Pilgrimage in Italy: from Spoleto to Romita di Cesi

Romita di Cesi, a place of peace, solitude and extraordinary beauty.

It was recommended to take a bus for the first 6 km after Spoleto, what I did. The walk would have been through unattractive industrial zones. It was still a long walk to the hermitage. Many times I thought I lost the way – the path was hardly marked. When evening approached, I was walking in wild nature. Heavy rain in the past had washed deep canyons into the stony way. When it started to rain, I was looking out for a possible place to stay overnight, in case I had lost my way.

I considered to sleep under this wall. The yellow Tau sign, which I followed, gave me some confidence.

A selfie in the rain

I did arrive at the Romita and opened the gate without reading the words in Italien first. I was received by 3 wild barking dogs, intending not to let me walk one step further.

Luckily, Katharina was in the garden and welcomed me. With that, the 3 dogs (Romi, Dino and Lea) became my friends.

Originally, I only wanted to stay for one night. Very soon I realized that I did not want to leave this special place. I stayed for three nights.

A powerful, over hundred year old Cedar tree spreads its protective arms over the stone building.

Former cloister

Inner court with a strung if green beans placed there fir drying.

There would be so much to tell about this place, but I will let the pictures speak.

The vibrant blooming sage attracts bees, butterflies and this strange insect with a peak like a hummingbird.

In the old walls, several wild beehives have found their home.

A smell if ripe figs, lavender, Rosmarin, sage fills the air wherever you go.

One of many fruit trees in the vegetable garden

Entrance to the kitchen and dining area. Cosmea flowers in different colors are blooming in abundance.

Morning Glorie above the kitchen door

In the morning, Padre Bernardino wakes the pilgrims up with the soft sound of a kalimba. Then he rings the bells of the little chapel. He starts the morning meditation with a self composed song of a poem by St. Francis. This is a place far beyond religion – powerful and soft at the same

Little chapel renovated first by St. Francis in 1213.

Every corner has character and beauty – many volunteers helped padre Bernardino to restore this place. The former Franciscan monastery was in total ruins when he started to renovate it in 1991.

There is a lot of humor there too

Out of the abundant fruits and vegetables of the garden, Katherina prepares delicious food.

Katharina, Hanna and Michaele. They live at the Romita right now.

80 year old Bernardino with Katharina

St. Francis also stayed in this place and meditated in a cave nearby- a very wild landscape. White rocks patched with vibrant green mosses lead to the cave.

Entrance to the cave

View from the Belvedere (close to the cave) down to San Gemini to the right.

gwwien
gwwienhttps://simplyjustwalking.com
Born and raised in a village along the Danube in Austria, Traude Wild soon ventured out into the world. After a two-year program for tourism in Klesheim/Salzburg, she spent nearly a year in South Africa and Namibia. By returning back to Austria, she acquired a Master of Economics at the University of Vienna. After moving to the United States with her four children, she studied Art History at Arizona State University and stayed in the United States for fourteen years. Here, she was teaching Art History in several Universities like Webster University and University of Missouri-St. Louis. Now, she lives partially in Arizona and Vienna and works together with her husband for the University of South-Carolina, Moore School of business as Adjunct Professor organising and leading Study tours in Central Europe. She also teaches at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. Since 1999, she is practicing Zen meditation in the lineage of Katagiri Roshi. She loves to hike and to write and is a student of Natalie Goldberg. During her often many weeks long hikes she brings her awareness into the Here and Now, describing her experiences in an authentic way. She loves to walk pilgrimages. The longest hike so far was the 1,400 km long 88 Temple pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan in 2016.

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Comments

  1. I like how you can be in a chapel St. Francis was in……I totally respect this man . I also like how you could change your itinerary and stay in a place where you felt welcome.

    • Normally, I feel a strong pull to continue and do not want to stop- but this place was different. It was like in the Zen temple Zuioji- a very strong presence of heart energy, beauty, peace….a place hard to leave….

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