Via di Francesco, Day 7: Santuario della Verna - Pieve Santo Stefano

Monday, May 29
15.2 km
309 m

Today can be summed up in one word: exhausted. We breakfasted with the monks and left the peaceful embrace of the sanctuary still exhausted from yesterday's climb.

Some of the pilgrim's on the trail with us looked exhausted, like us. Others appeared fresh and well rested, probably because they didn't make the climb to the Sanctuary yesterday! Apparently, many pilgrims, particularly Italians, choose to start at Santuario della Verna. Regardless, they are new to walking, while our legs are, to quote last night's elderly dinner companions, "strong as car tires." We passed them on the first climb, wished them buon cammino, and didn't see them again the rest of the day.

A spectacular mountaintop meadow, a second short climb, and the rest of the day was gentle downhill, first through fragrant pine forest, then rolling Tuscan hills. With no towns on today's route, Pieve Santo Stefano was our first and last stop of the day. The town, rebuilt in the wake of WWII, is not the most charming on the route, but has adequate provisions for pilgrims.

We arrived still exhausted, lunched at Osteria Ponte Vecchio Di Fabio Lanzi (the only restaurant in town open at lunchtime), and napped the rest of the afternoon. We woke only long enough to eat dinner and buy lunch for tomorrow's walk. Then back to bed for some much needed rest. A pilgrim's life is a simple life. Eat-sleep-walk-die happy...right?