Day 34 – Corbara to Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy – 50km
What finally pushed Spartacus over the edge? It’s a question that’s simultaneously easy and difficult to answer. Easy because, having been enslaved as a gladiator, forced to battle wild animals and other humans to the death for sport, it’s only natural that one would eventually be pushed by desperation to pursue an unlikely escape. Challenging, […]
Days 32 & 33 – Monte San Biagio to Corbara, Italy – 88km
I should really know better. When I slipped out of the monastery this morning, I had a little extra spring in my step. It wasn’t the opening walk to Fondi, though it’s always nice to know you’ll have a (second) coffee waiting just an hour down the road. It didn’t involve my return to the […]
Days 30 & 31 – Cori to Monte San Biagio, Italy – 91km
Between 1265 and 1274, Thomas Aquinas set out in the Summa Theologica to prove that God exists, purely using five rational arguments, as opposed to drawing insights from scripture. Part 1 – The Argument from Motion: Drawing upon Aristotle’s writings, as Aquinas was wont to do, given his role as one of the great links […]
Day 29 – Albano Laziale to Cori, Italy – 38km
As the great American poet Bret Michaels once wrote, in a moment of breath-taking originality, “every rose has its thorn.” I’ve been thinking a lot over the last couple of days about the twists and turns of accomplishment and joy, about the pairing of decadent sweetness and churning nausea, or the delightful buzz and the […]
Day 28 – Roma to Albano Laziale, Italy – 26km
I picked up the Via Francigena just east of Circus Maximus, and while most walks in and out of major cities disappoint, this proved to be an absolute delight. The route follows the Via Appia Antica for the better part of the day, and this is the most important of all the great roads ever […]
Days 31-32 – Faicchio to Cassino – 114km
What I most appreciate about very long days of walking is that the distance simplifies matters, tears the whole edifice down to its studs. Don’t think too much. Just wake up and go. And keep going. Obviously, too many days of that is a problem, for all kinds of different reasons. But two days? That’s […]
Days 29-30 – Buonalbergo to Faicchio – 70km
Would the anti-walking case like to present its rebuttal? With pleasure… I slipped out of Buonalbergo under the cover of darkness. I had screwed up some part of the conversation the night before. In my initial conversation with my host, she had asked what time I left that morning. It was a long stage, so […]
Days 26-28 – San Giovanni Rotondo to Buonalbergo – 138km
The hardest part of long-distance walking isn’t the blisters, the foot pain, or the creaky knees. (Easy for me to say, as the lucky dude who has largely avoided all three.) It’s also not exposure to harsh elements, like torrential rain and wind, scorching heat, and soul-sucking humidity. It’s certainly not insect swarms, packs of […]
Day 25 – Monte Sant’Angelo-San Giovanni Rotondo – 28km
Note: For complete coverage of my ongoing walk across Italy, consider subscribing to my Patreon. It’s cheap, beginning at just $3/month, and includes much prompter access to these daily write-ups, short videos that capture some of the scenery of the way, the complete archives of my US walk, and preview chapters from half of my upcoming […]
Days 23-24 – Trani-Monte Sant’Angelo – 95km
Note: For complete coverage of my ongoing walk across Italy, consider subscribing to my Patreon. It’s cheap, beginning at just $3/month, and includes much prompter access to these daily write-ups, short videos that capture some of the scenery of the way, the complete archives of my US walk, and preview chapters from half of my […]