Entering Lazio, the first unknown region

9/17 - Abbadia San Salvatore to Acquapendente - 18.54 miles

Awaking early, I packed up and departed, ready to say goodbye to Tuscany and enter a new region. After a quick trip to the fruit market and a spirited conversation with three locals, I started down the hill, loaded with the many ripe treasures I had just received as a gift, and smiling at my continued good fortune. Nature also provided on my walk, with abundant blackberry bushes all the way down the hill.

When I arrived below, I found a very different Tuscany from the one I had seen over the last few days. Walking on the via Cassia, a major artery leading to Rome, I walked in an industrial area, followed by giant farms stretching over kilometers in either direction. Stopping at the one town in the midst of all this grand nothing, I asked an elderly couple for some water, ate lunch under a willow tree (two days of tree shaded lunches in a row, whoopee!), and kept moving.

The border between Tuscany and Lazio was on a bridge, and spanking the sign, I crossed from the known to the unknown. Up till now, I had an idea of what I would see, and where I would go, being familiar with the regions I had crossed. Lazio, however, was a question mark for me, Rome being the only point of reference. I embarked on a contemplation and reflection session, giving myself a sense of closure with Tuscany, and excitedly imagined what I would find in Lazio.

My first town in Lazio would be Acquapendente, and it was here I found myself once again on the Via Francigena. What is this path, and why did I keep finding it? Having first seen the signs for it on my first day at Grand Saint-Bernard, I had crossed its path a few times in Tuscany, and now here. I soon found out that the Via Francigena is part of the network of roads linking Italy with Switzerland, France, and England. Since medieval times, pilgrims to Rome have walked these same roads, sleeping in the same places and eating at the same restaurants. Unwittingly, I had stumbled back onto this route, never knowing how large a part it would play over the next few days.

Seeing signs for a campsite, I headed that way, but when the Via Francigena veered off and my GPS told me to follow, I took the fateful turn away from the campground. Running into two old men, I was soon confirmed in my decision. They recognized me as a pilgrim, and pointed out the place I should seek, a hotel for pilgrims in the center of town. I followed their directions, and sure enough, I was stopped by a lady driving a small Audi. "Pilgrim?" "Yes." "This way." I followed the car down a tight, serpentine medieval street, and soon found out that this woman was a member of an association providing housing for pilgrims. She made a phone call, another woman came with keys, and soon I had found myself a third evening of free lodging. The lady even told me about a restaurant with a special price for pilgrims.

Chuckling at my luck, I took a hot shower (my first shower in two and a half days), hand-washed my clothes (did I mention it was my first shower?!?), and walked to the restaurant. When I saw it, I was a bit intimidated. This was a pretty nice place, and I was wearing the clothes I didn't wash, but which was equally dirty and stinky as the clothes I did wash. Still, I went in, climbed the stairs, ignored the questioning eyes that pierce through me nearly every time I enter a crowded restaurant alone, and leafing through the menu, found that it was above my price range. Still, I counted on my good fortune, as I had been on a roll today, and followed the lady's instructions. "You're a pilgrim? We have a special fixed menu for you." Organic risotto, steak, vegetable, wine, dessert, and coffee, a truly delicious meal, and I was treated extremely well by the entire staff. This was a 35€ meal, but it had been worth it, and I was happy to pay. I asked for the bill, and smiling at me, the waiter brought it to the table, folded in half. 15 Euros.

I choked up. I will never get used to the kind-hearted and generous treatment I receive here on an almost daily basis. I wrote a glowing and praiseworthy message in the guestbook, which was filled with similar messages from other pilgrims, and walked back to my warm bed, thrilled for such a propitious inaugural day in Lazio.