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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Ruth: We are spending two nights in Lucca to enjoy the sights and sounds of this marvellous place. Last night it was Opera (this is the home town of Puccini) and tonight it is the Santa Croce Festival where the whole town is lit up with candles as the cross is paraded through town. Not just any cross, however, this one is believed to have ...
Gordon: While I do not share her enthusiasm for vast expanses of tedious sand, Ruth loves a beach. So it was with some excitement that Ruth approached the coast near Massa to find ... that someone owns the beach. We cycled for a number of kilometres along the coast, looking at an almost continuous wall of restaurants, bars, change rooms and parking areas. Occasionally we ...
Ruth: Ah, we are entering in Tuscany where almost all the Italian Movies we have ever watched were filmed. A land that is always bathed in the pre sunset light, and where everyone owns a villa. Then why are my hands and feet numb and why can't I see the road. We had our mountain road to ourselves as we climbed up and over the ...
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 ...
I think we might actually make it to Rome. The signs are certainly indicating that we are going the right way. Perhaps the oldest surviving road sign, however is the on on the Cathedral in Fidenza. A statue of Simon Peter faces Rome holding an inscription that says, "Here lies the way to Rome."We are staying at the Cappuccini Monastery in Fidenza, each of us ...
Ruth: 85 km with the additional 10 added in.Crossing the Po RiverThe very very flat Po Valley.My needs are simple and, I suspect, not that different from other pilgrims on the Via Francigena or any pilgrimage route. At the end of a long hot day there needs to be a shower, some food and a bed. It is amazing how much I warm to a ...