Via di Francesco, Day 21: Arrone - Piediluco

Thursday, June 15
16.9 km
294 m

Yesterday we took an impromptu rest day in Arrone. Rod didn't feel well, so we stayed in our quiet apartment another day. I found a shop to buy cheese and wine, bought fruit and vegetables from the grocer, and picked up pasta from the pastaleria, effictively visiting every shop in town. While Rod slept, I made him a big pot of vegetable and tortellini soup. Then I settled in on the terraza in the shade, drank a cold bottle of the local rosé, and ate fresh ricotta with apricots picked from the valley below. Walking to Rome was the last thing on my mind.

Leaving Arrone this morning, we both felt refreshed. So refreshed, in fact, we opted to dally at the Cascata delle Marmore in the heat of midday. The falls were diverted for irrigation in Roman times, but are now returned to their natural high-flow state three times each day. We arrived at the top of the cliff just after 9 in the morning and waited nearly two hours before the full force of the falls came thundering over the cliff. Rod grinned like a child, so it was worth the delay.

When we finally continued on, it was sticky hot, and we dripped sweat just meandering over flat ground. Every overgrown path and marginal incline felt extra taxing. We welcomed the day's end at Lago di Piediluco, drinking in the cool lake breezes. Though the hotel we'd hoped to stay at was full, we quickly found an alternative.

We lunched, enjoyed a riposo, and watched the Italian national rowing team practice in the bouy lanes on the lake. After so many days on sun scorched earth, rocky hills, and stone mountains, sitting by a lake was a surprisingly welcome respite. The water lapped the shore, birds dove and bobbed, and wooden boats creaked as they rocked.

Still, I looked back fondly on yesterday's honeysuckle apricots and cold, fresh ricotta.

I don't know, though, if my fondness for them grew from the food, the moment in time, or the rest it represented.  Hard to tell. On camino, everything passes both slowly and quickly, and rich, perfect moments are both frequent and fleeting. Yesterday's apricots and rest are gone, but today the lake is cool and serene. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.