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Day Seventeen on the
Way of St. Francis ~
Piediluco to Poggio Bustone, 21.1 Kilometers (13.1 Miles)
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The Way of St. Francis from Piediluco to Poggio Bustone on day seventeen is another day where you will dig deeply into your physical capabilities.
"My dear son, be patient, because the weaknesses of the body are given to us in this world by God for the salvation of the soul. So they are of great merit when they are borne patiently." ~ St. Francis of Assisi
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We've trekked Pilgrimage Routes Across Europe since 2014!
💬 We’ve:
- Gotten lost so you don’t have to. 😉
- Followed waymarks in the glowing sunlight, the pouring rain and by moonlight. ☀️🌧️🌙
- Slept in albergues, hostels & casa rurals. Ate and drank in cafés along the way. 🛌 😴
- Created comprehensive and downloadable GPS maps and eBook Guides, full of must-have information based on real pilgrimage travels. 🧭 🗺️
- Shared our complete journeys, step by step to help YOU plan your ultimate pilgrimage and walk with your own Heart and Soul. 💙✨
Every detail is from our own experiences. Just fellow pilgrims sharing the Way. We have added a touch of spirituality, heartfelt insights and practical guidance from the road ~ offering a genuine connection to the spirit of pilgrimage. Tap into the wisdom of seasoned pilgrims!
Ultreia and Safe Pilgrimage Travels, Caminante! 💫 💚 🤍
We stayed the previous night in a wonderful B&B called La Cannuccoila, where the proprietor warned us that today's walk would be "Duro, Duro!" And indeed, he was correct, it was hard, hard!
However, we were up for the challenge, and with one step at a time, we conquered the climb and the "weaknesses of the body."
So much of a walking pilgrimage is mental preparedness, and St. Francis' words are applicable when he says, the body's weaknesses are a "great merit when they are borne patiently." And while on pilgrimage, perhaps this will indeed, lead to the "salvation" of your soul. However you perceive that to be!
Maps and Stats, The Way of St. Francis, Piediluco to Poggio Bustone
Here is the fully interactive Google map for the day, created from our GPS tracks, for the blue route. For the orange route, the tracks are from the Italian Via di Francesco website. Out of courtesey, I have given you the orange route for reference and comparison if you are considering this Way instead. I do not describe this route below, only the blue route that we took.
As you can see, both routes are equally mountainous and duro! There is no escaping the strenuousness of this day seventeen, regardless of the route you choose.
Referencing the elevation profile below, from Piediluco to Poggio Bustone, the bulk of the work for the day is between about 3.8 kilometers, just before the town of Labro, and 12.6 kilometers when the top is reached near the sacred beech tree of Il Faggio di San Francesco. This is an elevation gain of about 695 meters (2280 feet) over a long distance of 8.8 kilometers.
The total elevation gain, with all the smaller ups and downs for day seventeen is 1103 meters (3619 feet). Duro indeed!
Elevation Profile, Way of St. Francis, Piediluco to Poggio Bustone, Day SeventeenFor comparison purposes, next I have include the elevation profile for the Terni variation on day seventeen, from Terni to Greccio. (To see all two-and-a-half stages of this variation, click on my Entire Way of St. Francis Map.)
For this stage from Terni to Greccio, there is an initial climb of 268 meters (879 feet) over about 5.5 kilometers in the first part of the day. Not horrible.
After a nice downhill section, the serious climb is from 9.2 kilometers to 20 kilometers, with a hefty gain of 644 meters (2113 feet) over a distance of 10.8 kilometers. Definitely not a cake walk.
On this stage, there is a halfway point in Stroncone for a nice break, just beyond the beginning of the long climb, and after about 10 kilometers from Terni. The work of the day is mostly after Stroncone.
With all the little ups and downs, the stage totals a whopping 1239 meters (4065 feet) of elevation gain! Definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Elevation Profile, Way of St. Francis, Terni to Greccio, Day SeventeenBoth routes described above are about the same total length, not enough to be a significant difference at a bit more than than one-half kilometer. The orange variation from Terni is the longer of the two.
The total elevation gain of the orange route from Terni, is about 136 meters (446 feet) more than the blue route from Piediluco. Not that big a deal. From Terni, not only is the longer more significant climb of the day less high, it is over a longer distance of two more kilometers. Therefore, it shouldn't feel as steep as the blue route.
Regardless, there is no doubt that either route you choose will be a route that is significantly duro! Maybe choose to do both in a loop?? I wish that is what we had done!
