Cori to Norma – 4th June
Distance: 14.4 km – Elevation +490 m -340 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 27 degrees
The scheduled route suggests a stage of 30 kilometres to reach Sezze. I had decided from the start of this pilgrimage that I would keep daily distances relatively low for the first week and consequently, I decided to take two days to reach Sezze. So today I had set Norma as my destination – a distance of close to 15 kilometres and as it turned out, to have continued to Sezze would have been beyond my capabilities at this moment.
I was not expecting any great difficulties in completing the day’s walk and was in no rush to leave Cori. Much of today’s walk was off-road through farmland and wooded areas on the slopes of Monte Lupone. It had rained overnight and the tracks were muddy making the ascents difficult, I was constantly slipping in the mud. In several places, the tracks were difficult to discern which meant delays caused by backtracking to locate the correct path. For the first 4 hours it was a constant climb rising from 320 metres at the start to an elevation of 750 metres. It was slow going and I covered just 8 kilometres in those first 4 hours. But the toil of the climb and the mud was overshadowed by the beauty of the landscape. Everywhere was fresh and green, the woodlands were mainly Beech and there were wildflowers galore, honeysuckle, rambling roses in soft pink, and sweet peas.
The initial descent before Norma was difficult too with some rocky sections but again muddy and slippery tracks. On one occasion I slipped on a downward slope and ended up on my backside and had to remove my rucksack before I could recover my footing. There were tantalising views of Norma through the trees as the descent continued. After the woodlands, with around 4 kilometres to my destination, I reached the provincial road of Via Passeggiata San Giovanni with its magnificent wide-open views of the lush Pontitian Plain. In the distance, I saw hang gliders starting their flights on a nearby hill and then seemingly hover above the plains below before beginning their descent. I reached Norma in the early afternoon, and whilst waiting for my B&B to open I found a cafe where I sat and enjoyed a sandwich and a beer reflecting on what had been a really wonderful day. The B&B was located on the edge of Norma, it was excellent and added to the joy of the day. There was a roof terrace with exceptional views of the surrounding mountains and the expansive Pontitian Plain below. At one point has I stood in amazement at the beauty set out before me, a flight of swallows appeared, swooping and diving around and above the roof terrace – I was in awe at the magnificence of their flight. It was a cloudy evening and it looked as if it might rain later, but there is an old saying, “When the Swallows fly high, the weather will be dry.”.
After resting and making preparations for the morrow I explored the narrow streets of ancient Norma and found a trattoria just a short distance from the B&B where I enjoyed a really tasty risotto and a local wine.
