Assisi to Vescia…via Spello

Hello!

What a great day we’ve had…beautiful countryside, delicious food, perfect walking weather…overshadowed a little with threatening skies this afternoon and…. we even saved an old man along the way…. : )

My body was mildly protesting yesterday..after many hours of up hills and down but today it’s screaming profanities at me to take a rest and smell the roses…..St Francis will be turning in his tomb….. : ( However this is not really my style though, so it will have to adjust to the increased activity and savour the moment : )

Here, I’m going to give a very short lecture on the importance of been adequately prepared for long distance walking. In order to enjoy the whole experience to the utmost, there are a few very basic rules which I think are important to follow. Correct fitting footwear is top of the list. In my opinion, it should be thick soled, gortex lined, 1/2 to 1 size bigger than what you would normally wear..the excess can be padded out with nice thick wool sox. This allows for swelling of your feet…you definitely need excess room in your boots. Boots should feel comfortable when you first try them on in the shop!! Wear clothes that are breathable and quick drying! Make sure your backpack has a frame and a good thick waist belt so the weight is taken off your shoulders. Its so important if you plan to do a really long walk, to break in your boots and train with a fully loaded pack. I tend to train with everything I plan to take in my pack for at least a month before I intend to leave..this way my body has adjusted to the stresses, blisters are avoided and to a large degree also…aches and pains and stress injuries… Not sure now on saying this last little bit that I have completely followed my own advice : (

This morning we set out at 8.45 and the morning was stunning…simply beautiful. We were very lucky to find a beautiful, spring fed fountain not long after we left Assisi where we greedily drank the crystal clear water and filled our water bottles to overflowing.

It was a very lovely walk to Spello..where we stopped for lunch. A few photos for you : )

A little grumpy old man : ) Cute!!

We were so close to stealing these cherries but the owner drove up just as we were formulating
the plan : (

Morning tea stop : )

Stunning Spello

We arrived in Spello after about 3 hours walking and were delighted to find a small terrace restaurant overlooking the most beautiful valley and mountain view. To top things off the food was simply delicious!! A few more photos for you : )

Such a lovely place for lunch! Look at the view!!

And a little more of Spello…..

The walk this afternoon was still very beautiful but our bodies were tired. Along with this there was electricity in the skies…which threatened us I must admit! Luckily, all that was delivered were a few spots of rain and some loud rolling thunder.

Beautiful stormy skies!

Now, did I mention saving someone? Well yes… that’s just what we did today : )
We were happily walking, now both steeped in our own thoughts, when looking up I noticed an elderly man on a raised embankment, lying on the ground under an olive tree. We were about to pass him by and I asked very basically in bad Italian..Como estai?… thinking that he was just having a little lie around under his trees…..what was I thinking !!!
His response was a flurry of Italian which I had no understanding of at all but through my basic Spanish I understood the word mano, which means hand. I then realised that he needed help and Jo and I scrambled up the embankment….with a vast amount of difficulty I might add..and HEAVED this man onto his very shaky feet and then positioned him onto a nearby chair. The poor thing had a sodden shirt and we feel had been lying there for quite a while. All this time he was speaking rapidly to us in Italian…none of which we understood! We then frantically tried to find help from nearby residents but no- one was around. We couldn’t leave him as I suspect he may have suffered a stroke but we had no way of getting him into his house and contacting help. Fortunately , just as we were feeling despair as to what to do, members of his family arrived to visit him!! Everyone was so happy with the outcome..and we were free to complete our days journey.

The man we saved and his happy family : )

Bedtime!!

Tomorrows another day : )

Love Netia X