June 4, 2017
Dear Family and Friends,
The Camino di Francisco has certainly taken me off the tourist routes of Umbria. Even Spoleto known for its world class music fest was devoid of tourist buses unlike Assisi and Florence. Yet wouldn’t you know it, I met several members of the L.A. Opera preparing for the music festival at the end of this month and early July. One of the members went to the Manhattan School of Music where I know one of the department chairs as a former neighbor. Los Angeles is my hometown. After listening to them sing some of their pieces as I ate, I think I will pay closer attention to opera. Well the last two days have been a challenge out of Spoleto. I am now in the beautiful Nera Valley. Yet, to get here I had to climb and then descend the switchbacks of Monteluco and Castelmonte. You can see the condition of heavy hiking boots. I wonder how St. Francis managed to traverse these paths without the benefit of marked trails or GPS. One of the benefits of traveling on your own is meeting fellow pilgrims unexpectedly. Coming down the trail I met a group of Italians pictured with me who insisted that I join them at the lodging they had reserved. (I had not made any reservations then). Now my Italian is pretty basic. Latin schooling did help. Yet to my surprise, several in the group spoke French which became the “Lingua Franca” (no pun intended) of the night. Moral of the story- when traveling overseas do not assume English is spoken outside of major European/Asian cities. It is always best to have a few linguistic arrows in your quiver. I hope you enjoy the pictures as I do the memories.
Ciao, John
John
June 8, 2017
Dear Family and Friends:
I have trekked over 55 kms (about 35 miles) over spectacular countryside. Every morning I can smell the freshness of the country and the sweetness of honeysuckle. The terrain can be quite regular times. I am challenged by the footing and the trail markings. In fact, I found myself getting lost on several occasions. I have now entered with the Italians call the Holy Valley. There are four major sanctuaries/convents that St. Francis and his brother hood had stayed at in preached to the local population. Each state is remarkable because of its natural beauty and opportunity for reflection and prayer. Yesterday I met two American priests at one of the sanctuary is called La Foresta. I soon found out that they were a bit lost. We shared some time together and then I was able to get them a taxi to take them to their destination. What does not see many programs on this journey. It is unlike the Camino the Santiago in many ways. I am taking a day off staying in to recover. My body has been pummeled by the challenges of this country side. However, I am in complete joy having seen what I have encountered.
My best wishes,
John
