LCBoniti

lizcakes, you do crack me up

Terrific pictures! Thanks!

lizcakes

Why thanks LC, I think? LOL. My husband hasn't read the latest yet - he saves it for his morning coffee break at work then he emails me at MY desk at work and tells me what he thought. I usually crack him up.

Dayle

Lizcakes,

It's a very good thing to be able to make your husband crack up!

ellenem

going into withdrawal . . .

lizcakes

Thanks for the nudge Ellenm, but Fodor's would NOT let me log in so I had to change my password. Tomorrow I write another chapter but not tonight. I'm too full from the supper I made! LOL. And now it's coffee time and then it'll be bedtime...

But tomorrow I steel myself to write write write. It really is work.

richroxme

Thank- you for all the effort you put into the trip report! I feel very lucky to have found your posts as we are planning a walking trip for next December from Pisa to Forli. I have been researching things for the past month or so and am so glad to have come across your story. Would you be interested in answering some general logistic questions along with route sugestions?

Any input we can get from such an experienced walker would be a huge help and greatly appreciated.

lizcakes

richoxme:

My word, there's someone else out there who does long distance walking? Why only to Forli??? It's only a short hop to get to the coast from there and then you would have don't the whole coast to coast walk.

As for questions, ask away! Questions I can answer easily - just don't make me sit and write for 3 hours (as I must do sooner or later). I've got too much to do lately!

richroxme

It has become apparent that our initial trip route is going to be adjusted, which is to be expected this early in the game I guess.

We have never taken a trip like this but have wanted to for some time. Most folks we travel with won't go with us again, or at least swear they will never keep the same schedule we do on the next trip.

We have been to Italy once and it was awesome!

I will try to narrow my questions to what I think might be most relevant so I do not take to much of your time. Please, if I take to much of your time simply do not reply and I will understand.

We will be walking in December so the days will be shorter and cooler, I still see averages around 40, do you have an average comfortable range in miles per day? Right now I average 12 miles per day as planned.

You mentioned hiking Mt Monadnock and what a mistake it was, since we will be walking roads we had planned on walking the roads here in Maine, building to some fully loaded pack hikes. What would you recommend as good prep for such a trip?

What is the most important supply you brought and the one you most wish you had brought?

Thanks for your time, I will try not to be to much of a nuisance.

lizcakes

rich:

I'm just dashing this off as I'm supposed to be packing and leaving for Florida tomorrow and don't have a thing done. Sheesh. Anyway, to answer a question or two...

We usually do around 15 miles per day give or take a couple. We did 21 miles one day in France in 07 and it was a killer and just about all road-walking. The pits.

If you do go through Tuscany in December, don't expect many b&b's or agriturismos to be open. Many close at the end of October and many more at the end of November. Good luck. If you stick to the large hotels you'll always find something but that's just not our cup of tea generally. Also, you might find some snow in the Appenines and this could be dangerous, not because you can't walk in the snow, but because a lot of your walking will be on roads where there is almost no shoulder. Or no shoulder whatsoever. If there's snow in the way... well, good luck.

Again, why are you stopping at Forli? What's there? Besides the fact that Mussolini was born there. (ewww)

The most important things we brought:

- bandaids for the blisters
- the MAPS
- my list of every b&b within 5 miles of our projected path
- our compass
- our camera

I can't imagine doing this in December and wonder if you are indeed serious. I see no other posts ever from you. How did you happen upon this site?

I gotta go pack for Fla!

I'll just have to finish the trip report sometime when we get back, but I WILL finish it.

ellenem

I wish lizcakes would get back from Florida . . .

nukesafe

Do you think they are walking the whole length of the State? If so, the trip report on Italy may be delayed for some time.

lizcakes

Where’s the Family? Where’s the Jolly Dinner with Jolly Italians? Where’s the Beef???

