Tag trekking

The City of Towers and a Trail Surprise

Reg Spittle Leave a comment
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.

Italy Shines Despite Rain, Roads, and Mud

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Our third day on the Via Francigena took us up, up, up to San Miniato on another mixed-weather walk. However, Tuscany did not require sunshine to display its natural Italian charm.

Thirty miles into our planned 250-mile stroll to Vatican City, the “trail” has been mostly ho-hum, marked by roads, mud, and tall, wet grasses atop riverside berms. But, like all our distance walks, the Via Francigena’s merit eclipses the inconveniences. Plus, I have this feeling that there are many, many surprises ahead.