Day 1 - Rome to Monterotondo

First day out and despite the attractions of the Eternal City, it was good to escape the noise and heavy traffic.

At the very first cafe, there was a group of French pilgrims who were walking as far as Terni. There were a dozen of them - they walked one week each year and this year they were bringing some Gallic charm to this route. They were terribly friendly and I was offerd some dry fruit to accompany my coffee.

As if often the case, the city ended quite suddenly and one was entering rural Lazio, a lush and green landscape. I found my first Tau waymarket... one of the interesting things about the Via di Francesco is that there are multiple options: Rome to Assisi, Assisi to Rome, La Verna to Assisi, Florance to Rome etc etc. So unlike the caminos in Spain where the arrows point you to Santiago, the way markings on this route are directionally neutral.

The Lazio Via di Francesco angels had helpfully put up signs showing the way to various places that are notable for pilgrims.

And one quite quickly came to an area that suffered from a overdose of petty rules and regulations. It did seem odd to have spent time and money putting up such a notice in a country where laws are treated mainly as advice at best. Sure enough, a short distance into the nature reserve, I passed the French group having a picnic with wine in clear contravention of the no-picnic rules.

The stop for the night was Monterotondo, a town on a hill some 13 miles from the centre of Rome as the crow flies but a lot further in atmosphere. The accommodation was right in the heart of the old town. Dinner was at the only place open on a Sunday night, Trattoria Pizzeria Civico, where the waiter had great English and the food was plentiful and well-priced after Rome menus. An after-dinner drink was in a square next to the Piazza della Republica. Second after-dinner drink was by the Fontana dei Leone where I had a pleasant chat with one of the French pilgrims who told me about one of his ancestors who had fought against Garibaldi as a Papal Zouve. It's not a side of the story that one hears much about so it was fascinating.