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Today was our first day in Rome. John decided to stay in and rest his feet. He has been to Rome many times. I have only been once and didn’t do a tour of the Vatican or Sistine Chapel last time Lisa and I were here so I decided to go there today.
One quick helpful hint. If your credit card doesn’t have Visa Verify or the similar product for MasterCard you can’t buy your tickets on the official Vatican website. I called Bank of America but was unable to get it resolved so I decided to just go and get the tickets there. Luckily it is off season so there are plenty available.
I did a group tour in English. Both the tour of the Vatican, it’s Museums and the Sistine Chapel were breathtaking. I’m going to narrow my pictures down to only five for this post. Pictures aren’t allowed in the Sistine Chapel so there are no pictures from my visit there. Of course Michelangelo’s work was wonderful to see there.
I will say that John may have had the right idea in relaxing today. My feet and back are sore fom walking around all those sites today.
Have a great Monday!
From the circle inside the Vatican walls.There are many Egyptian artifacts inside the Vatican Museum.The room where Leonardo Da Vinci stayedIt is hard to capture the size and the beauty of the rooms and halls of the VaticanI took lots of pictures of the full murals on the walls, but I took this close up for a reason. Raphael painted himself into the picture. He is at the bottom right of the picture in a black hat between the person in yellow holding a globe and the person in white. I guess it was his version of a selfie:)
Today’s stroll into Rome from the suburb of Finocchio was easy-peasy. We got an intentional late start at 9:30 because of the short walking distance we had to cover. Our route was on our old familiar SR6 which we’ve been walking on for over a week, though it was really just a city street with sidewalks. Also, with it being Sunday morning, the traffic was relatively light.
After leaving Finocchio there was no real transition from there into Rome itself. Just lots of high rise apartment buildings and businesses along the way. About 30 minutes before we reached our hotel, we stopped at a pizzeria for lunch and a break. The food was great. Every pizza I eat seems like the best pizza I’ve ever had; until I eat another pizza, which then becomes the best pizza I’ve ever had.
Our hotel is on the east side of downtown Rome, and since we were coming in from the east, we did not walk past any of the traditional “sites” most of you are familiar with when you think of Rome. But don’t be dismayed, we are taking two days off here so there’s plenty of time to do the tourist thing while we’re here. We’ll venture out over the next two days and post plenty of pictures. The weather forecast is perfect for the next 10 days; sunny and zero chance of rain.
So goodbye for now from beautiful Rome. Hope everyone’s Sunday was as good as ours.
A fresh fruit and vegetable stand as we walk into Rome. A quiet Sunday morning on a piazza in Rome.
Today was basically a repeat of yesterday, but more sidewalks today and the towns were closer together as we got nearer to Rome.
Again we couldn’t have asked for better weather to walk in. At just a few minutes past noon we decided to stop for lunch. The restaurant was clean and modern. We thought the waitress understood we wanted a hot panini, but we ended up with a cold sandwich. Oh well, it was fine with our knock off cheetos and a Fanta.
We headed back down the road and eventually came to the Metro Station. It is the furthest stop on its line from Rome. We went right on by since we had already decided to stay at the orignal hotel that John picked in his planning even though it made our trip 19 miles for the day. We just figured it was too much hassle going into Rome tonight on the metro and then catching it back out in the morning.
About two miles past the train station we came to our hotel. The hotel is above a Gelateria, Bar, coffee shop so we were a bit concerned whether the hotel would be nice. The shops down below turned out to be very nice and very busy.
We asked the guy behind the gelato counter about the hotel and he said it was the door around the corner. It was right outside around the corner and someone caught up to let us in. The hotel and rooms turned out to be very nice as well so again we lucked out. Once we dropped off our packs in the room we headed downstairs and grabbed some gelato. It was a perfect way to end the walk. We will probably head to a local pizzaria that the hotel receptionist recommended for dinner.
Tomorrow we have only around 11 miles to go to make it to our B&B in Rome so it should be a nice short day. I hope everyone has a great Saturday!
Today’s walk was once again straight down SR6 for 17 miles. And also once again, we were dodging traffic all day.
The day got started at 8:45 after breakfast at our hotel. Because we stayed on the Far East side of town last night, today started with a walk through the business district of Ferentino along with a little climb. Once we were out of town it was business as usual with lots of cars heading into work and lots of trucks. Since there is zero shoulder on the road, and sometimes not even a white line marking the edge, we find ourselves sharing the road with oncoming traffic. Drivers are nice for the most part and give a little room when they aren’t meeting other traffic, but Dave and I look at every single vehicle we’re meeting to make sure there’s room for us.
