And we are continuing along the Via Francigena. We were in Sutri. Sutri is a beautiful town on a hill with an ancient amphitheater under it (see last post). The next day would be a hard and long one to Viterbo. But since my dad is injured, we had to take the bus. I can’t say I’m too sad about it, since the hiking part felt harder than 5 years ago. Plus, it is hot!
In Viterbo we still had to walk quite a bit. And it turned out the pilgrim’s house is not in the place it was 5 years ago, but way out of town. In Viterbo we took it easy. We enjoyed some gelato, and great food. We visited some churches. One of them had a brilliantly painted ceiling, that made it look way higher than it was (photo does not do it justice). And on a sidetone: do not visit the Viterbo Underground (advertised as a expedition through history and the ancient tunnels of Viterbo, not for the faint of heart). It turned out to be the cellar of a tourist shop. And you have to pay to visit it! Waste of money.
Having lunch in a square in Viterbo
The way the ceiling in this church is painted is amazing (Viterbo)
The next day my dad’s legs still weren’t OK. So he took the bus to Montefiascone, and I hiked. It was a brilliant day. The hike was lovely over dirt roads. Great views. The last part was really steep and very heavy! That night we slept with the nuns of Montefiascone (the same that ripped me off 5 years ago, now they were OK though, superfriendly actually).
This is what a lunch break looks like.
Meeting other hikers on the way. Montefiascone in the background.
Then we made our way to Bolsena. I still walked alone. But I must say I don’t really mind, because I like “ouwehoeren” (Dutch for chatting about nothing, literally: old whoring) with all the people I meet. Bolsena is situated on a lake, called Lake Bolsena, and during the hike I got some beautiful views of the lake. We stayed at B&B i Carrilli, with a gorgeous view of the lake. The hosts Lorenzo and Claudia were so sweet, they lend us their car to visit Bagnoregio and Orvieto on our free day, and at night we had aperitivi together.
The view from our BnB i Carrilli in Bolsena.
My dad inspecting the copper rain pipes in Orvieto
On our rest day we took a road trip to Civita di Bagnoregio
Tomorrow we go on to Acquapendente (Lorenzo is going to take my dad with the car) and then on to Radicofani, where we will have officially entered Tuscany! A dopo!
Irina Versteeg 