Leaving Romita meant leaving the wildness and beauty of nature, the deep green mosses and abundant blooming flowers, the stillness, and authenticity of the people living there. It was hard.
The path took me to old towns with ancient walls and lots of history.
San Gemini
Cesi
When I arrived in Collescipoli in the evening, I was not interested in the old town anymore. I was dead tired. Walking for hours through industrial areas and on asphalt streets robbed all energy in me. I ate Pizza in the only restaurant I could find in town – the town seemed dead.
Collescipoli by night
The next day brought a different challenge. The walk went up and down hills, crossing creeks, going through silent woods and fields. However, there were hardly any signs and often I had to guess the way.
On the way, I met powerful trees- like this oak tree
Ancient olive tree
I also made a detour up to the hermitage Speco di Narni, a gorgeous place high up in the cliffs.
View into the valley were I came from and had to go back the same way.
When I arrived in Stroncone, I looked how many steps I did today- it was more than 45 000. No wonder my feet were hurting. Stroncone is, like many other towns in Umbria, a very old town with narrow streets, many stairs and arched walkways. I stayed in a 16th century old house, now a hotel. In the breakfast room, two doors were leading to former prisons.
Piazza in Stroncone
Breakfast room of the hotel Porta del Tempo with the two prison doors- one for men, the other one for women