We made it into a nice sized town about 11:00 but neither of us were hungry for lunch so we pressed on to the next town. Unfortunately, that next town didn’t come along until about 1:30 where we found a nice restaurant right beside our route. With only a little over an hour remaining to our hotel after lunch, we got here around 3:30. The hotel is almost new and very comfortable.
Tomorrow we are scheduled to stop about 10 miles from Rome. We’re not sure yet what we will do about lodging tomorrow night. We could find a hotel or B&B at our destination or we could walk to a Metro stop near there and ride the train into Rome tomorrow afternoon, find a place in the city, and ride the train back out to the Metro stop Sunday morning to finish our last 10 miles into Rome. We still need to do a little research tonight before we decide.
So that’s it for today. We hope everyone has a great weekend.
A typical situation on SR6. This trucker was nice and gave us some room.
Today was a fairly straightforward day. We decided to walk further than we originally planned by about 4 miles so we could have two more equal walking days the next couple of days instead of a short day and then a long one. Again, the weather was perfect with a light breeze and temperatures that started in the low 40’s and topped out in the mid 50’s.
We had a long slow climb most of the morning until we reached the town of Frosinone. We stopped and grabbed some lunch there before we began our descent out of town. John was also able to get some gel pads for his feet at a local pharmacy. Once we got out of town it was a straight shot to our hotel.
The hotel appears to be very nice with a Spa and some of the services such as the hot tub and steam rooms are included. Hopefully I will get a chance to try them out this evening.
On a historical note, the town of Ferentino, where we are staying tonight has ruins of one of the first covered markets in Italy dating back to the Second Century BC.
Well that’s it for today. Not really much to report other than we are another day closer to Rome:)
View of snow capped mountains from our lunch stop in Frosinone
Some days you just never know what you’re going to find yourself faced with. Today was one of those days.
The day got started normal enough. We were out the door after breakfast at 8:15. Because the traffic has been so heavy with little to no shoulder to walk on for the last couple of days, we decided to follow the Google Maps walking route today. It was a few miles shorter than the driving route and the elevation change was not significant, so after a very few miles on the busy highway we were off into the hinterlands of central Italy, depending on the judgement of Google Maps and blind luck to get us through.
Our first problem arose when the halfway point came and went with no sign of a place to eat lunch. We pressed on and finally about 1:00 decided a candy bar was going to have to do. Then as the roads began to turn from pavement to gravel to dirt, and we were descending we knew there was a possibility we might have some challenges ahead. And sure enough, after walking around and through several mud holes covering the entire road, we came upon what seemed at the time like an obstacle we were not going to be able to conquer. Up ahead, the road ended at a fast running creek. The water was about knee deep, was running pretty fast, and was what could only be described as glacial melt. We stopped dead in our tracks and after several “oh crap’s” and “are you kidding me’s”, we started trying to figure out how to get ourselves out of this mess. We studies the GPS for a good 20 minutes but it was just too far to turn back, and after Dave walked up a completely dead end trail, we decided there was only one thing left to do; so off came the shoes and socks, up rolled the pants legs, and off we went across the worlds coldest water filled creek, holding shoes and socks in one hand, walking staff in the other, and doing our best to not slip down on the very slick rock-covered bottom of the creek. When we successfully reached the other side our feet and legs were beet-red from the cold water. After giving our feet time to dry it was back on with the shoes and socks and onward with this back road adventure.
When we got to within about five miles of our destination, we found ourselves traversing up and down what I would describe as a wash down a steep hill. While Google Maps must have thought it was a walkable trail, it was so thick with vines and other undergrowth, a machete would have been more handy than a walking staff. But at the end of the day we made it to our hotel about 3:30, hungry, muddy, and pooped. Unfortunately, all the restaurants in town were closed and the hotel’s restaurant didn’t open until 7:30 so we had to wait another four hours to have dinner.
One other little side note. For the last couple of days I’ve been having some left foot pain. Specifically, when I take a normal step, ie. heel-to-toe, two of my toes have a very severe nerve-type burning pain in them. So all day today I walked on either the inside or outside of my left foot. It was just too painful to take a normal step. Suffice to say, by the end of this challenging 21 mile cross country adventure my foot had had it. By late in the day, two of my toes had just gone completely numb. Luckily, I talked to our good friend and Physical Therapist back home in Paris, Susan Davis, and she gave me some good advice on what the problem was and how to get back on the road to happy feet.
Tomorrow, we’re walking about 17 miles, this time along the highway. We’re still on track to be in Rome by Sunday. Thanks for following.
