Day 9, Via Francigena: Viterbo to Vetralla

“Wherever you are, be all there.” Jim Elliot

Viterbo to “The Middle of Nowhere.” I’m staying at a B&B somewhere beyond Vetralla about 5-6km.

Guidebook mileage: not exactly sure because the original trail (13 miles) for hikers is closed due to a fallen tree so they routed us to the cycling path which was roughly 10-11 miles plus the extra 3-4 miles I added on to get to my accommodation for tonight (more on that later). So Lord only knows what the calculation should be…but I’m guessing 22-24 km (14-15 miles).

Garmin watch mileage: 28.00 km (17.4 miles) I was hunting around for a cafe for breakfast and then a ristorante for lunch which explains the extra miles.

Today was a pretty relaxed day which I needed after a late night attending the medieval festival and writing into the morning.

The start of the walk was on a road that was carved out of a beautiful and interesting hill(s). Why are all the cool and shady parts at the beginning of the walk when the temperature is already cool? Midday we undoubtedly end up on some random gravel road with no trees and it feels like we are going to die of sunstroke…I digress.

Every once and awhile, the sun would peek through the trees and cast a beautiful light.

Today’s walk had almost zero resources between the two towns. There were two natural areas that had park benches and picnic tables to rest and get some water. And a homeowner has set up a self-service stamp for the pilgrim passports. I made a quick video, enjoy it here.

When I reached the town of Vetralla, almost nothing was open. It’s Sunday…ugh. I walked around for at least thirty minutes looking for a restaurant. I was hot and hungry and needed to find a place to sleep for the night.

Surprisingly, the restaurant had a pilgrim menu (a set menu with a set price of €15) that included a very fancy appetizer and a plate of homemade pasta. I honestly had no idea what I was ordering so I let the waitress decide for me. Everything was delicious but super heavy. I definitely could not eat all of this.

The chef delivered my meals and he swore that I should only use Pecorino cheese with this pasta and not parmesan. If I’ve learned anything, it’s don’t come between an Italian and their food, especially when pairing things like cheese or wine.

You could tell the guy’s heart and soul were in this food. The pasta was homemade and all the little samples in the appetizer were so flavorful and complimented each other. He actually told me how to pair things together on the plate. He was very proud and the presentation was lovely.

I’m a big fan of prosciutto and melon.

I discovered while waiting on the food to arrive that the accommodations in town were not so great and tomorrow’s walk is much longer. So I made the executive decision to book a B&B on the trail in the middle of nowhere and knock out 5-6 km (1-1.5 hours) more during the hottest part of the day on a full stomach.

When I started walking I began to second guess myself. It was hot, my stomach was full and I was sweating even more from the digestion, but I made it. The place is lovely and I have it all to myself but it’s Sunday in the middle of nowhere.

I’m not a fan of walking through these little towns on weekends, including in Spain and Portugal. Rarely is anything open on Sundays in small towns in Europe. Restaurants, grocery stores, tobacco shops (which are like our convenience stores in the US), pharmacies, etc. all closed. My dinner consisted of; peanuts, a packet of crackers, and a premade Aperol Spritz that was in the welcome bucket and breakfast kit that the B&B host left for me. Thank goodness for some snacks and I ate a hearty lunch.

All in all, it was a good day. Not really eventful but sometimes you need days like that. I’m off to bed early. I have a long day of walking tomorrow and I’m exhausted.

I’ll leave you with this.

One of the many things I love about the Camino is all of the interesting people you meet from all over the world. I’ve been lucky to stay in touch with many of the pilgrims I’ve met along my walks. Today I wanted to show a couple of beautiful photos (with permission) that my friends have shared.

This is Dora. If you read the posts about my hike on the Norte Camino across Spain, you’ll know Dora. Dora lives in Taiwan and has recently started to learn how to free dive! She is so cool. Here is a photo from one of her recent underwater excursions. I love how graceful and calm she looks. She is a natural.

This photo is from Louise. We met on the Portuguese Camino just last month. This is the view from her hometown in Wanaka, New Zealand. It’s winter there at the moment and the colors & snow are stunning!

Update from my first VF post in Siena on June 23rd. Today, July 2, was the Contrade (district horse race around the central piazza) and the Selva (Forest) district won. Sadly, the Onda (Wave) district where I stayed lost as did the Tartuca (Turtle). Remember the really passionate woman that I met in a shop who said the Turtle was going to win her lots of money. Bummer.

Kari made a beautiful recap video of today’s walk that you can watch, here.

Goodnight and much love & gratitude from Italy! 🇮🇹