Читать книгу The Way of St Francis. Via di Francesco: From Florence to Assisi and Rome онлайн

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There is a sort of weekly riposo, too: stores often close on Saturday at noon and then won’t reopen until Monday afternoon or even Tuesday morning. In small towns and villages this can make it a challenge to find groceries on Sunday mornings, so be certain to plan ahead.

Laundry

In large cities there are almost always coin-operated laundromats. Ask the hotel or hostel clerk for the nearest location. Laundry is most reliably washed in the sink, so plan to have soap, clothespins and a clothesline with you.

Water fountains

Only occasionally are there water fountains in the middle of a stage and when there are, they are seldom marked for drinkability. Our maps show locations of water fountains that are confirmed as potable, but carrying a 2-liter water supply in fall and spring and a 3-liter supply in the summer is recommended.

Planning and training

Choosing a schedule

While the complete walk of 28 stages with the extra walking tour of Rome could be accomplished in 29 walking days, that’s not nearly enough time to enjoy and appreciate this important pilgrimage and its many wonders. Unless you have already toured Rome and Florence you would want to spend at least one or two extra days in each. You can’t enjoy Assisi in what’s left of the day it took to walk there, so add another day for St Francis’ home town. It’s good to allow for a day of rest every week anyway, so that means a realistic, complete itinerary would be in the realm of 35 days, not including travel to and from Italy.