I had a nice stay in Rome. I had the best thin crust pizza I’ve ever had at I Suppli, and perhaps the best biscotti at Biscottificio Innocenti. I walked to the coast at Ostia.
Walked the Via Appia.
I had a nice stay in Rome. I had the best thin crust pizza I’ve ever had at I Suppli, and perhaps the best biscotti at Biscottificio Innocenti. I walked to the coast at Ostia.
Walked the Via Appia.
From Florence I took the train south to Naples and the ferry to Capri, where I spent three days hiking.
It’s a small island, so the trails aren’t long, but they are vertical. The views are spectacular, with rock cliffs dropping to bright blue water.
Returning to the mainland, I hiked up Vesuvio and explored the ruins at Herculaneum.
I finished off southern Italy by hiking the Path of the Gods from Positano to Praiano. The trail itself is relatively easy, but one must climb 1500 steps to get to the trail from Positano, then descend 1000 steps to Praiano, then back up the 1000 steps and down 1500 to return to Positano. But it deserves its name and is worth the climb.
I’m in Rome for a few days, then London and home.
I finished my stay in Feltre with a birthday party on Sunday and more hiking on Monday. Tuesday I returned the rental car, then spent a rainy day in Lido and Venice.
The weather still did not look good for walking across Italy, so I headed back to the Dolomites for four more days, this time to Levico Terme near Trento. Two years ago I went through this area on the train and thought it would be a great place for a bike trip. It turns out there is a 50 mile bike path through Valsugana along the Brenta River to Bassano del Grappa. So on Saturday I took a break from hiking, rented a bike, and had a fantastic ride through countryside and villages to Bassano del Grappa.
Sunday I spent the morning in Trento, and after lunch took the train to Bologna, home of the University of Gelato. I decided to spend an extra day there as one can only eat so much ice cream per day.
Yesterday I stopped in Florence, and now I am on my way south.
I’ve decided to spend the rest of my time here hiking on Capri, along the Amalfi Coast, and on the Via Appia near Rome.
I arrived in London Tuesday evening.
Wednesday I walked down along the Thames past Westminster, then back through St. James Park and Hyde Park to the Science Museum.
Wednesday evening I flew to Rome, and Thursday morning I took the train to Venice, rented a car, and drove to Feltre.
I’m staying in the Centro Storico on a street that is 2 meters wide. The VW Golf I rented is 1.99 meters wide – it’s a tight sqeeze, but with the side mirrors folded in it just makes it.
On Friday, Sandro, Davide, and I drove around the mountains in the Sud Tyrol/Trentino Alto Adige, stopping at various points of interest – mostly places with gelato and espresso.
Yesterday I went hiking in Val Canzoi.
I almost made it to the top of the peak in the center of the above photo, but it became a little too steep for me. I was scrambling up a creek bed, but when I turned and looked down I realized it was more of a waterfall, and that I was several hundred feet up a pretty steep cliff. The view was outstanding and I could have taken a really nice photo if I hadn’t been too scared to let go with one hand, but I was, so I didn’t. Then when I made it down and looked back up, it really didn’t look that steep.
I’m at the airport and I think I’ve done everything I needed to do before leaving. But I still don’t know what I’ll be doing for the next month. The route I was hoping to walk across Italy is impassable, at least for someone like me who doesn’t like it cold – there is still snow at the higher elevations and below freezing temperatures. If it isn’t clear by next week I’ll go to plan B or C, but I’m not sure what they are yet.
For now I know I’ll be in London tomorrow, Rome the next day, and Feltre the five days after that. By then I should have the following week figured out.