“Ripples. When you create a difference in someone’s life, you not only impact their life, you impact everyone influenced by them throughout their lifetime. No act is ever too small. One by one, this is how to make an ocean rise.” Unknown
Guidebook mileage: 22.8 km (14.16 miles)
Garmin watch mileage: 26.24 (16.31 miles) more wandering and meandering.
Campagnano di Roma to La Storta
I had planned to sleep until 6 am because I had a late night and today’s walk was not too long, but the Rooster next to my room had different plans for me at 4:55 am.
I didn’t leave until 7:13 am because I was dilly dallying and making a video about brewing coffee in Italy. It’s a little different from my days of being a Barista at Starbucks. Enjoy a cup with me, click here. I even put some jazzy music in the background. Oooo la la. Fancy. ☕️
I discovered it was extremely foggy when I walked outside. Thankfully, it didn’t have much impact on my hike but I was bummed I didn’t have any beautiful views to look at on the way out of town.
On my way out of town, a man stopped me and speaking only Italian asked me how many kilometers I was walking today. I replied, “Ventidue” (22) and he cheered, “Brava!” (Congratulations) and shook my hand. The people in this town are really very sweet and friendly. I’m sad to say goodbye.
Right out of the gate I had to climb a huge hill. I was barely awake. My delicious coffee hadn’t even kicked in yet. It was grueling but I discovered (one of) my dream home at the top. Complete with a pool, tennis court and spectacular views!
Experienced my first “wild” boar sighting! My friend Tony was worried about this for me. I don’t know why, they look so cute and cuddly. 😂 No touchy, only looky. I used quotations because it appeared they were inside a fence. So maybe it was a farm for wild boars which doesn’t roll off the tongue just right. But there were tons of them and they had precious little babies. They all just stared at me when they noticed me watching them. Side note: I’ve always wanted to go truffle hunting in Italy with the pigs. I heard they only use dogs now. Boo. Can somebody help me make this happen!?!
The walk itself was just so so. Lots of fields and some steep hills. Because I had such an amazing walk two days ago, it’s hard not to compare. The best part about today was all the animals and people I encountered…in that order. 😉 Kidding.
The next creature I came across was a very nice gentleman named, Fabio. He was out for his daily walk but he looked like he should be strolling the boardwalk in Atlantic City. This guy was funny. He stopped me to chat, of course. He spoke English really well. After the initial pleasantries…blah, blah. He told me he has a brother and a sister-in-law, and a few nieces and nephews who live in Boca Raton, Florida. His white Panama hat and lightly brown tinted sunglasses, screamed, “Take me to Florida, now!”
He excitedly told me he is going to America in December. He will visit family in Florida then they will travel to New York, Las Vegas, and hop on a four-day cruise in the Bahamas. Fabio is living the good life.
At one point he asked me (in English) how many kilometers I would be walking today. Not even thinking about it, I responded in Italian. It must have been on autopilot from my response to the handshake guy two hours prior. Either way, Fabio was impressed and then tested me on my vocabulary. I think I passed for a newbie.
I saw this sign not long after meeting Fabio. I wondered if he is the local Chimney Sweep? It made me laugh. I could picture Fabio in his younger years humming a tune and cleaning a chimney.
After ascending and descending a couple of more hills, I finally reached the one town between my starting point and final destination. It was called, Formello.
Quaint little place with more friendly locals. Most of these little town/villages are occupied by a more “seasoned” group of people. But I’m happy about that. They are usually more patient, kind, and curious. They speak first and want to know all about what I’m doing on the VF. They like to look at the maps and they ask tons of questions. Usually, the first one is, “are you solo?” They (the men) are mostly shocked to see a young woman out here on her own. But the women, they give me a look that says, “you go girl…do it for all the women before you who didn’t get the chance.”
In this particular town, I sat outside the cafe with my macchiato and there was a group of about six people 80+ in age sitting near me. All men and one woman. The men asked lots of logistical questions but the woman just kept saying, “Brava, and Bella.” She would wink and blow kisses like a fun grandmother. She grabbed my hand when she was about to leave and squeezed it tight. It felt like she was saying, “I’m proud of you.” It was a nice moment.
