Day 11, Via Francigena: Sutri to Campagnano

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Unknown

Guidebook mileage: 24.5 km (15.22 miles)

Garmin watch mileage: 29.77 km (18.5 miles) more meandering.

Happy Independence Day to the Americans! I love the festivities for the 4th of July and kind of wish I was there to celebrate. Beautiful fireworks, patriotic music, bright colors, and swimming in a pool if you’re lucky. It’s a good time all around. Just please, nobody’s blow your fingers off playing with fireworks. You are not faster than the “black cat.” Just ask the boys who grew up in my neighborhood.

Sutri to Campagnano di Roma

Big news: I met another pilgrim today! Sean or Shawn, I didn’t ask the spelling, from Brisbane, Australia but he lives in Geneva. He has been walking for 42 days from Lucerne, Switzerland. He kept complaining that he was old. Finally, I asked him his age and he said, “45.” I replied, “you may be old but I’m 44 and just getting started so keep it to yourself.” He laughed and said, “well that puts things into perspective.” My therapist always told me to be careful what I said about myself, because there are parts of the body listening and responding.

Onward…

I woke up at 4:15 am, 45 minutes before my alarm. This time I just laid around (at the Bates Motel) because I don’t like to hike before daylight by myself.

Thankfully, my shoes dried overnight and I was back on track. These particular shoes keep in the heat though. I think they might be gore-tex. They been fairly good for this hike but I’m looking forward to donating them in a couple of days when I reach Rome and can buy some new ones. They are still in decent shape, but they did the job I needed them to do and our time is complete.

The first part of the walk was not very much fun. It was a lot of road walking and the road had no shoulder. I had a couple of close calls with almost getting run over because the sun was in the driver’s eyes…but I lived to tell the story. The association for the VF really needs to take a look at this issue. This is not the only spot on the trail that is like this and it’s pretty dangerous.

I came across a golf course that has a tournament starting in two days. I watched a player take a few swings. It looked like a beautiful course. If I had my clubs, I would have done my best to negotiate a deal to play a round. ⛳️

There was only one town along the route between Sutri and Campagnano di Roma. It was called Monterosi. It was a cute little place with friendly people. A group of locals, one woman and three men who were childhood friends stopped me to chat. I’m not kidding, so many people stop me throughout the day to talk, it’s nuts. I end up chatting with people for 30 minutes or an hour and then I’m hiking at the worst part of the day in the heat…but I do enjoy the connections and conversations. They recommended a local coffee shop. They said they had the best pastries in town…and they weren’t lying. I had a macchiato and a homemade pastry that the woman behind the counter recommended. It had nuts and honey in it. Delicious!

Compared to yesterday walk, most of the hike was boring. Except for the Cascate di Monte Gelato. No, it wasn’t a mountain of ice cream. It was a pleasant area full of waterfalls! Of course, I had to take my shoes off and walk around in the water. It was so cool and refreshing. It was the perfect break to rest my feet and rejuvenate my energy for the remaining hour and a half walk to my hostel.

I walked by a lot of farm fields today. The farmers are still moving the hay around on their tractors and trailers.

I’m staying at the most adorable hostel in Campagnano di Roma. It’s called Casa nel Borgo B&B. It’s tucked away at the edge of town and it’s like you are in another world. It’s very relaxing. They even have chickens!

I really need to wash my clothes properly in a machine but they only have a hand wash basin (again) and there is no laundromat in town. I smell, and I don’t just mean a little.

Here is the daily grind of hand washing laundry, summed up in 10 seconds. Watch here.

Campagnano di Roma is a divine little town. I have absolutely fallen in love with it. The people are so friendly, it’s clean, and it feels like a very united community. It’s a breath of fresh air and a vast contrast from yesterday’s town of Sutri.

The sidewalks are full of people on benches chatting and laughing. Parents pushing babies in strollers. Guys getting their hair cut in the barber shops. There are two in this town of you can believe that. Little kids eating and wearing ice cream. Teenagers playing futbol (soccer)…teenagers!!! without phones and having face-to-face conversations! I’m in a time warp. This place is brilliant. It’s what I think of when I think of a cozy, little Italian village. It’s perfect.

The woman in purple on the bench in this first photo is 103 years old. I thought she was 80. Gotta love the Nonne. ❤️

They even leave bowls of food all over town for the dogs and cats. These people are heroes without capes. If you are a cat lover, this is your town. There are cats everywhere and they are super friendly! Meow. 😻 The dogs are sweet too.

This photo was taken just as I stopped petting little Ms. Sheena. She wanted more lovin’. Don’t worry, I gave it to her. 🐾

My dinner tonight was out of this world. The hostel owner recommended it and when I read the reviews online several people commented on how this particular restaurant uses fresh local ingredients. Well, friends, they were not lying. That is probably the best meal I’ve had on the Camino. Plus, they had a pilgrim menu (in Italian and English) for €20 and it was so much food!

Not intentionally, but I ended up ordering vegetarian. I had the Caprese salad, Insalata Mista, and pasta with cheese and pepper. Sincerely, I think that was the best Caprese salad I’ve ever eaten. Both the mozzarella and the tomatoes were so incredibly flavorful. I didn’t want it to end.

It’s a family-owned hotel with a restaurant…with that family feel. The mother’s paintings are even hanging on the walls. I don’t like to “recommend” places to eat or stay, or things to do because I think everyone should do what they like…but, if you ever find yourself in Campagnano di Roma, I highly recommend Ristorante Albergo Benigni. ❤️