D39 Sutri to Campagnano di Roma

Sutri did not disappoint. I had a perfect basement room right in the heart of the old town perched on a hill bisected by the Via Francigena. Built on a Tufa outcrop which the Etruscans had carved into then further embellished over the next 2500 years it's a little treasure trove. The close up of the medieval gate shows it is based on the original Roman stonework whilst the amphitheatre fashioned out of the Tufa outcrop has some features suggesting Etruscan origins. As you can see I even had a half hour for cycle maintenance outside my room rented out by a delightful family (the daughter is a med student in Rome) who plied me with fruit from their garden for the journey - the sweetest red fleshed little peaches I have ever tasted.

The route took me through a national park with waterfalls that day so I was geared up for a river swim and picnic. An route I encountered two guys harvesting figs (Albanian and Cape Verde.....As in Greece UK and presumably all of Europe field work isn't done by locals!)....who plied me with yet more fruit!

Italians are funny at beauty spots - instead of swimming in the beautiful cool mountain water they spend their time posing for highly contrived photos (girls pushingg out bosoms and guys sucking in tummies) so possibly in protest I don't have a photo from the stop which ended with a light drizzle which triggered a frenzied mass exodus of the horses in their cars fortunately in the opposite direction . After taking my leave of another pellegrino with whom I had enjoyed a couple of chats (one of the fast solo walking  males who catch up the indolent cyclist much to the corners delight and my slight embarassment!) I got going again ahead of the afternoon storm. my intended destination Formello was described to have a pilgrim  hostel in a renaissance palazzo at which I was unsurprisingly kean to stay but now getting wise to the slightly random nature of the hostel organisation i had been calling ahead with no answer. So when I emerged into the preceding town Campagnano  di Roma found it to be almost intimidating medieval (all grey stone amidst the darkening skies) I was in a bit of a quandary whether to stop or push on. Being a bar stopper that resolved the matter when fellow pellegrino Bruno and his son invited me to join their  table and a rather funny half hour ensued with Bruno (Italian Swiss via Montreal!) kindly interrogating locals about a place to stay for me which was resolved  (as always?) By booking.com producing a local apoartment in the perfect location round the corner with a lovely landlady who came down to the bar to collect me!