Sezze to Colle Petroso to Fossanova to Capocroce – 6th June
Distance: 27.5 km – Elevation +300 m -610 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 27 degrees
I woke just before 6.00 am having slept for 9 hours. The air was fresh as I ventured onto the terrace to retrieve my washing which I had washed and hung out to dry before sleep last night. The washing was perfectly dry and I was back to two sets of fresh clean clothes. I had asked for an early breakfast and sure enough, it was served on the terrace at 7.00 am. I love being in the mountains and despite the toils of the climbs the rewards are many, and this morning was one of those rewards as I sat enjoying breakfast with magnificent expansive views of the plains below with its ceiling of a perfectly blue sky.
After thanking my host, I began the day’s journey at 8.00 am and after a few directional mishaps I eventually found my way to the Via Sorana and the Via Francigena Sud. It was all downhill for the first 8 kilometres partly on the provincial road and partly on dirt tracks. The views on the descent to the plains and the distant mountains were outstanding. The dirt tracks passed through small farming communities with pastures and orchards. Many of the pastures were covered in a sea of poppies and the hedgerows were alive with wildflowers. It’s in these moments that I wonder at the beauty of the world in which we live – God’s creation in all its glory.
A few kilometres before Priverno the path ran beside the algae covered Canale Allacciante Iavone-Amaseno. In the small hamlet of Ceriara on the outskirts of Priverno I came to the delightful small parochial Church Madonna di Pompei where I was able to sit quietly and shelter from the heat of the mid morning sun. Passing through Priverno I stopped briefly for coffee.
From Priverno the road climbs through the olive groves in the surrounding countryside before descending on dirt tracks through scrubland and woodlands to reach the Cistercian Abbey of Fossanova which many claim to be the finest example of early Burgundian Gothic architecture in Italy. It was built in the 12th century and is where the Dominican scholastic Thomas Aquinas died in 1274. The church and its surroundings are outstanding.
After visiting the Abbey I had a 7 kilometre walk along a quiet provincial road to reach my B&B which was located in the rural hamlet of Capocroce.
