Day 10 and the walk continues to delight.

There’s a little bit more gritting of teeth and the feet begin to make larger protests. Multiple 25 to 35km days without a rest stop are to be avoided.

Today I walked to the beautiful city of Gubbio – the walk started crossing rolling hills, passing through farms and sadly a large number of deserted stone cottages which you would die to own 50 km out of Sydney. I write this from the beautiful Palazzo Pretoria  overlooking the hills and an amazing sunset. Oh, whilst drinking a very nice Umbrian dry white and canapes from the Relais hotel.

Nice coffee – the wine came later

Amazing …. no filters

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Today I walked a modest 22km continuing the route down the Tiber Valley. I think it is the first day; one where you switchover from being on holiday to ‘being’. Today, time, schedule and agenda were less important than where I was. I stopped, took my time, or moved on, driven by nothing other than the moment.

It was a good walk, following the lower sides of the mountains high above the valley. The walk was predominantly through olive groves and today they are harvesting the olives. Fruit trees flush with ripe, or rotten fruit, randomly appear as you head through Italy’s food basket.

My expected highlight today was another walled city – called Trevi –  it sits in such a dramatic position and it is easy to imagine its defensive qualities in play.

Also, interesting because Campello sur Clitunno is a Roman site built around a lake Fonti del Clitunno which is fed from local springs and dedicated to the Roman river god Clitunno with a temple from the 7th century.

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Powered by a rest day, guilty about the amazing food I have been eating, a suitcase full of clean clothes, I start the second half of the walk. Today Foligno, some 21km away passing through Spello.

It was a pretty easy walk – too easy actually. There was an option to go over Mount Subasio which added 500m ascent & descent which I didn’t take. Perhaps next time.

I had one last church to visit in Assisi – it was closed the other day and I got my timing just right at the Basilica di Santa Chiara

Service time at the Basilica di Santa Chiusa

The highlight of the walk was Spello, what a beautiful walled hill town. It’s so picturesque, full of cafes, restaurants, wine & olive oil stores. I stop here for morning tea (and my skype call to Amanda. I think I am talking to her for 45 mins a day from Italy).

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No blog today. Enjoyed the morning wondering the town and an afternoon kip before the Enoteca and adding Assisi photos. You can see them by clicking this link http://youcanlive2.com/photo-highlights/ Off to Foligno tomorrow. A modest 20kms (there i no such thing). Will miss Assisi and the amazing food and wine I had here.  I have a new[…]

Day 11.

I walked today to an historic place called Biscina (snake in Italian. Today it is a partly ruined, partially renovated castle and a farm B&B. On this stage of the walk, there are not great options to stage out your trip; Gubbio to Assisi is too far at over 40km so most people choose one of the ‘Agriturismo’.

My Gubbio hotel the Bosone Palace was good. It was high on the hill inside the walls of the old city. The views over the countryside were amazing. As their restaurant was closed I was sent to the Taverna Del Lupo. I’ll start with the wine list … AMAZING … 14 very large pages of mainly Italian wines. I had 2 great courses:-

• Steak tartare with capers, onion, quail egg and black Sardinian salt.
• Ravioli made with unsweetened cocoa, stuffed with pears, thyme and sausage
• Washed down with some great Umbrian red; a 2009 Montefalco Sagrantino

Steak Tartare was excellent – unlike my photo of it

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Day 9.

My stamina is good, I have my pack sorted, I feel strong. I am powering up steep inclines that continue for 2 to 3 km.

Big blister on my 4^th toe on the left foot today…. I told it to file a complaint with the Italian authorities. 

The walk today was 31km mainly along very quiet laneways. The interesting experience today came once I arrived at the Agriturism accommodation but more on that later.

The Walk to Citta’ Di Castello

Again, I wanted to get away early. I am learning a 31km walk with 1500m of climb/descend can never be taken lightly.

My first task a always is to find provisions for the route; yesterday Monday, all the shops were closed so I needed water, panini and fruit. There was a bar down the road Bar 3 Bis Sri that was recommended. I got everything I needed including a service experience with a very scary (Grace Jones like, but, Italian woman – will I have nightmares?) who wasn’t impressed by my poor Italian.

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Day 8 and into the second week. I am pleased with how I am going.

The walk continues to delight with beautiful countryside, amazing medieval villages, great food and wine and the whole sense of challenge and achievement. I am spending a lot less time looking at maps as I get a sense of the flow of the journey.

The main challenge is being out in the sun for 10 hours a day or perhaps it’s the couple of beers I have when I arrive. I had 2 today on an old piazza at Caffé Magi.  The wheat beer was superb. It quickly had a friend.

Caffe Magi Wheat Beer

The Hotel at Sansepolcro – Fiorentino Ristorante (Lancanda del Giglio) was good, it was a side affair to the restaurant Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed Sunday night so I didn’t get a chance to try it out. But as anyone who knows me well – with the great Enotica Guido 50m down the road ….

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Its Sunday and I will have been walking for 7 days. 

I continue to get a bit better organised (although I am losing a few things along the way; nothing important so far). My legs are sore, my feet have a few touchy places perhaps a small blister or two coming, but the 50 year old body is holding up. 

I think I am losing weight, I am eating a lot including all those things I cut out of my diet 2 years ago. Great being able to eat anything you want. Last night for dinner :-

• Proscuito and pecorino cheese when I arrived
• A big bowl of funghi tagliatelle
• Veal scallopini and chips
• An Affogato
• 2/3rds a bottle of red wine (I was hanging out at the restaurant as the wifi in the room was poor and my editor had me under pressure to finish the next blog chapter)

Funghi Pasta was very good

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Today was going to be a new experience. Caminoways ‘don’t work with accommodation at Pieve Santo Stefano’ which is the main St Francis way route so I say goodbye to my recently made friends Wies, Lenie & Liesbeth and will tackle the walk to Caprese Michaelangelo without a route map and relying on written text instructions….  I have become very used to GPX route maps.

So I leave around 9am looking for the Piazza dei Caduti. Its quite tricky to ensure you are on the right track.  At times signage in Italy is very similar to that in Abu Dhabi … there are either no signs, or all the signs lead to the same place. [Note to Caminoways – just include a printed map with your guide].

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