An unexpected obstacle, an icy creek, was one of today’s challenges. Not to be deterred, Dave shed his shoes and socks and jumped right in. John went right in there too, limping along with his gimpy left foot
Today was a much needed day off for us. John decided to stay at the hotel and rest and I ventured out and grabbed a bus for 1 euro up to the Abbey at Monte Cassino. I think the most dangerous part of the entire walk so far was the ride up and down to Monte Cassino around the hairpin turns on the side of the mountain.
Once I arrived I bought an English tour guide book for 3 Euros and toured the Abbey. There was no change for entrance to the Abbey but there was a 3 Euro change for entry to the museum.
The Abbey at Monte Cassino was founded about the year 529 by Saint Benedict on the site of a former Roman fortification. The monastery was destroyed four times over the centuries and then rebuilt. The third time was due to an earthquake in 1349.
The last time was February 15, 1944 during World War II when US bombers dropped 1,400 tons of bombs on the Abbey and reduced it to rubble. The Allied forces were trying to pierce the Axis Winter Line so they could drive on to Rome and liberate Italy. The Monastery was key terrain and the Allies believed the Germans were using it to their advantage. Even with the monastery in ruins the Allies didn’t take the area until 18 May, 1944.
After the war the Abbey was completely rebuilt to its previous glory. There are a few pieces that were saved from the original monastery, but not much. There is also a museum that has murals on the rebuilding process as well as some military artifacts.
Finally there is a large Polish military cemetery about half a mile from the Abbey where over 1,000 Polish Soldiers are buried. The battles around Cassino and Monte Cassino were composed of over 20 Allied divisions including American, British and British Commonwealth troops (such as the Indians and Gurkhas), Canadians, Free Polish Forces, New Zealanders, South Africans and Free French Forces including French Colonial troops.
Many Allied units took devastating losses including the 36th “Texas Division”. The Polish II Corps lost over 250 officers and 3,500 men in three days of fighting and the Polish Forces were the ones that eventually raised their flag over the ruins of the monastery. Their cemetery is a beautiful and solemn site. There is also a Commonwealth Cemetery in the town of Cassino, with over 4,000 Commonwealth troops buried there.
After leaving the monastery and risking my life again on the bus ride down the hill I met John for lunch at a local Pizzeria. The food was great. We will rest the remainder of the day and get ready for tomorrow. The weather looks great for the next week. Hopefully the forecast will stay that way. We will talk to you all tomorrow further down the road!
A US Sherman tank in a square in Cassino
The Abbey of Monte Cassino looking up from the town of Cassino
Inside the Monastery at Monte CassinoThe Polish Military Cemetery at Monte Cassino
The view of the Abbey of Monte Cassino from the Polish Military Cemetery
Today’s trek was another 15 miles through the heart of central Italy, highlighted by our walk through a 6/10 mile long tunnel, and ending in the historic city of Cassino.
We got moving at 8:30 after a light breakfast at our B&B in Venafro. I say light because it was pretty slim pickins. What we’ve found so far with the B&B situation is they are only as nice as the effort put into them by their owners. Some are over-the-top nice, and some are just a dry and warm place to lay your head. Last nights was the latter.
From studying today’s route last night, we noticed that if we followed the recommended walking track through the back roads, it was two miles longer and had 500 feet more climbing than if we followed the driving route on the main highway. However, about four miles into the driving route was a tunnel. The cutoff to the backroads option, avoiding the tunnel, was well before the tunnel making it even farther out of our way if we found the tunnel to be too dangerous. After some discussion we decided to opt for the shorter distance with less climb and assume we could walk through the tunnel on the main road. Once we got there, we could see that the tunnel was lighted, and had a small shoulder, so we went for it. While the traffic was heavy with a lot of trucks, we made it through to the other end in about 10 minutes.
After our successful tunnel trek, we had a long, gradual downgrade toward our destination of Cassino. I mentioned earlier Cassino has some significant history. During WW II, a famous, and very costly battle took place here, known as the Battle of Monte Cassino. In fact, my father fought in that battle as a member of the U.S. Army’s 36th Division in 1944. Like most WW II veterans, my dad has passed away. Now that I find myself in Cassino, I wish I knew more details about my dad’s time in Italy in WW II.
Tomorrow we have a day off here in Cassino. It’s a very nice city and we’re looking forward to our last rest stop before reaching Rome this coming Sunday. Hope you all have a great day. Thanks for reading.
Probably not the last tunnel we’ll need to get through. Photo taken about halfway through our tunnel experience. Monte Cassino and it’s rebuilt hilltop Benedictine Abbey tower above the city of Cassino.
