Gaeta to Santa Maria Capua Vetere: The Numbers so Far

2000 kms cycled from Innsbruck 

42 days since we left Innsbruck - 37 days biking 

3 mountain passes: Arlberg, Grand Saint Bernard, Cisa 

Most expensive accommodation: 95€ in Pavia

Least expensive accommodation: by donation (20€ for both of us) in a number of places

Average daily expenditure for both of us: about 100€

Top 10 gelato flavours: melon, pistachio, grapefruit, coffee, chocolate, liquorice, hazelnut, lemon, strawberry, tiramisu

Mars bars consumed: 24

Tears: 0

Bed bugs: 0

Flat tires: 0 

Change in clothing size: -1

Numer of days with rain: 4

Number of Pilgrims encountered on the route to Rome: 25

Number after Rome: 0

Road kill spotted: 1 opossum, 5 rabbits, 1 owl, way too many cats (stay off the road Russell), 2 porcupines, 20 hedgehogs, 1 snake, hundreds of unidentifiable rat tailed creatures

Price of a coffee macchiato in the North: 1€, in Rome: 2€, in the South: 0.80€ and falling

Price of a half litre of red wine in a Tetra pack: 1.40€

Usual Price of a Margarita Pizza: 5€

Number  of times we wished for something other than Italian food for lunch or dinner: 0

Number of countries visited: 4

Number of incidents of marital discord since we started carrying Mars bars: 0

Each days we are struck by the treasures in Italy. These were just from today.

Terracina to Gaeta: time on the coast

 We have been enjoying the small cities on the sea as we cycle down the coast south of Rome.  Gaeta is so appealing that we have stayed an extra night.  The decision was easy to make because we are also staying in a particularly outstanding B&B.  We may be the last cyclists accepted here however, as the owners lost money when we fell upon the excellent breakfast.

We are staying high up in the old portion of the city, a maze of stairs and passage ways, many covered.  Close by is the bell tower of the cathedral, which has been beautifully restored.  It dates to the 10th century and is constructed in a style described as Arab-Norman.  The Moorish influence is quite clear.

Incongruous with this medieval setting, we awoke to the sound of the Star-Spangled Banner.  This is because Gaeta is the base for NATO (read U. S.) naval forces in the Mediterranean.  The music emanated from the American flagship Mount Whitney moored in the harbour.  Our host assures us that we will have the opportunity to hear the anthem again tomorrow morning at the same time.

Still Pilgrims: Rome to Velletri on the Appian Way

We are pilgrims again! But first may I take a moment to apologize to all cyclists for my suggestion that to be a mere biker is somehow less worthy.  I have always held in high regard all people who move through the world on two self propelled wheels.  I also think smears of bike grease on the back of the calves when dining out are particularly sexy. 

For some crazy reason however, Gord and I just love being pilgrims. For us there is nothing better than finding an ancient route to follow. 

Yesterday we were casting about for a route for the next leg of our travels.  We dropped into a bookstore and found an Italian guide book for the Via Francigena Nel Sud. This is a 700 km continuation of the Via Francigena used by pilgrims to Jerusalem.  It largely follows the Appian Way from Rome to Brindisi.  We bought the book and and this morning headed out of Rome on the Appian Way, allegedly the first paved long distance road in the Western World. This road is just lined with Roman ruins and bits of history everywhere.  Some of the original flagstone paving remains.  It is very picturesque, but 2300 years of use have left their mark and the surface is essentially unrideable.  We contented ourselves with taking pictures and riding on a dirt track beside the Appian Way.

Our first pilgrim stop was at the Catacombs of Saint Callisto. Here we were treated to a fantastic tour of the first Christian cemetery, with tombs and frescoes dating back to the the early third century. I studied these early examples of Christian art in university so it was thrilling to see them first hand. Included in the tour was the earliest depiction of the cross as a Christian symbol. 

We get to be pilgrims now for another two weeks!

