Thursday, April 24, 2025
- Start: Vetralla, Italy
- End: Sutri
- Distance walked: 18.9 km (15.8 miles)
- Cumulative distance: 355.7 km (220.9 miles)
Day 14 began as cool, overcast, windy, and occasionally rainy. The morning’s route was mostly through hazelnut orchards, which I’ve started calling “Nutella farms” thanks to Andreas, and past a very odd historical structure out in the middle of nowhere. Today’s terrain took me into a few more walled medieval towns built atop strategically high hills. Each time I have to hike up to them, my calves burn, and I repeatedly wish I’d brought my trekking poles to Italy. The real highlight of the day, though, was the afternoon through a dense, green forest that looked like it was straight out of a movie set or a fairytale.
HIGHLIGHTS
- When I stopped for lunch, I met a new Louis, a French-Canadian pilgrim who told a very intense story about an older Italian woman who stopped him in the streets. She pressed a photo of Pope Francis into his hands while urging him to take a bus or train to St. Peter’s Basilica (instead of walking) so he could see the Pope lying in state. Apparently, his pilgrimage on the Via Francigena could wait.
- The vibrant green forest this afternoon, with its boardwalks, mossy boulders, and waterfalls, made me feel like I was in a movie set. It’s amazing how diverse and different the terrain was during today’s stage.
- I found myself spending the evening with Andreas and Catherine once again. They are becoming my little pilgrim family, and have started sending me texts to let me know where there are interesting stamps for my pilgrim passport or if there is something I should stop to see during each day’s stage.
CHALLENGES
- After a light breakfast at the monastery, I was hoping to find a little cafe where I could stop and get a cafe macchiato. Unfortunately, my starting point was far enough outside of Vetralla that nothing appeared before I headed into the “Nutella farms.”
- The rain was a constant threat today. Dark clouds and light sprinkles were ever-present during the morning, and there was a heavy downpour right when I arrived in Capranica. Luckily, I made it to a cafe in time to grab a coffee while the storm passed by.