Author Reg Spittle

The City of Towers and a Trail Surprise

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We glimpse San Gimignano from the trail. Today, we climbed the tallest of 14 towers for a Tuscan view.

San Gimignano was quite a sight from afar and continued to impress as Sue and I wandered the narrow streets and alleys. The more-than-1,000-years-old Via Francigena was instrumental to the birth and growth of San Gimignano and so many other places we visit on this journey.

San Gimignano once boasted 72 towers during a time when the height of your tower represented power and wealth. Today, there are 14 towers.

On our walk to the city on the Via Francigena, we met a pilgrim bursting with stories from his journey—from Canterbury, England, the official starting point of the VF. Chris Wilmoth began in 2024, but had to leave Europe when his visa ran out. He picked up this year where he left off. He plans to walk to the southern tip of Italy, and will finish with roughly 2,000 miles.

Chris calls San Jose, California home and is the only American we have seen on this trail. You can check out Chris’ adventures at chris-in-namibia. com

Buon Camino, Chris! We were fortunate to share time with you.

Root for Ivan the Gorilla and Cap the Nerd

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My only complaint about each of these books is that they are too short. The endings are great, but I longed to continue following the charming and clever characters’ lives.

In Schooled, by Gordon Korman, one of my favorite authors, Capricorn Anderson (Cap for short) is a teenager who has been raised and taught by his grandmother on a commune inhabited by just the two of them. He has never watched TV, interacted with other kids, nor eaten pizza.

But when his grandma is hospitalized after falling out of a tree and cannot care for him, he is sent to Claverage Middle School (nicknamed C Average by the students), where a series of events thrusts the naive eighth-grader under a spotlight that he cannot comprehend. His classmates and school are transformed in ways that will surprise and captivate you.

My love of Newbery Award-winning books continues with Catherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan. Ivan, a silver-back gorilla, describes his life while he is on display inside glass walls within a shopping mall.

When Ruby, a baby elephant raised in the wild, joins the mall’s animal family, Ivan engages a plan to transport them all to new lives.

Ivan (through Applegate) is a master storyteller whose words and actions are captivating. You are sure to enjoy his tale and his choice of words.

If you seek a distraction or just great books, I highly recommend Schooled and The One and Only Ivan.