Tarquinia: A Pagan Side Trip to See the Etruscan Tombs

Gordon:  We left the Via Francigena for a couple of days to visit the UNESCO world heritage site at Tarquinia.  This was an important Etruscan city and it has received it's UNESCO designation for the tombs that they left.  What a treasure trove.  Hundreds of tombs have been found in the area, and many have wall frescos.

A number of the tombs can be visited in an open air museum at the edge of town.  From the road, the site appears to be a number of sheds scattered randomly over the landscape.  However, each of these sheds covers a staircase that goes several meters underground to a chamber cut from the soft stone.  The tombs date from the 7th to the 1st centuries B.C., and the frescos reflect the evolving ideas of the Etruscan afterlife during this period.  The art is reminiscent of Minoan paintings that we have seen, and it was a great pleasure to be able to see them.  The experience was enhanced by the fact that we were the only tourists on the site during our entire visit.

Val D'Orcia: Hill Towns of Tuscany

 After leaving Sienna we have spent the last two days exploring the Val d' Orcia with its marvellous hill towns.

The valley was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site as "an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing picture. In other words it was a landscape manufactured for tourism. Since the Renaissance, it has been a popular subject for painters and travellers. And who are we to disagree. The hill towns in this area are charming and well worth the climb necessary to reach each one. We enjoyed the area so much that we slowed down and did some detours to visit more of the towns. This allowed us to also spend two nights with the same group of walking pilgrims. Now that we are getting closer to Rome there are about a dozen pilgrims at the hostels each night.

Rocca D' Orcia

 

Quirico D'Orcia

 

Siena: Rest and Repair

There has been a rivalry between Florence and Siena for hundreds of years and it continues today, with many tourists weighing in with strong feelings about their preference. Gord and I are not going to visit Florence on this trip, but we are very impressed with Siena. We have always leaned towards the Gothic over the Renaissance and Siena is a gothic gem.

 We are staying in a small apartment only two blocks away from Il Campo, the main square, and yet we are tucked away in a residential area without the tourist hoards a stones throw away.  It appears that the contrada in our area is Tower, as we have a meeting hall across the street that is dedicated to that group.  The city is divided into 17 contrada, which date back to the medieval period when they were involved in raising troops.  The contrade continue to dominate social life in the city, as we have been told that most important social rituals, such as marriages and baptisms, occur within one's contrada.  Competition between the contrade is played out each summer with two horse races around Il Campo.  These are not merely recreational events, but are of considerable importance to the contrade.  By the way, our guide states that Tower is the only contrada to have two enemy contrade, making it the most contentious contrada in the city.  No wonder our room was so reasonably priced: we're staying in a bad 'hood.

We spent our day exploring the Duomo and a number of museums located within the Cathedral area.  The Duomo not only houses exceptional paintings and sculptures by leading artists, including Bellini and Donatello, but also the most amazing inlaid stone floor.

  

Perhaps the best sight of all, however, was my new rack. The back rack on my bicycle had broken in a number of places and no amount of bondo, zap-straps and hose clamps were making it withstand the off road riding that we have been doing. I was so happy when we found a  repair shop that said they could set me up with a new rack that I did my happy dance right in the store, much to the amusement of the elderly lady manning the till.  Speaking of racks, my other set is now settling into a new smaller sized bra.  It seems that with all the fat on my body that I would happily sacrifice, I just lose in one area.

San Gimignano: Mine's Bigger than Your's

Ruth: After a long and tough day of climbing we made it to San Gimignano. Each day we normally plan our route and choose between the Euro Velo 5, the Via Francigena or the route suggested by my map app pocket earth. Today we did a bit of everything from rough single track mountain biking to long steep climbs on the the wrong road. We ended up climbing much higher than necessary; in our defence it looked flat on the map.

San Gimignano  is a UNESCO world heritage site for it's well preserved medieval core containing 14 of the original 72 house towers.  It sits on a hill and is surrounded by the classic Tuscan vistas.  It is also, according to my sister Sheila, the most touristy town in Tuscany and I believe it.  We are fortunate to be staying in the San Girolamo monastery/ retirement home/ daycare, located within the medieval city walls. This insulates us somewhat from the hoards, although it is listed in the Lonely Planet guide, so they take non-pilgrims as well.  Work hours must be different here because the daycare operates until eight o'clock in the evening.

