Thursday May 5 to Saturday May 7
No wifi the last few days and the wifi today only works on the ground floor. This will be a quick post with some highlights and a few photos.
Good weather and each day is a little warmer. Much of the walking has been on forest trails or unpaved forest roads. Very quiet. The route I’m taking has now joined a route to Assisi and I’m encountering a few other walkers, mostly Germans and Austrians.
A little wildlife in the forests: a bunch of wild pigs (boars) yesterday and two deer today. Very shy. Always the cuckoos and song birds.
Friday night I stayed at Santuario della Verna, a large and important religious site perched on a rocky summit. The land was given to St. Francis in 1213 and today it holds a large monastery, a convent and a church. It welcomes visitors, has rooms and serves meals in a large group dining hall. It is very different than the small towns I have stayed in. I think there were 150 people at dinner, including a bunch of us who had arrived on foot doing various pilgrimage walks. Good conversation and good food.
Here are a few photos. Many photos of trees, but I’ve spent much time with trees this week. (Click or tap a photo to see the caption. Click or tap again to open slideshow.)
Looks great! Good luck!
Will be in Toscane/Umbrie early June… looks beautiful there.
What great photos! That looks like an awesome route. Does the 72 on the tree mean you are on GR72?
No, it isn’t a GR, it is a CAI. Same marking. GR is the French network of grande randonnées. And they are long. In Italy the Italian Mountain Club (Club Alpino Italiano), marks trails using the same international red and white marking system, bit assigns its own numbers
Hi Roy – enjoying your blog and photos. We’re in Amsterdam right now and enjoying wandering this fine city in lovely weather.
I love the forest pictures and the big trees. As well as the little devil by the side of the road.