It was supposed to be 32km but I ended up walking 37km, was shattered, and when I finally reached Sutri, I was told that the place I thought I had booked to stay, was full. The day ended on a high with a spectacular firework display in a Roman Amphitheater.
Viterbo to Sutri is two stages on the Via Francigena, which if taken in extension of each other total 39km. I was taking a different route after about 10km on the official route, passing by a volcanic crater lake.
The owner agreed to move breakfast forward to 7.45, so I was on my way by 8.30 and already knew it was going to be another hot day – hitting the mid-30’s. As I had missed seeing the Papal Palace yesterday, I set off looking for it and finding it, entering the Cathedral and checking out the Palace of Popes from the outside. Yesterday there was a short climb to Viterbo, but it wasn’t a descent to start the day, but a further climb to the south gate in the wall surrounding Viterbo, and a further climb as I followed the official route towards San Marino al Cimino, 10km away. With ca, 850m elevation today there were lots of ups and downs, initially on roads and then along a small and uneven path through a dense forested area.
Downhill towards San Marino al Cimino I met an older man out on his daily walk up a fairly steep hill. He told me that I should go in and see the church, it was beautiful – at least that is what I think he said, as he only spoke Italian. When I reached the town I couldn’t see the church and ended up walking around for more than 1km, before I found a small archway that led into the walled village and to the church. Set in the Cimini mountains, the towns layout is supposed to be similar to Rome’s Piazza Navona and is famous for its Cistercian abbey and palace. The abbey is quite simple inside and was beautifully decorated with drapes when I visited. I had hoped to find somewhere for a break, but had no such luck, as the only cafe I found close to the Abbey was closed.
Despite already climbing 250m, there was another climb of 150m over the rim of the crater and then back down to Lake Vico and its beach. The sides of the crater are densely forested, primarily with beech trees. I walked 10km from San Marino al Cimino along a road with some but not many cars, before starting the descent into the crater towards the lake. I met a person walking uphill, he told me to take care of the traffic.
I was feeling tired due, I think primarily due to the heat. I finally found a place to get a drink, next to the lake. It was next to a small beach, with a dozen or so people sunbathing on the beach, swimming in the lake or fishing. It was tempting to take a dip, not least given the high temperature, but I didn’t have trunks with me, so it wasn’t an option.
I continued around the lake towards Ronciglione. As I reached the main road there was a perfectly placed gelateria, where I stopped for an ice cream. Given that I wasn’t actually on the Via Francigena, I was surprised to see a sign for it, pointing down a path. I had planned to walk along a busy stretch of road, so I decided to follow the sign, only to find a rarely walked path with a steep decline and a barbed wire fence at the side of the path, at face height. After about 300m I turned back and took the road, that had a wide pavement all the way to Ronciglione.
At the ice cream parlour, I had asked to fill up my water bottle, but the lady turned me down, so I was again running empty. I stopped at a water fountain, only to find that it did not work. An old couple were sitting on their veranda watching the world go by and my failed attempts to get water. They asked me in Italian, whether I needed water, and said that it would be nice if they could fill my bottle. The old lady got up, went into the house and returned with a bottle of still water. I told them that water from the tap would be fine, but they insisted that I take the bottle. It was a very nice gesture of them.
I walked through Ronciglione, yet another beautiful medieval village, with a massive Cathedral and sandstone houses. I continued towards Sutri, today’s destination, following a main road without a path, but with light traffic. I got a notification on my phone, that I’d missed a turn, and went back to follow a quieter track through olive groves. After walking for at least 1km, the track came to an end, and the road was 5m above me and fence where the path was supposed to be. There wasn’t anything else that I could do, but to turn back and retrace my tracks to the main road and continue from there. 2km wasted and a lot of frustration, not least being tired after a long day.
I got back on track, following a road with some very nice houses, before reaching Sutri at 6pm. I found the B&B that I had noted I had booked on my GPS tracks, only to find out that they didn’t have my reservation. Tired I went through my mail, only to find out that I’d booked a different hotel in town, but had forgotten to update the GPS tracks. Relief. So another 500m into town, only to be met with the town’s brass orchestra playing in front of a packed crowd in the town square. The guy at the hotel told me that it the Patron Saints day (Sta. Dolcissima) and beyond the band, there would be bingo and a big firework display in the Roman Amphitheater, just outside town.
I showered and went out, catching the end of the concert, including the Italian national anthem, bought myself an excellent hot pork sandwich and equally excellent red beer, from a very busy local butcher. I spent a few minutes watching the very large turnout for the bingo, before joining the crowds to walk out of town to the amphitheater. There were candles burning up the sides of amphitheater where the Romans sat in bygone years, a beautiful setting for an excellent 15 min firework show.
The extra kilometers made it into a longer day than expected, and a lot of road walking. As such I could have followed the official path and walked to Capranica, a few kilometers short of Sutri – but then I would have missed the band, bingo and fireworks.
