“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen” - John Steinbeck
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The walk of yesterday ran from Vetralla to Sutri, about 20km, but the km’s mean less and less every day closer to Rome.
The day started on a bumpy path. I was a bit off the path from the accomodation in the new part of the city of Vetralla.
I had a map, but I still got lost. When the dogs barked, I almost froze. They didn’t bite, but I felt their hot breath on my ankles for about 500 meters. When they stopped, I was off the the path and in an orchard.
I asked some farmers for directions in Italian and got more lost.
I checked the wires of a fence and hiked over one, then a second, to go south. If I didn’t have the path, I at least wanted to be going in the good direction.
Then I could see cars on the road, so I thought to go there. I got a good shock when I realized part of the fence was electric after all.
I felt trapped in the field for a moment, but felt comfort under this tree straight out of Shel Silverstein’s imagination.
I heard a tractor and found another spot to attempt climbing through the possibility live wire fence.
It worked, but the tractor didn’t stop. I hiked towards the house hoping to refill my water bottles or find a road.
I found a road and another truck of farmers. Instead of offering Italian directions, they lent me a ride in the back and dropped me back off on the trail. I walked in the woods out to where the Via Francigena crossed the road I had been watching from inside the electric fences earlier.
But I was in no shape to get lost again, or accidentally take the 7km Via Francigena detour, so I hiked the narrow shoulder of the big road to Capranica.
I was grateful to find the town and take a brief rest. I checked and saw I could walk to Sutri in just another hour.
The newer part of the city had Wifi and gelato, but the old part was sleepy and dreamy.
I savored the solitude of the streets until I exited on the massive stone stairs on to the trail again.
I thought I might be on a detour, but the woods were cool, shaded and beautiful, so I just kept going on a little bit of faith. I found my salvation in the sight of Sutri around 4PM
I found the impressive cathedral, no word on the pilgrim accomodation but the woman cleaning the church was the authorized person to issue the stamp.
I savored the city streets that led to the pilgrim place- which wasn’t accepting pilgrims at all last night.
So I continued wandering. I passed some hotels walking from the cathedral to the pilgrim sanctuary, but I felt called to head in a new direction instead of retracing my steps.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the silhoutte of other pilgrims I had last seen in Acquapendente- what was left of the Italian army! They were some of the only people on the street in the siesta hour. They were working out the details of their accomodation for the night, and they had one place left.