After leaving our hotel this morning we started off with a fairly short climb and then basically the entire rest of the day everything was downhill. It took a while to get out of the town of Isernia and like many of the other towns in Italy we have walked through we went through arches inside a wall to the original part of town. The streets were narrow but the architecture was nice.
The arches leading to the old part of Isernia
After we left the town we walked through the countryside and then through an industrial area before we finally hit the main road. A little past half way on our walk we stopped at a mall along the main road. It appeared to have nice stores in it but even better for us it had a nice cafe/restaurant with a large buffet. Unfortunately when we arrived at noon they were not serving any lunch for another half hour. John asked if they could at least make a couple of pizzas for us befoe 12:30 and they were kind enough to do it. The pizzas were hot, fresh and very tasty.
With full bellies we finished the last couple hours of the walk and got to our first choice for a B&B for the night. They only had one room available and they didn’t look too clean or updated, so we decided to pass and try the second B&B.
We had to backtrack a little bit and go up a hill, which is never fun after walking all day, but we found choice number two. The door was locked but there was a buzzer on the door. We tried it a couple of times but no one answered. I finally used my phone and the owner of the B&B answered. She didn’t speak any English and we don’t speak any Italian but she knew enough that we were at the door and she said she would be there in just a few minutes. It was probably less than three minutes when she drove up. Once we got inside we knew we made the right choice. The rooms are bright and cheery and the owner was extremely helpful. She had to do a bit of cleaning up but we are happy we made this choice.
After our big lunch of pizza we will probably just grab a lighter snack tonight. There appeared to be plenty of cafés and restaurants just down the hill around the corner about a quarter-mile.
Tomorrow we are off to the town of Cassino which is at the base of Monte Cassino. If you are a military history buff like me you know that the Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four assaults by the Allies against the Winter Line in Italy held by Axis forces during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The intention was a breakthrough to Rome. Between 17 January and 18 May, Monte Cassino and the Gustav defences were assaulted four times by Allied troops, the last involving twenty divisions attacking along a twenty-mile front. The German defenders were finally driven from their positions, but at a high cost. The capture of Monte Cassino resulted in 55,000 Allied casualties, with German losses being far fewer, estimated at around 20,000 killed and wounded. I am looking forward to seeing the city tomorrow. Have a pleasant Sunday and we will be in touch tomorrow.
Today we walked a relatively relaxing 16 miles along SS17 from the quaint little town of Bojano to a larger city of Isernia. Isernia is a very old town, believed to have been settled at least 700,000 years ago and is the most ancient site where traces of the use of fire by humans has been found.
Last night Dave and I went out to look for something to eat. We happened upon the Free Time Pizzetteria, owned and run by sisters Franca and Mirella. They had a variety of good things to eat there. After talking to them for a bit, we learned they had relatives in America and have been there to visit them. They’ve been to Cleveland, Pittsburg, New York, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and a lot of other places I don’t remember. After our vibrant conversation with the two sisters went on for some time, including them enthusiastically showing me several hundred photos on their iPhones of their relatives in Cleveland, we decided to make a video of them saying hello to all their kin in the U.S.A. and post it on YouTube. You can see thie video by clicking the video tab on our website.
So after the evening’s entertainment at the pizza parlor, we got a good night’s sleep and were treated this morning to a tasty “American Breakfast” prepared by Rosanna Muccilli at her B&B. There was so much food I can’t start to describe it all, but Dave’s bacon and eggs and my waffle were the highlights. After breakfast, we finally got away from Bojano around 9:15. The morning was very crisp and foggy. Visibility I would say was less than a quarter mile. With us walking on a main highway, we were on constant lookout to make sure cars saw us on the shoulder of the road. By about 10:30 the fog had burned off and the sun was shining. Around noon we were halfway finished for the day and stopped into a little roadside cafe and bar for some lunch. The food was good and we were the topic of conversation among the locals who wanted all the details about our trek.
After lunch we reached the top of our normal daily climb, and it was downhill the rest of the way to Isernia. We originally planned to stay in another B&B tonight, but after studying its location some distance from town, and being concerned about finding a place for dinner nearby, we opted to go to a hotel closer to the city.
Tomorrow it’s on down the road another 15 miles to Venafro. There is a chance of rain tomorrow afternoon and Monday morning so we are adjusting our departure times to avoid getting wet. Also we’re planning a day off soon. That’s it for now from sunny, and sometimes foggy, central Italy. Hope everyone’s Saturday was a good one.
Sisters Fanca and Mirella kept us entertained at their Free Time Pizzetteria in Bojano. The visibility was a problem leaving Bojano. On the downhill stretch into Isernia.
