Eva on the Via Francigena (and beyond)

Song of the Day: An Argument With Myself — Jans Lekman

Funny story about this song…I downloaded it in 2011 off of some indie playlist I had found online, and thought it was a good song. I shared it with my dad but had never met a single other person who had heard of this song besides the two of us. Many years later, in 2019, I was on a sailing holiday in Greece, and one of the other passengers was a Kiwi guy a few years older than me, who used to be an indie DJ in the early 2010s. He had the aux one day as we were all sitting around drinking wine and put on this song. I gasped and looked at him: “You know this song?” Equally shocked, he stared at me “Wait, YOU know this song?!”

Anyway, give it a listen, if you’d like.

Today was very much a mixed bag, but one that once again shows the beauty of a pilgrimage like this. I woke up groggy after a somewhat late bedtime last night, and didn’t get on the road until almost 8, after stopping for a coffee. On the way out of Lucca I stopped by a bakery where I snagged a cookie and a piece of farinata, a eggy, bready, crepe-like delicacy made of chickpeas. I brought these to a bench on Lucca’s walls and enjoyed a more savory breakfast than usual.

The next hours were spend on roads, and still groggy and a bit dazed I pretty much zoned out. First I followed along a somewhat busy road out of Lucca, packed with rush hour traffic, before turning into quieter suburbs. I almost had a bad run-in at one point where, completely lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed how much the road had narrowed and had to quickly step out of the way to make more room for an oncoming car. After this I determined I needed to sit for a bit and try to get my head back in the game. Luckily this was easily facilitated in Capannori, which has an interesting small labyrinth built for pilgrims. After wandering through it I parked myself at a small bar which made a shockingly good cappuccino and tried to clear my head.

There were a few things on my mind today. But, primarily, I was thinking about how I wasn’t sure if I had a place to stay tonight in Altopascio. I had emailed the hostel asking for a place, and they had responded telling me to stop in Badia, a few kilometers early. Tomorrow is a long day and I couldn’t really bear the thought of adding more distance, so I asked them to confirm if the hostel was in Badia or in Altopascio, but never received a reply. Trying to embrace more of the pilgrim experience, I had told myself I would walk to Altopascio — it’s a short day — and try to figure it out once there. If I didn’t have a bed I would have plenty of time to call around to find something.

As I thought about the somewhat boring morning, I reflected on the many days I’ve had on the Via so far where the scenery has been…well, frankly, kind of boring. Or all road walking. Or otherwise less-than-inspiring. I still firmly believe that it’s important to do these stages. Plenty of pilgrims skip this day on the train, heading toward more traditional Tuscan beauty in San Miniato. But I think that having this balance is important, and a key differentiator between walking a pilgrimage and just going on a walking holiday. Plus, I general find that the days where the walking is less interesting, other things come into focus — I wasn’t sure what’s would happen today, but I was sure it would be something.

So, gathering myself, I left Capannori and began the most unpleasant section of the day, walking along roads through an industrial center, constantly passed by tall trucks that never seem confident about whether they want to tip over going around bends. Luckily the worst of this was relatively short, maybe 20 minutes or so, and I could let my guard down as I entered the village of Porcari, which was charming. I grabbed a snack here before continuing on my way along the road and then on a track across a field. Ahead of me, I could just see the silhouette of another pilgrim ahead of me — I had caught up to Marisa!

By the time I actually caught up to her, I was outside the church and pilgrim hostel in Badia, ready to sort out my accommodation issues. Marisa had taken a seat at a table outside, and the three French women from last night were also seated. A few hospitaleros were standing outside, and one came over to greet me with cried of “sit, sit!” He introduced himself as Ivo, and I told him my name was Eva. He was so excited about our similar names that he almost bowled me over giving me a hug. “In Italian, her name is Eva! Eh-va!” cried Roberta, another hospitalera, who brought out a bottle of wine, a tray of cookies and bread, and some coffee. Beverages were poured all around and we got to chatting. As it turns out, everyone except Marisa (who was continuing on) will be in Altopascio tonight — no need for concern. Fantastic.

We sat for awhile, chatting and eating. Roberta told me more about the organization they volunteer for, which is different from the group that does some of the other hostels. This one, Sentieri di Felecita, is specifically aimed at making pilgrimage accessible to all. Donations go toward making the hostels accessible to those with disabilities. The group also leads pilgrimages for people with disabilities, for the blind, and for recently released prisoners. It’s a fantastic mission and everyone is clearly devoted to the cause. All in all it was great to learn more about it.

Afterwards, Ivo offered to show me the church which is (sort of) under restoration. Upstairs into the hostel we went, where he pulled out a key and, with some difficulty, threw open a door which opened out to the second level of the church. It was so interesting — the church clearly had once been spectacularly decorated, and some of the ceiling frescoes remained. The lower floor was covered in dirt and full of rubble, but the volunteers had been clearing it in hopes of the church eventually being officially restored. So many historical treasures sit like this in Italy — it was so interesting to see one up close.

Afterwards I packed up my things and continued on into Altopascio, where I sat at a the first trattoria I passed to grab lunch. In the end it was maybe a mistake — the food was fine but not fantastic. Pasta al pomodoro, grilled chicken, and spinach — on the bright side, the food was affordable, and I am in dire need of more protein and vegetables.

The hostel doesn’t open until some time after 3, so I spent another 40 minutes or so wandering around the small town center of Altopascio. The town is deeply, intimately connected to the historical Via Francigena. In the Middle Ages a large pilgrim hospice was here to host those en route to Rome. And, in 1070, Matilda of Tuscany founded the Cavalieri del Tau here, an organization (a sort of cavalry) which had a mission to house and protect pilgrims, and secured the VF route to many of the towns I will pass through tomorrow. Another remarkable reminder of the intense connection to history one feels by walking a pilgrimage.

After a gelato, I went to check into the hostel. After a bit of confusion and frustration on my end. The French women refused to share a room with me as they wanted a room to themselves, booting me to the men’s room. This wasn’t a big deal, but logistically it’s easier to share with other women (e.g., when I want to change), so I was frustrated at their unwillingness to share. A bit annoyed, I went to take a nap. For some reason I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. I think there are a few factors: one, I’m a bit concerned about my left quad muscle, which randomly started hurting today; two, I’m having some difficulty with booking upcoming stages — there are a lot of new pilgrims for this section which I am ambivalent about and which means some of the accommodations are full; and three, I’m realizing just how close I am to Rome, and therefore to the end of this journey. Figuring all of these are, for the most part, future problems, I put on a podcast and napped until the men arrived.

After everyone was settled, I headed to a nearby bar to do my writing, and afterwards joined for another large pilgrim dinner. I had a delicious white ragu of rabbit meat on lovely, thin, papardelle. I followed it up with a chestnut cake that was…not my favorite, but I’m glad I tried it. Tis the season!

Final mileage: 11.30 mi
Walking time: 6h 40m
Elevation gain: 127 ft

Accommodation: Foresteria La Pistacchia. The volunteers who run the place are very nice, and it was great to hang out with them for awhile in Badia. The hostel itself is perfectly workable, though the beds-to-bathrooms ratio is a bit high.