We’re in the mountains and their cool breezes and shaded sanctuaries draw us up easily into their welcoming embrace. We walk along the highway for a while until a familiar sign leads us off one way through low bushes and then another up into the hillside, through some small quiet villages until we reach one holding a trail bike rally. While stopping at a noisy cafe (not by Italian standards) - about 8 people, I [...]

Onto the street once more, the sun rising unimpeded in its bright red glow an hour down the track. We were soon into the lower hills of the Apennines and for the first time being shown those masterpieces of nature from the distant mountains to the lower hills and valleys with crops mostly harvested from the fields preparing for their winter rest. Signs for the route seem to be in disarray so it is becoming [...]

No-one was opening for coffee before 6.30 tomorrow so I asked the owner of a cafe if he could open at 6.00 and there he was with his freshly baked croissants at 5.45. We started out on a large highway and Sabine now has the book and navigated well - no getting lost. Out once again amongst the bare fields and tomatoes to the horizon past large farm houses and tractors, a few trees and [...]

And what a mystery it was. We met in the piazza at 6.00 am with a bar well into the day’s work and then we left under the light of the street lamps and out onto a busy highway. Our French friends had Monica’s guide book and we had Babette’s and while sometimes they agreed, today they didn’t. And I think the 4 of us were more interested in getting to know each other that [...]

We climbed down from our bell tower to begin a new day with our vibrant and entertaining new French friends. We walked along highways again, some fields, this time heavy with acres of Roma tomatoes, through lively working villages, many bars for coffee, croissants and alcohol. At one stage we had to cross Italy’s longest rivers, the Po - it was with our speedboat driver Giovanni who took us on a glorious 5km trip downriver. [...]

We ate pasta with Sabine and Bertrand from the south of France, and had a wonderful time with these avid walkers. So easy to be with, and with enough English to communicate with us, two very funny people. Our night in another well-equipped church property was luxurious - we made good use of our own room and its highly efficient a/c. With 5 men in the room across the hall, and no snorers, it was [...]

With our ineffective a/c still chugging out warm air, I collected the breakfast they had left for us - fruit, fruit juice, cakes and biscuits - and ate on our new a/c balcony down the other end because it was still cooler than our room and had table and chairs that now looked sort of like an eating place. So quite a pleasant stay! A short walk today, because of the long distance between sleeps. [...]

After superb pasta next door, Angela invited us to chat with her, her husband and a young pharmacist in the courtyard near the peach tree under the lights of the sky - it was delightful. The next morning she hovered around quietly and curiously as we ate her delicately prepared breakfast. Two peaches from the peach tree were ‘for our camino’ as she kissed and hugged us on our way. The walk took us along [...]

Quietly we crept out and down flights of stairs - gate would not open but luckily someone starts work the same time as us and bonjourno’d to us from another gate - phew! The early opener was open and occupied by the older men - we, as they do, sit in the coolness of the street having our usual coffee, chocolate and the first croissants of the day - as good as anywhere. We paid [...]