The tower houses of Tuscan towns had little to do with fortification and much to do with testosterone. Imagine the supper conversations in the wealthy homes in San Gimignano, when the wife suggests it's time for new armour for junior, and and her husband replies, "but I want a big one!" In the days before Maseratis and Ferraris, rich men showed off their wealth by building ever taller houses. In this town the tallest were over 50 meters. 

To enjoy the town my testosterone poisoned travelling partner, oh, and husband, had to climb up to the tallest point of land so he could gaze wistfully at the legacy of greater men.

Fedenza to Casio: Out of the rice paddies and into the Mountains

53km and 850 meters of climbing ( for those in Victoria that's 2.5 Malahats )

Gord: Today we left the rice paddies of the Po valley  and climbed into the Appennine mountains towards Tuscany.  Like the meseta on the Camino many pilgrims skip the Po valley.  While I am glad that we are covering the entire Via Francigena under our own steam, and there were interesting and memorable aspects to the Po valley, we are very pleased to move onto the next region on the route.  The villages already have a different look, huddling on ridges and nestling in valley bottoms.  The building material of choice has also changed to stone from the brick of the Po valley.  The villages also seem more ancient, perhaps because they did not suffer as much damage during the Second World War.

 

Ruth: We are staying in a hostel in Casio that is a pilgrim's dream. The Ostello Via Francigena charges only 16€ per person for a room that is more like a B&B then a hostel, but wait... that's not all. This place is not only equipped, it is overflowing with wine, beer, every food item possible (there is even a pineapple in the fridge!!!) All of this is available for a donation. We are the only people staying here and we have the run of the entire three story house. Pictures describe it better than words.

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Aosta Valley: Castles and the Devil's own Bridge

 

Ruth: The Aosta valley is a beautiful, lush area ringed by some of the highest peaks in the Alps. It is also a bilingual area where greetings are done simultaneously in Italian and French. Cycling down out of Aosta was a treat, with castles on almost every strategic promontory and Roman bridges in many towns. The the last of these was a magnificent arch built by the Devil himself. One of our pilgrim predecessors, a fellow name Martin, arrived in a village shortly after the original bridge was washed away. Learning that the village lacked the funds to rebuild, Martin offered to construct the bridge through a deal with the Devil. The Devil built a magnificent bridge in just one night. The payment he demanded was the soul of the first being to cross it. Martin tricked the Devil by throwing a piece of bread on the bridge and attracting an old dog to cross it. Martin was made a saint for his efforts, and the village renamed Pont-Saint-Martin. Of course nowadays this scenario could never occur because of the opposition from the SPCA. Gord will have to find another road to sainthood.

We are staying at the municipal pilgrim hostel at Cavaglia where we met our friend Paolo for dinner and a lovely evening.

Writing in the guest books is becoming my art form.

Today's gelato flavours: hazelnut, pistachio, strawberry/grapefruit and cream.

Location:Via Avvocato Ferdinando Rondolino,Cavaglià,Italy

Grand Saint Bernard Pass: I did it!

29km & 1700 meters of climbing. The road was well graded although it averaged 10% in the last 10 km. The traffic was not a problem and it was lovely when we parted company with the main road which goes through a tunnel to Italy. This was the biggest climb I have ever done, and for those at home it was almost 5 Malahats!

We were not rested, our knees were already sore from two long days in the saddle, but we made it! I could have been in a Mars bar commercial for the enthusiastic way I fell on one each 5-10 km. We were incredibly lucky and had glorious sunny but cool weather all the way up. The highest temperature on record at the pass is only 20 C so we must be here on one of the few milder days.

We are relaxing now after a huge dinner at the Grand-Saint-Bernard Hospice, which has been in continuous operation feeding and sheltering pilgrims for almost a thousand years. And yes, there are still Saint Bernard dogs here, but when dog rescues are needed they now opt for the much smarter German Shepard.