I wonder: what would Sigeric have seen and experienced when he entered Rome? As we see some of Imperial Rome's remaining buildings and structures, so also he would have seen some of the classic structures. With the help of Christopher Hibbert's Rome: The Biography of a City, we can better imagine what he saw, even …
Category: 2022 Via Francigena
416. Rome: Arrival
I take a train from Campagna de Roma to a stop inside Rome's perimeter road. I begin to walk. Walking on city streets with crowds of people is a strange sensation. As I walk up Monte Mario Alt, past the Vatican Observatory, I have to abandon the trail because a dozen bicyclists are powering their …
415. Places of Foreignness: Incorruptible Bodies, Headless Statues, and Miraculous Altars
I haven't talked with others about these places and statues. My conversations with other pilgrims usually veer in other directions. Laon In Lucca, I visit the church in Lucca where the body of St. Zita is claimed to be "incorruptible"; in numerous churches, I see statues of headless saints holding their own heads; in Bolsena, …
414. The Ancient Roman World and Rome
Sigeric would have seen the Roman world even before he reached Rome. He would have traveled on Roman roads. He would have crossed rivers using Roman bridges. He would have seen the remains of Roman amphitheaters. This one is at Luna along the coast south of Pontremoli. In Sutri, he would have seen another Roman …
413. The First Blessing
Okay, no balcony, and not the same woman, but maybe evocative of the encounter As I walk this Via Francigena, I realize that a surrounding and supporting public religious dimension is missing. In the classic Camino, pilgrims can see church naves with brochures or prayers to inspire them. Pilgrims can attend an evening service where …
412. Pilgrims on the Via Francigena
I look forward to meeting other hikers. There is a kinship; there is a slowness that allows nice conversations. The variety of "temporary" friendships is wonderful. On a picnic bench outside of Buonconvento, I meet Lucco. As a retired Italian teacher from northern Italy who knows and speaks several languages, he taught German to Italian …
411. Italy’s Public Art
I love the famous art, the paintings, the sculptures, the beautiful architecture. Whether it is from ancient Rome or the Renaissance, so many of us can wander through the museums and streets staring and admiring. I also like lesser known works of art. This beauty may not last long and it may be by an …
410. The Body Stumbles
I am exhausted. Paul Chinn's guidebook and Sandy Brown's guidebook are right. The climb to Radiocafani is tough. For me, it isn't the mileage. I break the hike into two sections so that my last day from Galina is only 11-12 miles. The elevation gain is the killer, over 2000 feet with probably a 1000 …
409. Tuscany: Dream and Reality
Who does not dream of visiting Tuscany? So many conjurings of Tuscany. The soft yellow or cream stone streets and villages such as San Gimignano or Monteriggioni. The baskets and pots of red and blue flowers with green from leaves, ivy, miniature shrubs. Sitting at a table on a small plaza, drinking morning coffee or …
408. A Baseball Hat and Regrets
I’m sipping wine on a terrace of the Hotel Borgo Antica Hotel outside Monteroni d'Arbia. My eyes linger over the silhouettes of the cedar trees and Italian cypresses backlit by the setting sun. My ears pick-up the barking of dogs, and, at times, the roar of a motorcycle on the highway in the distance. Admiring …
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 