I just realized, I’ve mentioned someone touching my hands twice today. A while ago, my dad and I discussed how much we missed the traditional handshake when Covid happened. The handshake is such a kind way of connecting with another. Hopefully, it makes a comeback.
I need to back up just a bit to this morning. So, this morning I woke up to what I believe is a spider bite on my right wrist. Ugh. As I was hiking, it was itching more and more and swelling (my hands swell when I hike anyway so I’m sure that was part of it). I decided to stop in the pharmacy to see if they had any anti-itch cream.
The pharmacist was fantastic. She didn’t speak English (and why should she, we are in Italy) but all I was worried about was that she knew I was allergic to Penicillin. Which she understood loud and clear. I showed her the bite and said it was some sort of insect, possibly a spider. She agreed. She sold me some Cortisone cream and then GAVE ME – FOR FREE, eight antihistamine tablets, along with strict instructions. I could not use either until I got to my hotel for the night. Cortisone cannot have sun exposure and the anti-histamine could possibly make me tired. I should only take one a night…”no more” as she wagged her finger. Got it, Doc.
Well, by the time I finally reached my hotel for the evening, my hand was severely swollen, red, and had a fever. (eye roll) I walked the last hour and a half with it above my head and making a fist, opening and closing it, hoping it was reduce some of the inflammation…it didn’t work. AND, I had lost all feeling on the outside of my hand and wrist. I thought, “Great, here we go, I’m supposed to be walking into Rome tomorrow and the wheels are about to fall off the bus.”
I took the antihistamine in the lobby of the hotel and put the cream on as soon as I finished showering. I’m pleased to say, the swelling has reduced and the numbness is almost completely gone. Whew. She knew what she was doing when she gave me these meds!
Now, the other half to this story is that I have three mosquito bites on my face and a couple on my back as well. (No they are not bed bugs) I guess this is what happens when you stay in the “rustic” area of town with all the critters. The hostel was definitely clean but I must have been a delicious buffet. Jeez.
In the second half of the walk, I literally had to walk through someone’s pasture. I came across a bunch of cattle, including a BULL, having lunch in the middle of the trail. I stood there for a very long time, watching, debating what to do, etc. I decided to just breathe slowly and wait my turn. Surprisingly, within minutes, one by one, they all moved away and opened the path for me. It appeared, the bull let the “women and children” go first. What a gentleman. I was quite frightened of the bull, he was huge, but he seemed okay with me. Mutual respect.
After all the excitement with the cattle, the walk became pretty uneventful. The scenery was beautiful though. Oh! I passed by a waterfall and filled up my water bottle. I’ll let you know if I get diarrhea or dysentery, but it tasted good.
The place I’m staying tonight, both the town, La Storta, and the hotel are just, meh. So I’ll leave it at that.
Kari made another one of her fun recap videos of the hike. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without her but I can guarantee you, there would be no recap videos. So you guys are winning too!
Welp, tomorrow I’ll be walking to the final destination (for me) on this Cammino…The Vatican. Can’t believe it’s over but what a fun ride it has been.
Lastly, but probably most important. John Brierley died today. If you are a Camino lover, you probably used his guidebooks a time or two. I never got to meet him but his books literally showed me The Way on several of my pilgrimages. I am forever grateful that he dedicated his life to keeping this tradition of walking to Santiago de Compostela alive for all the pilgrims. I’m not sure how many times he walked the Caminos to keep the guidebooks updated (when he could have just made phone calls) but from what I hear, it was a lot.
The quote at the beginning of this post is dedicated to John. Without his love, passion and dedication to his work, I would have been lost..a lot.
Rest easy, Pilgrim. 🥾🙏❤️
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.
-
https://www.viefrancigene.org
-
http://www.viafrancigena.com
-
https://www.gronze.com
-
www.booking.com
-
App: Via Francigena
Peek-a-boo.
Look at these two knuckleheads going bonkers while I was just strolling by, minding my own business.
Some days you have to give yourself a high-five because you’ve survived another one. One more sleep until I reach the Vatican. 🥾🇮🇹 Let’s do it!