We showed up in the mammoth dining room promptly at 7 p.m. Where’s the family? Where are the other guests? Where’s the frivolity? Haruumph. We were shown to our own section of a loooong table where there were exactly two place settings. “Grazie” we said. The young woman dutifully trotted out to the kitchen (there was a window into the kitchen that we could see through), bustled around for a bit and brought out our first course. There was thinly sliced meats on a plate: the usual prosciutto, and unknown “brown” meat, one that Paul said had to be and unnamed “game”, and something else – can’t remember – served with bread. It was OK. Then she returned and brought us tagliatelle (really really looooong tagliatelle) with a ragu served with an ice cold mezzo litre of red, (better than our 2-buck Chuck!). After that was finished we were served a pork chop each, nicely grilled actually and garnished with grilled eggplant and tiny tiny zucchini. This was good. Finally, for la dolce, we were presented with Dixie Cups! I kid you not. They were a cross between Italian lemon ice and vanilla ice cream and not half bad. Straight from the supermarket perhaps but not bad at all. Heck, if it’s a dessert, I eat it. We finished with coffee in demitasse cups but no saucers (I guess we weren’t worth the saucers) and I asked if we could have it “macchiato” so she brought out some ice cold milk and we ended up with lukewarm espresso. Still, better than no coffee at all.

I shouldn’t complain as it was more than we had last night at the other agriturismo. I decided that we were done with the whole agriturismo business! LOL. Oh, I forgot to mention, while we were sitting at our table, a bunch of guys (mostly young) who were working on the farm, came in for their supper. They sat at the long table nearest the kitchen and hung out with the two girls. We oldies were definitely NOT invited, lol! Can’t say that I blame them. No one spoke English and I could have squeaked out a bit of Italian with my trusty dictionary but it would have been painful. Apparently they weren’t interested in sign language and frankly, we just wanted to eat. But then, don’t I always?

We were then away to bed and zonked out on a very comfortable bed.

The next morning, oh my, we have to eat again! <grin> There was the usual spread (see pic) of the usual food for breakfast and I do believe we even had cappuccinos – yay for the home team! If I have my coffee, I’m all set, even without food, yeah baby. There was a bowl on the buffet table of the most enormous apples we have ever seen in our lives (see pic), so Paul snagged one of those for our lunch and we were off.

We threw the old packs on and were out of there and on the road by 9:05, compass and maps in hand and we’re going to have a “stupid” sunny day again! There are mounds and mounds of lavender everywhere and I stuff a large sprig into my pocket and keep moving. We walked along the road that we had taken to get into the place but upon checking the compass found we really needed to head down one of the long avenues of fruit trees that are to our left and right – there was nothing BUT long avenues of fruit trees. Pears, plums, apples, nectarines – you name it. Off we went. We got to the end of the avenue and ran smack dab into a high bank of, what else, bamboo. 20 feet straight up of bamboo. Italy is reeking with bamboo! What is this? I don’t see any panda bears! Did Marco Polo come back from the Orient with bamboo or something? Sheesh, we can’t get away from it and it’s dang hard to get through. Whatever, we hung a left and said that there must be a way around or through or something, just keep going.

We know we need to get over the railroad tracks and head northeast, other than that we don’t have a clue. We are headed for Russi which is about 12 miles or so we think, but the walking is flat and except for the acres and acres of fruit of every kind, pretty boring. It’s so hard to find a way to the railroad and I can’t explain it clearly. We are on the farm and probably walking the periphery of this fruit farm and we simply can’t find a way out. Finally we bash our way through the ubiquitous bamboo and check out the view from the top of the 20 foot embankment. There’s the partially dried up but still running river Lamone, but we’ve got to get over it so we find some huge rocks that are equidistant and we use those and get across but somehow we’ve still got to get over the stupid railroad. Oh, you’d just have to be there. We’re like Laurel and Hardy, no kidding.

Paul hauls out the compass again as our map is ridiculous. I could only get a 1:125,000 for this region (who knows? – apparently no one comes here) and that’s a HUGE difference from the 1:50,000 that we’ve been mostly using. We even had a couple of 1:25,000 but those were hard to read, not at all like the British ordnance survey maps which are heaven on earth. Oh well, compass out and we are flying in the dark by the seat of our pants. We arrive finally at the railroad tracks and I have my recorder on as the train whooshes past. Should we cross over? Is this the right direction? But we’re going south and we need to go northeast! Heck. We probably could have just crossed over on our own as we arrived on a road and at a railroad crossing and there are cars stacking up waiting to cross but the gate is down and the lights are flashing waiting for the train to pass. We remained good citizens however and waited our turn until the train was past, then proceeded across the tracks. Boy are we good or what? We finally are able to head northeast. Russi, here we come.

