Ostia - Roma - Castello Gandolfo 2 and 3 November

Yesterday Leonardo and me went to Ostia on the west side of Rome to visit the old Roman city Ostia Antica, which was the natural harbour of Rome at the mouth of the Tiber as well as a far developed commercial centre. It is now basically a city in ruins with streets, numerous houses, theaters and the like. We walked through if for a couple of hours, had a Pizza and went for the beach at Ostia Lido for a swim. Imagine a swim in November and it wasn't even cold. To day I left the little hotel at Ostia and took a train back to Rome and said good bye to Leonardo to start walking the southern leg of the Via Franchigena which goes all the way to Bari and Brindisi in the south. It is  part of an important pilgrims route to Jerusalem. I won't be walking all the way to the end of this route, but just try out a part of it and walk without meeting so many other pilgrims and see how it is. I have said good bye to all the other pilgrims I have met along the way and the ones I have been with in Rome who have now left for home and we have had a great time on the way and in Rome. Already to day I didn't see any other pilgrims going this way, so I expect not to meet many other pilgrims. Maybe it will be easier to find accommodation on the way. How far I will walk is also dependent on the weather the coming days and weeks. I have also been warned for stray dogs that may be aggressive towards lone wanderers, so let's hope that doesn't happen.

The Via Appia is the old Roman road going south from Rome and the first part to Castel Gandolfo is a particularly nice with all the cypresses and parasol pines. The road goes on a straight line for kilometers on end and parts of it are still paved with the old stones that still show signs of the thousands of cart wheels that went here from 2300 years ago. It was overcast and rain threatened but never came, so it was  a pleasant walk without the heat of the last days in Rome.

Castel Gandolfo has a Papal Palace and is used as the summer resident of many a pope, but Pope Fransiscus never uses it. It is otherwise a nice little village on the rim of an old crater which is now a big lake. To morrow onwards to Velletri. Rain is expected..