Photo-Rich Travelogue, The Way of St. Francis, Piediluco to Poggio Bustone
Day seventeen begins from the church of San Francesco in the western part of Piediluco. Here is how the street in the front of the church, the Corso Quattro Novembre, appeared in the early morning. It is a lovely walk along the waterfront on this road, for the next 3/4 kilometer.
Corso Quattro Novembre Along the Waterfront in PiedilucoAfter not having had much of a supper the night before (see the story at the end of day sixteen), we were anxiously looking for anything open to get something to eat. We had had a few danishes and coffee with milk at our accommodation, La Cannuccoila. On an ordinary day, this type of food is barely sufficient for a few hours, but on a day with no real supper, we were eager for something more substantial.
Plus, we knew that this day would not have a lot of services, so we were even more anxious about finding food for the day. The only possible place beyond Piediluco to find meaningful food was perhaps in the very small town of Labro, five kilometers down the road. We didn't want to have to walk even that far if we didn't have to!
If you have no food and are walking early in the morning and/or a Sunday or a holiday, look carefully on the left side of the road for an unmarked self-service vending machine along the lakefront road. It is in building number 65, see the photo below. There is an alimentari (small food/deli shop) a few more meters beyond the vending machines, but we knew it was too early to be open.
Self-Service Vending MachineWhen we stumbled across this self-service we were ecstatic to see nuts, coffee, snacks and even sandwiches! Yay! We could secure food for our day. Not ideal, machine-delivered food, but it would suffice. Anything is better to a pilgrim than an empty belly! I am the type to get hangry (hunger + angry = hangry) if I don't have enough food!
However, much to our chagrin, when we put money into the sandwich machine, nothing returned! What?? Ok, I was willing to give it a second try - nothing!
Oh dear, I went to another machine and was able to vend a nut mix and some chips. I suppose that would have to do.
I decided to give the sandwhich machine one more try. This time I was smart enough to choose another sandwich, but one I was less fond of. And success! I even took the chance to get two, which worked. Now at least we had sandwiches and snacks for the road.
If you need a water fountain, a few steps beyond the vending machines, on the lakeside, in the next parking area, there is one.
Sure enough, the alimentari was closed when we walked past it a few meters later, just before a big bend in the road, to the left. At least the amazing and serene view of the lake to the right was open.
However, much to our delight, around the bend we spied the tell-tale cafe umbrellas outside, and sure enough, the Bar Turismo was open! Double yay! This was after about only 1/2 down the road from the start at the church.
The Bar did not have anything other than more danishes and coffee, but I wasn't choosy. I fill my belly when I can!
After our break we continued the pilgrimage past the flamboyant Hotel Miralago, on the right, which you can't even see at the street level. Look for an open viewing plaza of the lake with colorful vertical scuptures. This is the roof of the hotel!
Only a few meters beyond the plaza of the Hotel Miralago, when the road bends away from the water, look for a large parking lot on the right, after about 3/4 from the church. The Way makes a turn to the right onto a pathway, by a water fountain. The Via di Francesco sign states that Labro is 4.6 kilometers away.
This pathway will lead you back to the waterfront, to continue along it for a few more meters.
Turn Right Onto Pathway to Stay on the LakefrontCamping Lago di Piediluco after 1.6 kilometers total
2.4 kilometers turn onto the Località Valle Spoletina
Vocabolo Valle Avanzana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2kaSUPXdJU
Reflections, The Way of St. Francis, Piediluco to Poggio Bustone
Salutation
May your own Way of St. Francis from Piediluco to Poggio Bustone
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🙋♀️ Why Trust Us at the Pilgrimage Traveler?
We’re not a travel agency ~ we’re fellow pilgrims! (See About Us)
We've trekked Pilgrimage Routes Across Europe since 2014!
💬 We’ve:
- Gotten lost so you don’t have to. 😉
- Followed waymarks in the glowing sunlight, the pouring rain and by moonlight. ☀️🌧️🌙
- Slept in albergues, hostels & casa rurals. Ate and drank in cafés along the way. 🛌 😴
- Created comprehensive and downloadable GPS maps and eBook Guides, full of must-have information based on real pilgrimage travels. 🧭 🗺️
- Shared our complete journeys, step by step to help YOU plan your ultimate pilgrimage and walk with your own Heart and Soul. 💙✨
Every detail is from our own experiences. Just fellow pilgrims sharing the Way. We have added a touch of spirituality, heartfelt insights and practical guidance from the road ~ offering a genuine connection to the spirit of pilgrimage. Tap into the wisdom of seasoned pilgrims!
Ultreia and Safe Pilgrimage Travels, Caminante! 💫 💚 🤍
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