We do pass by some interesting things though: a derelict and forgotten “entrance” into an estate, at least that’s what it looked like – brick pillars left alongside the road, bordering someone’s small farm. Then a small field of various lettuces – Paul wanted me to take a picture of that, as he’s in LOVE with lettuce! Then a field that’s being prepped for what I assume will be either a grape vineyard or a “kiwifruit” vineyard – can’t tell, but the supports are all there. I must keep saying “see photos” – there’s nothing else for it. Apple trees apple trees galore. But now we’re into plum trees and Paul picks a good one up off the ground and takes a bite. He’s definitely a plum person and his eyes light up so I do the same thing and YOWSER! It’s great! Special Italian plums? I don’t know but they sure did hit the spot with the sun beating down on us. We walk on and I spot what I think is a hedgehog! It is a hedgehog! Dead, yes. But still a real for real hedgehog. Mark that on my calendar. I saw a hedgehog and the camera comes out. Now we are walking along the top of one of those banks that look down on the road and the houses and I see all these colored urns filled with boxwood and one is filled with a topiary. There is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hanging from a tiny windmill thingie and I cannot cannot stop taking pictures!

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE this walking business?

We pass another avenue filled with hens – I love my hens – and then pass a field that has been plowed but not harrowed. Look at the enormous lumps of soil. How does anything grow in this? But of course it does, and grows madly of course. Paul sets his foot on one of the dirt clods and I take a picture so we can remember just how large they are.

Wait! Is it lunchtime? You bet it is. We’ve been walking at least 3 hours and that calls for a small repast but where to dine? Besides being surrounded by plums (quickly turning back to apples) we have our apple from the breakfast table which Paul says should last us three days at least (wink wink) and some bread and mortadella (not my fave but oh well), and we start looking for a place to plonk down and have a bit of lunch and a bit of rest. The grass looks pretty good on this particular apple farm that we’re walking by so we decide that this would be a great place for lunch. We go 20 feet down one of the “avenues” and sit between the rows of trees, absolutely surrounded by apples. See my feet stretched in front of me in the photo! Apples everywhere. There is one house far far across the road, but no one else is around. Ah peace. We rest and eat but after a few minutes we hear the sound of a large tractor and it’s headed towards us.

Uh oh. Here come da owner! It’s a young man driving the tractor and what I think is that the person from waaaaaay across the road, called them up and said “There are PEOPLE who have just walked into your farm and I don’t know what they’re doing there!” Anyway, we both stood up and said Buon giorno and I told him we were Americans walking from Pisa to Ravenna and I performed my Complete Italian Sentence for him: “Camminiamo da Pisa a Ravenna – a piede!” He was duly impressed (yeah, right) and gave us a wave and drove off. So there, neighbor – WE’RE SAFE, not muggers and not gypsies – nothing but dumb Americans hiking across the country. We finished our sandwiches and were off for another few miles.

Somewhere along the way we’ve picked up the good old 302 but the traffic is minimal and for that we are thankful and a small wind has picked up and is cooling us off in the hot afternoon sun. We are somewhere between Ravenna and Russi, I know not where, but there are some houses and whatnot and we see a woman out walking her dog. I struck up a conversation – do I ever NOT strike up a conversation with a complete stranger? She speaks some English and I tell her that her little dog is charming. Of course she asks us what we are doing and I give her the rote answer and the eyebrows go up and of course she remarks how wonderful we are! How wonderful to be walking across Italy! She tells us that she has been to New York and would we like to go to her casa for a glass of birra? so what the heck, we go! He name is Paola and her house is only a few hundred feet away – she’s shows us in.

Wow. SEE THE PICS.

