Final Day On the VF in Italy and Reflections 6.10.26

Our 7th and final day on the Via Francigena took us from the shore of Lake Bolsena to the hilltop town of Montefiascone, navigating the crest of hills that surround the eastern side of the Lake. We encountered a greater variety of landscapes than on other days, with dense woods as well as open fields.  One of the sacred spots along the trail was a 20-foot waterfall. We sat at the top and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water while soaking in the cold misty air. 

Like many of the hill towns we stayed in, we had to hike uphill for the last part of our walk. Upon entering town, we stopped at a Pizzaria and enjoyed two pasta dishes and some beer and wine. Afterwards, due to fatigue and yes, maybe because of our heavy lunch, we napped after checking into our hotel. That afternoon, we explored the town, especially the Basilica of Santa Margherita. While online, Davis found a winery with wine tastings. When we arrived, we were told you needed a reservation. However, the person must have taken pity on us, giving us a private 30-minute tour of the facility followed by a free wine tasting of six wines! Again, a special experience that just happened because of the generosity of a local. We loved the whites so much that bought some to take home. Our wine savior also told us about a medieval church tucked away with original medieval frescoes. Carrying our just purchased wine, we went for a visit. The simple elegance of that church in some ways made more of an impression on me than the Baroque style of the Basilica of Santa Margherita we had visited earlier. If I had wanted to, I could have touched the original medieval frescoes.  I did not.

We had a simple meal of Pizza and beer for dinner at a Pizzaria with a great view of the lake. We ended our time on the Via Francigena by opening one of the bottles of reds we had purchased that day and drinking it while sitting on the rooftop terrace of our hotel. With amazing views of the Basilica of Santa Margherita with a near full moon as a backdrop, we could not believe we were the only guests taking advantage of this special spot. That evening gave us a preview of what our apartment rooftop experience might be like for our upcoming three nights in Rome. And those evenings overlooking the city of Rome from our rooftop apartment would turn out to be as special as our last evening on the Via Francigena overlooking the rooftops of Montefiascone.

Rome in May is full of tourists.  And even more so than when I was there a year ago with Elizabeth.  We did the highlights including the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Forum and the Coliseum.  But the highlight for me was our next to last night in Rome.  First, we had dinner at Ad Hoc at their Piazza del Popola location. Recommended by a good friend, it was one of the best meals I have had, and Davis remarked that it may be the best meal he has ever had. If you go to Rome, try to have dinner there.  You will not regret it. Afterwards, on our walk home, we stopped at the Pantheon.  During the day, you cannot get near it without a ticket due to throngs of tourists.  However, at night when most of the tourist are gone, you can walk under the portico and touch the stone pillars – the same pillars touched by Romans 2,000 years ago. When we got to our rooftop apartment near the Tiber River, we pulled out our Armagnac and Cuban cigars and had a lovely time together just taking in the view and the sounds below us. We finished the bottle.

Our three days in Rome were fun but did not compare to the meals and experiences we earned on the Via Francigena.  In looking back there is so much that we did not do and see in Southern Tuscany.  I am going back.  And if Davis does not take James and Liza Jean someday, I will.  And if he does take them, I want to tag along.  I want my grandchildren to experience Monteriggioni, the same place that our sons visited when they were young.  And I want them to experience the good food and warmth of the people, and walk the hills of Southern Tuscany, the same hills that their dad and I walked together – and earn all of it the same way we did.

When Olivia and Jack returned from their three-week trip to central Europe, she told me that she came to the realization that she is a “Village Girl.”  She prefers visiting small towns and villages instead of the big cities. Liv, I am the same. And I realize that I have always been a person who gravitates to outdoors and nature. I grew up in rural Virginia working on farms, running on country roads and as a teenager, enjoyed taking walks by myself in the woods. I understand why I now enjoy backbreaking labor on the farm – I enjoy it!  And I understand why I did not take that job on Wall Street and move to NYC those many years ago.  Somehow, even though I was very ambitions and knew that taking that job would have put me at the top of my profession, my soul knew that I would have been miserable. I stayed in the relatively small city of Richmond and my small village of Crandall Court, a street and community which would be so remarkably important to my family during the next 20 years – and beyond.  

In the future we plan to move from our Lake House to Poor Creek Farm to live. We have grand plans for the farm – and our children have grand plans for the farm!  When we do make that move, Elizabeth and I will probably live out the rest of our days there.  What has surprised me about my life partner is how much she is a Village Girl too.  And thank God for that.   

When I returned from Italy and began to unpack and process the amazing experiences that Davis and I shared on our pilgrimage, I came to realize that I not only believe in moving, learning and connecting until you die, but I must do this.  It is who I am. I must suffer in some way to feel like I am alive. There is something to be said regarding suffering and gratitude. It is one of life’s paradoxes – one is almost impossible without the other.

Davis bought a book for us to read before our trip. Titled “The Hills of Tuscany” and written by Ferenc Mate, it is about Ferenc, who is a writer, and his wife, who is an artist, leaving NYC to live in the hills of southern Tuscany.  Many of the towns and villages mentioned in the book were only a few miles from the Via Francigena. I finished the book when I returned home.  And as I did so, it was like opening a fine bottle of Brunello and taking my time to enjoy every sip. So, I took my time reading every descriptive phrase and passage that the last chapters of that beautiful book had to offer.

I will be forever grateful for that book from Davis and my time with him on this trip.  If you ever want to reconnect with a friend or family member – I mean really connect – go on a long hike – and suffer together a little. We had some incredible moments together including our moment in the middle of our long 18-mile hike sharing an apple, some trail mix, and a little water in a shady spot next to a river.  That experience with Davis was very precious – very precious indeed.

Rudyard Kipling wrote “What do they know of England who only England know?” Travel does change you, especially if you are willing to be open to change. It changes you in very unexpected ways.  After our trip, I was sitting in our back yard overlooking the lake and realized yet again that we have so much beauty around us at home. So, every time I go abroad and wonder at the beauty I see at other places, I always come home and realize that our spot on the lake is as beautiful, if not more so, than many of the amazing places I have visited.  We sometimes get so accustomed to the beauty around us, including the beauty inside of others, that we take all of it for granted. May I never do so…