Another fairly short day, 23km and 350m elevation. Once the sun broke through the low lying fog, it was a hot and sunny, as I walk towards the medieval town of Bolsena and its volcanic lake.
I stopped at the bar for a croissant and coffee, as the hostel I stayed at didn’t serve breakfast. I also managed to stock up on tape, to try and keep the blister’s at bay, something I haven’t been as lucky with on this trip as I usually am.
I walked through town, passing a school where all the new children and their parents, were eagerly awaiting their first school day. I also visited the Cathedral and had a quick look inside.
It was still foggy as I walked a long Via Cassia out of town. After about 3kms, I reached the countryside, and met the German girl I had spoken to yesterday. Gone are the expansive rolling hills and vineyard’s of Tuscany, replaced by the odd olive grove and lots of scrub and uncultivated land.
The gravel track crossed Via Cassia on a couple of occasions as I walked through the countryside, the fog eventually lifting, and turning into beautiful blue skies. I met the French lady I had met yesterday, and we lamented on the fact that we missed the Tuscan landscapes. The countryside was predominantly flat, with some great views north towards Radicofani.
I was back on SS2 – Via Cassia as I reached San Lorenzo Nuovo, halfway through today’s stage.
I stopped for a drink and cake at the only bar open in town. It was a pilgrim get together; meeting up with the Polish couple from yesterday, a French couple, another Pole and a Canadian (Val) and Slovakian (Katerina) and a few more.
We all left pretty much at the same time, and soon Val and Katerina, both strong walkers, were leading the way, with me, walking at pretty much the same pace, about 50 to 100m behind. It was nice not having to worry about going the right way.
Leaving San Lorenzo Nuovo, there were fabulous views over Lake Bolsena, Italy’s largest inland lake. It was up and down (nothing is flat in Italy) on small paths as we neared today’s destination Bolsena. In difference to most of the other medieval town’s I walked down to Bolsena, as it is situated down the side of a crater.
At one point I caught up with Val and Katerina, and we walked for a few kilometers together. Val was very interested in hearing more about walking in Japan, especially the Kumano Kodo trails that I had walked in 2019. I shared some tips. They took a break a few kilometers before Bolsena, and I carried on, down towards the medieval village of Bolsena.
The old town sits high above the lake with a castle and a medieval village. The town stands on the northern shore of lake Bolsena and is the largest volcanic lake in Europe. the old village is about a kilometer in land from the shores of the lake, so I didn’t walk down to the lake.
I am staying in a beautifully kept historic 16th-century Palazzo of the Cozza Caposavi Counts, in the middle of the old town. It is decorated with period furniture in each of the 14 rooms and houses Viterbo province’s largest art collection. The lady at reception told me that over the centuries, it has hosted several members of European royal families, two Popes, and some of the most important writers and film personalities passing through northern Lazio.
I took a shower, found a launderette, where I even could use the two remaining tokens from the last time I washed clothes. As there was a small supermarket close by, I bought some supplies for tomorrow, where I will be walking two stages.
I went to a local restaurant for dinner, that was soon full of pilgrims/walkers. I also finally caught up with Trine, the Dane that everyone has told me was about 30min ahead of me for the past 3 days.