by Paty | Aug 3, 2025 | France, Italy, Switzerland, Tour du Mont Blanc
After breaking my elbow while trail running in Colorado Springs in June, I was certain my dream trip around Mont Blanc was off the table for 2025. My elbow would need 8-10 weeks to heal, and there was zero chance my orthopedist was going to give me the thumbs-up to...
by Paty | Aug 1, 2025 | France, Italy, Switzerland, Tour du Mont Blanc
Have you ever dreamt of somewhere that you desperately wanted to visit, but kept putting off the trip? This was my situation with the Tour du Mont Blanc (or TMB) – the 105-mile route around Mont Blanc in France, Italy, and Switzerland. I had a list of reasons...
by Paty | May 26, 2025 | Italy, Via Francigena
In February, I publicly announced my plans to walk 400+ kilometers on the Via Francigena. Soon afterward, several friends began referring to this upcoming trek as my “Italian Camino.” I can see their point of view. This new pilgrimage resembled my other...
by Paty | May 4, 2025 | Gear, Italy, Via Francigena
About a year ago, I decided to experiment with my inn-to-inn packing list. I’d just finished reading Glen Van Peski’s book, Take More, Do Less, which inspired me to pare down my gear to the essentials for the Camino Portugués. My overall assessment of this...
by Paty | May 3, 2025 | Italy, Via Francigena
When I began planning my spring 2025 trek on the Via Francigena, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. Was this European pilgrimage going to be like the Camino de Santiago routes in Spain? Could I stop wherever I got tired each day, or was I limited to certain...
by Paty | Apr 29, 2025 | Italy, Trail Journals, Via Francigena
Sunday, April 27, 2025 After 17 days as a pilgrim thinking about Rome, today was my day to explore the city like a tourist. I got up super early to get some photos of St. Peter’s Square (before the Jubilee crowds arrived), then made my way all around Rome to...
