St. Francis' Way - Page 2

Sant'Ellero - Stia

After an equally fine breakfast, after 8 o'clock we went through the village of Fontisterni and then uphill into the forest. Later came again a small town, Paterno, but in summary you could say 3-4 hours steeply uphill to Passo della Consuma. A good start to test if we were ready for this enormously mountainous path. It went great, it rained sporadically, a few wild boars were seen or heard from time to time in the bushes, the views were getting better and better. In Consuma, shortly before the pass, we took a Capucchino, we were immediately addressed by the bar operator, but to spend the night here. Well, I like to sleep 🙂, but it was only shortly after noon, besides, I had planned the accommodation for the day in Stia.

After a short break at the great view at the Consuma Pass we continued, what we had just hiked up, we now went down again. The sun came and the path led along narrow forest paths, across streams, it went up and down. On the way we met a pilgrim who was completely exhausted and sitting by a tree. We saw him again many stages later and wondered how he got there. Arrived in the small town of Stia, we took quarters in the La Foresta - Hotel (38 € per person with breakfast), for my terms rather less to recommend. Dinner tasted like defrosted, room was halfway good, at the beginning was even the power off, meant here: no shower. We consoled ourselves first with a Birra Moretti from the Alimentari and sat down in the park, a few meters from the hotel, in the sun. Nice feeling, first harder stage easily survived.

Stia - Badia Prataglia

After the not unexpectedly lousy breakfast, the beginning of a never-ending climb awaited us right in town. On gravel and forest paths up, we later passed the village of Lonnano and entered the beautiful Casantino National Park. In the direction of the Franciscan monastery at Casalino, it went again minimally downhill, but then all the steeper back up to Croce Gaggi. It became foggy and cloudy, to the monastery Sacro Eremo we hiked downhill through a uniquely beautiful beech forest. The monastery had already closed shortly after noon. In the small chapel we made a short rest, because it was pouring with rain. One could have spent the night here in the monastery or follow the asphalt road to the right to the village of Camaldoli, there was's several accommodations. However, we turned left into the forest to reach the Prato alla Penna, the highest point of the Way of St. Francis.

It went very steeply uphill and was difficult to walk in heavy rain. At the summit there was still scattered snow. The following descent was also not easier, muddy steep paths until we eventually met an asphalt road. This meandered into the valley to Badia Prataglia, past a small waterfall. Completely soaked, we quickly found the Hotel Giardino (29 € per person with breakfast) in the center of town. Two older people were in charge of the hotel. Not everywhere, where hotel stands on it, is hotel in it. For German conceptions it was rather a village pub with rooms, but for us pilgrims at all times sufficient. Only the clothes we could not dry anywhere, at this time of year in Italy no heating is running. Manu stood therefore one hour in the toilet in front of the hand dryer.

But the owners were super nice and showed us a few maps of the further way and to the cappuccino there were delicious sweets. We also took our dinner here, for greater explorations in the evening our clothes were too wet.