned on staying at the Monastery but darn it, if that place isn’t hard to find. Their address on Goggle Maps is under a bridge. I looked and it is definitely not under the bridge.
I tried asking several locals for the location but no one would speak with me. I really must have looked nuts. Even the police (THE POLICE!!!) wouldn’t help me. So I looked on booking.com for a place and found a cheap hotel…and wouldn’t you know it, I had to walk right past the Monastery. I rang the bell and a woman answered over the intercom and said, “no” without even letting me finish the sentence. Well, God Bless you too, lady.
What is with this place? It’s definitely the least friendly town I’ve encountered on the VF. Maybe the planets are out of alignment or aliens have landed here. Hard to tell.
I continued on to the hotel and thankfully they had a room…and cheaper than on the website. I mean it looks like a room at the Bates Motel in the movie Psycho but I’m a seasoned Pilgrim and can handle most anything…for one night.
You can’t see it in the photo but there are marks on the walls. (Shhhh, and lean in close because I have to whisper…someone was definitely murdered in here.)
I washed off the day in the scary shower that does look like it could be in the movie and I hand washed 3 pairs of socks, 2 shoe insoles, and one pair of underwear in the Bates Motel sink. I’ve put them on the window ledge in the sun with the hope that they will be dry by morning. I had to hang my underwear on the handle so it’s out there like Bob Dylan sang, “Blowin’ in the wind.” Ahhhh, life of a hiker. Glamorous.
I tried to pick up a newspaper to stuff in my shoes to absorb the water overnight but the place was closed. Apparently, only one shop in town sells them. But I found a really nice guy in another shop (who had a dog appropriately name Luna) that gave me half of a roll of paper towels – which was sweet of him. So, if that fails, there is a minimal-powered hair dryer in the Bates Motel bathroom that will hopefully save the day and the remainder of this pilgrimage. Wet feet are the worst. 👣
Dinner was another weird situation so I’m not even going to address it. Such a bizarre town.
Kari put together an absolutely gorgeous video from today’s walk. Make sure to check it out and watch until the end to see the butterfly and dragonfly in slow motion. Check it out here!
Tonight’s a full moon, ya lunatics. Make sure to go outside and look up! 🌝 Which might just explain this goofy place.
Goodnight and much love & gratitude from Italy! 🇮🇹
To see more photos and videos from my adventures, follow me on social media. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Here are some resources if anyone is interested in hiking the Via Francigena.
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https://www.viefrancigene.org
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http://www.viafrancigena.com
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https://www.gronze.com
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www.booking.com
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App: Via Francigena
If anyone is winning at being in the right place at the wrong time, it’s me. I am the grand champion. Yesterday, no open markets or restaurants for dinner and today the bar is closed.
The trail was muddy, muddy! Don’t judge my men’s trail runners, please. It was the only shoe that fit me from the Decathlon in Sevilla.
My friends Simon and Kate from Australia have joined in on the Traffic Mirror Selfie fun while on their European vacation. Thanks, guys! ❤️
When I started painting as a hobby, I began to see the world differently. Trees aren’t just the color green and the sky isn’t just blue. There are like 50 different shades of greens and blues. If you look closely at your surroundings, you’ll see all the shades and variations that make up this beautiful world. At the very moment I took this photo, I stopped to look at the way the light was hitting the trees. It made such a beautiful blend of highlights and shadow. The picture doesn’t do it justice but it was really mesmerizing.
