We started October by traveling from Maritime di Massa to Camaiore, leaving the Ligurian Sea to go back inland for the rest of our Camino.

To get to Maritime di Massa (Port of Massa) we walked through heavy rain that came an hour before predicted. We were soaked and uncomfortable, but luckily the next day was mostly clear and we felt ourselves again!

On another rainy evening in Aulla, a town with ancient Roman roots and name, we made friends with two French pilgrims, Annelise and Simon. They are a delightful couple expecting their first child and spending six plus weeks walking the Via de San Francesco, starting with two weeks of tent camping through France to get to Italy! We admire their stamina and their enormous good nature and charm.

Highlights of the last few days: After the rain and wet we have been blessed with fine weather.

When we reached the fabulous small city of Lucca, we treated ourselves to a “rest day” which means we actually spent two consecutive nights in the same place! Our last rest day was in Pavia, 11 days earlier. It was delightful.

We continue to exercise Ed’s imagination and planning to use a combination of busses, trains and cabs to be able to walk about 10 to 12 km per day. This is less than our 2019 camino daily average of 15 km but appears sustainable. Ed can go longer and faster but is kind to adapt to my capabilities. Anne has two new blisters but the highly effective silicone patches sold in Italy work beautifully. Along the way, we are also becoming quite knowledgeable about the idiosyncrasies of Italian local public transport.