Thursday, October 1, 2015

Odd how time flies when I am on the trail. Last year this same occurrence...this year a promise to myself to recognize the fleeting passage of time and ensure that I take moments to document what I see ....how I feel.....and yet again, time flies away without words on the page.

I am in Monteriggioni....an ancient walled city south of San Gimignano.....the heart of Tuscany.   Compact is a good adjective for Monteriggioni....two main gates into town...see it all in 30 minutes tops!   For me, today, it is a Perfect resting place on a grey and rainy day.

What have I noticed on this trek so far?  Signage is extremely well done. The Italians have grasped the importance of this route for tourism...that has become clear.  So much to be done, but it is evident that there is a strong Via Francigena society paying attention to what this route has to offer the economy. Although a "new" industry ( which actually dates back some 1500 years), progress is showing. I had dinner the other night with a Pellegrini ( pilgrim) from Rome...a banker.... Who said Italy has only wrapped her arms around this Via Francigena route as a business some ten years ago.....it is in its infancy!   Certain areas I have walked are definitely more attuned to the pilgrim mentality. Here in Monteriggioni, where I am currently parked on my bed with a bottle of local vernaccia wine, the pilgrim "business" is recognized and supported.  

Sites are amazing ...Really? You ask.   YES! I am in the heart of Tuscany.......it is astounding in beauty.  Every book you have read, every coffee table picture catelog you might have flipped through in some moment of daydreaming..........it is here...and real.  Spectacular Mother Nature! There is a reason " Under the Tuscan Sun" gets rented time and again..... And it is not just the love story :-)

The trail itself? Lonely.   Until today I have met five other Pellagrini.....5 in 7 days!  This is NOT the Camino de Santiago.  Since arriving in Monteriggioni I have watched at least 6 more  come into town.  We are here......it is a quiet presence.

And now, at 4:30 pm, it is siesta time for me.  I promise to try and gather the fleeting moments.....take time and write more faithfully......because, in the end, these moments.......seconds in time.....will be my rocking chair memories with grand babes on my knee.  And I will want them to know there is an amazing world out there.....history they will only ever see when they "walk".

Ciao' for now.






3 comments:

  1. Wonderful blog. Great pictures. Glad I'm following your walk. Be safe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful blog. Great pictures. Glad I'm following your walk. Be safe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing. We hope to be following in your footsteps next May.

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