Purple is the theme here. There are purple wardrobes, a purple-topped coffee table, purple drapes, purple refectory table… the place is a trip from the 60’s and we’ve just dropped acid. I kid you not, it was amazing. Should I say it again? See the photos: lizcakes.shutterfly.com Worth the trip! Paola nips out to the garden where there is a fridge. In the garden. Why not? She brings back 3 beers and Paul and I split one. We sit at her little white table and chat and pick up a tiny stray kitten that she had rescued that week. Poor thing, but Paola’s going to nurse it back to health. Gotta love this woman. She tells us that she is a furniture designer and I totally believe her and she shows us her brochure. (I looked it up on the web when we returned home) Would we like to see some more of the house? Why, of course! I quietly snap snap snap photos as we walk along. I must tell you that this new camera needs no flash whatsoever for interior photos so it’s “stealthy”. I just held it about waist height and silently pressed the little button. No “snap”, no nothing. Great! I knew we’d never see her again and I also knew I’d never remember all the things that we saw.

People make the trip.

We said our goodbyes and she wished us well on our walk. Boy, I love this walking business. We’re up to 10 miles and we’re still not in Russi but having been energized by our little stopover at Paola’s, we trudge on, discussing what we’ve seen and heard. What a great day! We pass a dooryard with turkeys everywhere and they are gobbling gobbling to beat the band so I turn my recorder on just for laughs but of course they clam up. I wonder aloud – can ya call turkeys? You must be able to call turkeys! I whistle: “swittt swittt swittt” as for a dog. Nothing. They don’t reply and just walk turkey-like around their yard. Their owner comes out into the dooryard and starts to herd them. Or encourage them? Well, he gets them together. Whatever. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. I can’t stand it – I am laughing to myself (aloud) sitting at this desk thinking of me trying to call the turkeys with my whistle. How my husband puts up with me I’ll never know.

We are on the outskirts of Russi when we came upon those turkeys and we roll into town. It’s flat and hot and very much not picturesque but it’s large enough to support a hotel or two and so we head off to find one and we do! It’s a whopping 3 star (I think) and we check into the Albergo Morelli in lovely downtown, cinderblock, Russi. We are absolutely filthy from the dusty, dirty walk today! Why we are so very dirty today is beyond me, but there you are, you just never know. I decide that I’m going to put my socks into the bathroom sink and soak them and then use them to wash my boots – they’re that filthy! There is no double bed in the room, just 3 twins so we push two together because, well, we’ve been married 33 years and we like to sleep together. So there, Albergo Morelli! Still, it’s clean if not antiseptic and a breezy 63 euro for the night. Kind of place that traveling salesmen stay in.

The shower is one of those with no curtain and the shower sprays directly onto the toilet and bidet to boot. Been there, done that, so I move the toilet paper first, then turn the shower on. I’ll say it again: I’m absolutely filthy. I put one foot up on the toilet and scrub that and then switch feet and put the other one on the bidet and scrub that one within an inch of its life. Little precious moments on the road.

Paul takes his shower and Hark! Is it time to eat? Time for dinner? But of course! And we head downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant. I don’t want to walk another inch that we don’t have to so whatever they’ve got, we’ll eat.

ellenem

on the road again . . . !

LCBoniti

Hi lizcakes!

The picture of your socks hanging from the ceiling made me lol. And the yellow walls in the "purple house" somehow made it all work, no?

I'm so glad you came back to continue this fun trip report.

lizcakes

ellenem: It was your post that made me come back. I was indeed coming back to finish but was dragging my feet to do it.

LCBoniti: Actually, that's what the rooms USUALLY looked like after we were finished with our daily "wash", but that day for some reason we can't now remember, we were extra specially filthy. Heavy socks need to be high up to get that full benefit of heat and air circulation, LOL!! DON'T YOU LOVE THE PICS THOUGH???

ellenem

liz,

Don't feel bad. I'm just considering writing a trip report for my trip from . . . March 2008.

lizcakes

ellenem:

Did you hear the sharp intake of breath just then? MARCH 2008??? Heck, you just made me feel REALLY good about not finishing mine from October!

ellenem

liz,

There's another trip report going on right now that is of similar age to mine, so I've felt inspired to make an attempt. Meanwhile, I've so enjoyed this report that I went back and read your England and France on foot reports as well.

lizcakes

ellen, funny you should say that because I just assumed that people HAD read England and France before this one. Actually, I think I like the Cotswolds one the best as it was the first and "fresh" so to speak. France was flat out just painful (for my feet) and fairly interesting but I rushed it at the end and I wanted to get on to other things.

ellenem

OK, Liz, you've inspired me. I've started my overdue report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35182737