A funny thing happened to me...........

It's hard to believe but this really is the last blog of the journey. Walking into Lazio I was pretty relaxed as I didn't need to be in Rome until 11th September which meant shortish walks in increasingly cooler weather. The water above is one of a number of lakes (this is Bracciano) north of Rome. It was formed in the crater of an extinct volcano. Nice place to walk.

I'm now staying almost every night in a religous hostel. This one is in Bolsena and is run by the sisters of San Sacramento. Very nice they were and the digs were great.

Some of this bit of Italy is still a bit hilly and this is the basillica (right) and papal castle (left) on the hill at Montefiascone.

A place I really loved was Viterbo. It was a town where the popes often lived, especially when the Vatican was under threat or when there was plague in Rome. I was there on the day the current pope came to hold the Eurcharist ceremony, which I watched on a big screen. The locals were out in the medieval garb and these lads were leading a procession.

The pope's palace in Viterbo is beautiful and the town has lots of unspoilt medieval streets and squares with not a souvenir shop in sight.

Sort of a Romeo and Juliet balcony which you see everywhere in the old town.

This is a photo of the staff of "Il Quadrante". I went there for lunch on the Sunday (a rest day)and they invited me back for a meal and drinks on the house in the evening as I was a Via Francigena pilgrim. Great food but I could only manage one meal (so it was vino only in the evening). They are dedicated to keeping the culture and cuisine of the region alive. One of the best places I've eaten.

Lazio province was much greener than Tuscany and the main crop there seemed to be hazel-nuts, so somebody must be eating a lot of nutella. Not only is it more green but has lots of tree cover. Flat countryside with lots of shade and in no real hurry; about as good as it gets for walking.

My last night outside Rome was spent with the Sisters of St Bridgita in La Storta, which is an outer suburb of Rome. Sister Christina had been the Mother Superior of a convent in Buckinghamshire for eight years and knew North Wales. A bit more expensive than most hostels but B and B, own room with en suite, dinner with very nice wine at 35 euros is very good for Rome.

I got an early start on Friday and was walking along the Tiber on the eastern side of Rome by midday. Jill and I had been there for the Wales v Italy rugby a few times so I was in familiar territory. I did have some mixed emotions as I came nearer. I stopped for a beer so that I could savour the moment.

And here it is. The end of the old pilgrim route, where Sigeric came to have his position confirmed by Pope John XV over 1,000 years ago, all 2,000 km. of it. I got my pilgrim passport stamped. At this stage I was just looking forward to seeing Jill who was due to arrive in the evening.

On the Saturday we went out to the Vatican again to re-visit some of our favourite places. We went to a bar/gelateria where they remembered us from the rugby trips and had lunch at a restaurant we had gone to years ago when we first went to the Six Nations with Dai and Vee Jenkins.

And here we are in that restaurant having lunch. The trip finished as it started with Jill and I enjoying ourselves in a beautiful city (Canterbury and Rome).

I feel I should be making some really profound statements at this stage but what I really want to say is that I hope you've enjoyed the blogs and to let you know that the very fact that friends and family have been reading them has really helped. I'm still collecting for the Cobalt Unit and any cheques (made out to that organisation and sent to me) would be very welcome. Va benne.

Lazio

Only have time for one shot of the walk through Lazio (I'm in Viterbo about 80km from Rome). This is the old Via Cassia, the Roman built consular road which was the start of the route north to the Alps and beyond. It's not on bad shape considering it's about 2,000 years old. It has been bypassed in parts and local communities are repairing bits. I should be in Rome on 11th to meet Jill and will blog when I get home.

Machinna blog

This one is for Bob. First and only one I've seen. I must print a retraction about Bob's snoring keeping me awake in Chalons. It was Reims.

Now a few shots of two Fiats I saw in Siena for Dave. The 127 seemed like an everyday run about but the Topolino (I think it's called) was obviously not, but immaculate all the same.

and out again

This is the town of Monteriggioni which I refer to below but for some reason I've put the photo in the wrong place. Read on and you'll get the picture.

Being in Tuscany is a bit like being hit on the head repeatedly with a cultural mallet. It's not just the big cities that are wonderful but even the little places and I hope this shows in this blog. I didn't think the other shot in the last blog of St Gimigiano (the city of towers) did it justice so this is one taken as I left the town. The convent I stayed at there was wonderful and I got a room to myself.

This is a group of hikers from Fidenza. The lady on the left called Anika works in the offices of the VF offices in Fidenza (see earlier blog). She'd also done 16 days living on Swansea marina and studying English at Swansea Uni. "Did I know Ammanford" and "How did you think Joe's icecream in Mumbles compared to the Italian sort" were not the sort of conversation topics I thought I'd meet on this journey. Every time they found me crashed out under a tree they made sure I was ok.

As a result of a bit of a mistake on the monastery front I found myself staying a night in Montriggioni in an apartment. This is nightfall just as the trattorias are opening. As you see the town on the hilltop it is spectacular. See the first picture on this blog.

A sideways shot of the Duomo in Siena. This is the most wonderful city. Not only is it all you'd expect from a great Renaissance city but it is very friendly and you don't get ripped off. For example, I had an early morning coffee in the Piazza del Campo (see later shot) before the crowds arrived and it was o.9 eu which is great when you think of the rip off prices normally charged in this sort of location.

I got a room near the city centre and it looked ok (ish) from the outside. I later found that the back entrance was the old servants entrance and three floors up the front entrance was an old pallazzo. My room opened onto the old entrance hall complete with vaulted ceilings and marble floors. It also had a great roof garden where I sat and eat peaches one afternoon.

And here is the Piazza del Campo where they have the mad, bareback horse races between the different neighbourhoods. I always thought it was flat but there must be a 30 ft drop between the top and bottom of the course, which must make cornering on cobbles a bit difficult. Just stunning in the early morning though.

Of all the places I've stayed this one had probably the best outlook. It's the Hotel Borgo Antico in Lucignano D'Arbia, a day walk from Siena. Paulo, the owner, and his staff made me very welcome. It's a bit more expensive than the places I normally stay but the view from the dining terrace is wonderful (as is the food and at reasonable prices).

Nearly out of Tuscany now. I had a bit of a climb one morning and came over the top of a ridge to see San Castiglioni on the opposite ridge. Without looking at the guide book I had a premonition that I'd have to go down into the valley and back up and I was right. 500m down to 200m and back up to 800m (above sea level) and all in a distance of a km. I was done in.

This is the view from the front gate of a little fortified village on the first ridge which pilgrims would have walked through. Sorry for the orientation but I just liked the photo.

After another day in the hills I came to Piancastagnaio. Down in the valley is Lazio Province. And Rome.