Yesterday’s near-marathon day in the rain nearly broke me. My feet were a mess after 23 miles in wet socks. So I dialed back my distance and walked a more reasonable 17 miles to a pilgrim hostel in Ponte d’Arbia. This change made all the difference in my happiness. I also met more pilgrims today, including a couple from the UK and a large group of French pilgrims in Ponte d’Arbia while eating dinner. Little did I know, but three of these pilgrims – Andreas, Catherine, and Remy would be my companions for the remainder of the trek to Rome.
Heading out of Siena with cherry blossom petals coating the sidewalks and the wind blowing them through the airWalking through the Porta Romana and saying goodbye SienaAfter finding my way out of the walled city and through Siena’s suburbs, it was back to dirt roadsI passed a lot of walkers carrying daypacks today, but I wasn’t sure if they were pilgrims or tourists visiting TuscanyDuring my coffee stop on the edge of Isola d’Arbia, I met Chris and Ikuko, pilgrims who live in the UK, and it was so nice to speak to others in English for a few minutes.The heavy rain over the past two days left lots of muds to walk through todayThere were some stretches where so much mud caked to my soles that it threatened to pull my shoes off my feetRoute signs for the Walking Via Francigena Ultramarathon. Perhaps the people I saw earlier weren’t tourists. Maybe they were taking part in this eventVia Francigena signs on this stage as I head into the countrysideThe clouds overhead had me worried about imminent rain. Lucky for me, it held off until the evening.Wildflowers and fields for as far as the eye could see. This is what I’d imagined the Via Francigena would be.Plus some outdoor artwork and joyful sculpturesAround the 20km mark, I had to make a pit stop for some extensive first aid on my blisters. Walking 23 miles in the rain yesterday did a real job on my poor feet.More pilgrims ahead as we walk between the farm fields and railroad tracksTrain heading toward Siena as hints of blue sky finally emerge in the afternoonJust before town, there was a kiosk with survey forms where hikers could submit comments about the route conditions for the trail organization (ViaFrancigena.org)Donkeys near the end of the stageToday’s endpoint was the village of Ponte d’Arbia, which sits right beside the river. The town sits on one side, and the ospitale (pilgrims’ hostel) is on the opposite side.A pedestrian bridge was built a few hundred meters downstream, so pilgrims didn’t have to squeeze onto the narrow bridge with the Italian drivers.Heading over the pedestrian bridgeTonight was my second stay in a pilgrim hostel. This donation-based ospitale is run by the local volunteers in the small village of 500 people.At dinner, I met a cluster of French and German pilgrims, including three whom I’d remain around for the rest of my walk – Catherine (red scarf), Remy (white beard), and Andreas (beanie hat)
Highlights
I was filled with nostalgia as I walked out of Siena, with the wind blowing cherry blossom petals onto the sidewalk. I loved living in northern Virginia and going to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. each spring.
The Tuscan countryside was very picturesque with the rolling hills and wildflowers. This is much closer to what I’d envisioned when I was back home planning this adventure.
Meeting more pilgrims was the real highlight of my day. After five days of walking on my own and only talking to a handful of people, I was really craving the community of my fellow pilgrims.
Challenges
The blisters and hot spots on my feet today made walking today’s 27 kilometers feel like double the distance. But at least I had dry socks today!
The dark clouds and humid air made it feel as if rain were imminent all day. There wasn’t any real sunshine until the final hours of the day, and then a major rain and wind storm blew in around dinnertime.
Most of tonight’s dinner conversation was in French (which I don’t speak). Luckily, Andreas was fluent in English, French, German, and Spanish, and he took pity on me by switching to my native tongue.
