Day 5: Camaldoli to Badia Prataglia

 September 5, 2022

5.5 miles

1700 feet of elevation gain

There is a psychological pattern appearing on our walks. Miles 1 and 2, I’m feeling elated, strong and enjoying the fresh morning air. Miles 3 and 4, I’m feeling less elated, but still joyful. Miles 5 and 6, we’re usually around the halfway mark, and it’s starting to feel like I have done some serious miles. Around mile 6 or 7, we usually stop for a much needed rest and a snack. At this point, I put in my earbuds and start listening to an audiobook. It’s a treat to myself for making it this far and helps to distract me. Miles 8 and 9, my legs are heavy and the pack is heavier. By mile 10, I’m silently cursing and wondering what the hell I’m doing in the middle of Italy. The last mile is total will power, as I strain my eyes for a glimpse of our destination. In Spain, we could see the towns off in the distance with their church steeples, but here, we’re practically in town before we even see it.

So today was totally different. We knew it would be a shorter day of walking, so we slept in until 7:00. What a luxury! Then we had the best breakfast we’ve had so far in Italy: toast, ham, cheese, yogurt, cereal, many pastries to choose from, two kinds of juices and decaffeinated coffee. The breakfasts in previous hotels have been a croissant and a glass of juice. 

We started climbing as soon as we left town and had climbed 1000 feet in the first 1.5 miles. So our easy day wasn’t very easy, but at least it was short, so we arrived in Badia Prataglia around 11:30, staying at Hotel La Foresta. Considering how small the towns/villages are that we stay in, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how nice our accommodations are.

First view of Badia Prataglia from the trail:

View from our hotel window:

Badia Prataglia is an old medieval town. Since we usually visit the town market at least twice in a day, we become friendly with the people who work there. Today was no exception. No one spoke English, so we used a lot of hand gestures as we asked for our bread and cheese to be sliced. I think everyone was laughing at us, but we got what we wanted.  The town is having a festival starting on Wednesday, which I’m disappointed to miss.  It looks like a mini- Burning Man. This is the pyre they have ready to burn. Note the closeness of the gas station in the background:🤷‍♀️

We met our German friend, Inken, for dinner and now it’s time to get ready for tomorrow, which will be a tough day.