Day 17: Basilica Papale Di Santa Maria Maggiore - the final place!

So back in February I received an email from the Prefecture of the Papal Household confirming my attendance at the Papal audience with Papa Francesco that would have taken place this morning.

Unfortunately, with his passing whilst I was still en route to Rome, this event was cancelled. However, I felt it appropriate today to come to the place where he is buried in Basilica Papale Di Santa Maria Maggiore.

I joined the queue and passed through security and then through yet another holy door to enter the Basilica.

Along with the many others here, I walked slowly along to the place where Papa Francesco was laid to rest after his funeral at Basilica Di San Pietro this last Saturday.

The place where he now lies is so simple - so very different to the fancy tombs at the St Peter's Basilica that I saw yesterday. And it felt fitting.

And then I went to collect one more stamp on my Credenziale:

And now, for me, it so right to finally end my pilgrimage here, writing this, sitting on the steps of the church in the warmth of the early evening sun.

I walked in the footsteps of St Francis to arrive here. And in a way, Papa Francesco, in choosing Francis as his papal name, echoing Francis' values and vision, also walked in his footsteps to this same place.

This journey, this pilgrimage - etched forever in my heart and mind. And I've just glanced up and seen this:

Grazie Francesco - both of them(!) - and Thank You God!

Buon Cammino Pellegrino!

In memoria:

St Francis

+

Papa Francesco

- - - - - 

Now with the pilgrimage at its conclusion, whilst there is much still to process and ponder, for now I shall shift into being a tourist and I will take the opportunity to explore something of walking in the footsteps of St Paul. Just so folk don't worry, I won't be posting regularly for a little bit, and I shall return to sharing updates to this blog when I get back to the UK as my sabbatical continues.

One last stop on the journey

With my final breakfast over I am just about to sort out my rucksack and pack up my suitcase. Later this morning I'll be moving on to (yet) another hotel for my few days break exploring Rome now that I'm finally here. I've never stayed in quite so many hotels night after night - it's been quite an experience with some places being truly lovely and others less so!

But this time I have to move my suitcase myself - oh well - it was actually quite weird leaving my suitcase every day and heading off with just my rucksack. But it was also nice that I didn't have to worry about it and the plus side of moving on this time will be actually staying in a hotel for more than one night - I think that will feel almost luxurious!!

Once I've swapped hotels I have one last place that I want to visit as part of my pilgrimage before I make the transition to tourist!

It is going to feel a bit strange not praying the pilgrim prayer today before I leave. Even after just two weeks there has been something about the familiarity of the words and them setting the pattern for the day in committing myself and the journey ahead into God's hands. 

I was so exhausted at the end of the day yesterday that even writing last night's reflection was challenging! I had intended to include the pilgrim prayer that I prayed at the Basilica, altered to the past tense, but my brain just wasn't up to it so here it is this morning instead.

- - -

Lord, who called Your servant Abraham out of the town of Ur in Chaldea, and who watched over him during his wanderings; who guided the Jewish people through the desert: I asked You to watch over Your present servant, who for love of Your name has made a pilgrimage from Assisi to Rome, following in the footsteps of St Francis:

You were for me

A companion on my journey

My guide at crossroads

My strength for when I grew weary

My fortress in danger

My resource in my wanderings

My shade in the day’s heat

The light in my darkness

A consolation when I was low in spirits

And the power behind my intention

So that I, under Your guidance, safely and unhurt, have reached the end of my journey, and strengthened with gratitude and power, secure and filled with happiness, have found my way home.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord,

Amen.

- - -

When I went into the chapel yesterday I put my Testamonium and Credenziale on the red velvet kneeler in front of me and sat there in the quiet and as I prayed the prayer above I'll admit there were tears: of relief, of amazement, of joy - just raw emotion after a journey that has just been incredible! 

There's a song by Matt Redman called 'Never Once' which we sang at church just before my sabbatical began at the beginning of April and the lyrics have rung so true for me these past days:

Standing on this mountaintop

Looking just how far we've come

Knowing that for every step

You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground

Seeing just how much You've done

Knowing every victory

Was Your power in us

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone

Carried by Your constant grace

Held within Your perfect peace

Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once - did I ever walk alone! What a truth to hold on to as I continue my walk with the One who always walks with me, and carries me when I need it the most:

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:4

This pilgrimage has been a long time in preparation and somehow even though the days and the walking felt long, in that moment suddenly it was all over and it all felt rather overwhelming. 

And as I sat at breakfast this morning, in the same hotel I was in only 18 days ago, it was surreal! And I 'almost' wished this was the beginning again rather than the end. I think my feet might have something to say about that - my heart holds a yearning - for the pathways, for the vistas, for the simple intention of travelling from one place to another. I think I'm suffering from a case of wanderlust!! Maybe I need to be planning another pilgrimage...?!

But as I said - one more thing to be doing today to officially conclude this one so I'd better get my luggage sorted and change accommodations one final time!

Day 16: completed! One step after another - from beginning to end.

Having prayed the pilgrims prayer at my open window this morning - a special and profound moment as these words have become so precious to me in these past days - I then proceeded to completely ignore my app today and do my own thing. The app suggested walking for 12km then riding on a bus for an hour which wouldn't even have got me to the Basilica, so instead I walked first to the station Monterotondo and caught a train to Roma Nomentana. 

I had to dice with yet another scary road on the way - what is it about Italians and lack of pavements?!

I used the train ride to reflect and wrote a reflection that you can read in a bit.

Once at Roma Nomentana I then walked across the city - stopping to get my final hotel stamp.

And then carrying on to arrive at St Peter's Basilica where my Credenziale was checked and completed and my Testamonium issued!

I made it!!!

Assisi to Rome (St Peter's Basilica - Vatican City)

265.63km / 160.05 miles

387421 steps

14th April - 29th April 2025

Sono un pellegrino - I am a pilgrim!

- - - - -

Thankfully the left foot held out until I was in possession of my testamonium, but then it began to complain in earnest.

The Basilica was extremely busy with people which felt quite overwhelming considering how isolated I've been in past days. The church was also extremely ornate and it was hard to get my head round what I'd just done whilst everyone else felt like they were in tourist mode.

I was able to take a moment to pause and pray in a designated silent chapel. It was a special moment as I prayed the pilgrims prayer in the past tense as a mark of the completion of my pilgrimage and then made my way back to my hotel - rather slowly and in a lot of discomfort! Praying for healing so I can enjoy the next few days I have planned in Rome. 

A quote from Papa Francesco:

Jesus is with us on the journey

“Life is a journey, along different roads, different paths, which leave their mark on us. We know in faith that Jesus seeks us out. He wants to heal our wounds, to soothe our feet which hurt from traveling alone, to wash each of us clean of the dust from our journey.” (2015)

The journey I've been on over the past two weeks, that today reached its conclusion as I arrived in Rome, has definitely left its mark on me. 

The paths I've travelled, the people I've met, the places I've seen have shaped the person I was, before I'd taken a single step, to the person I have become today.

Yes, my wounds need healing and my feet need soothing and I need the dust of the journey washed away. But the marks of this pilgrimage will remain, indelibly etched deep in my very being, in my heart and in my soul.

Jesus has sought me out and I, too, have sought Him, and as we have journeyed together this has wrought irrevocable change in me. I do not leave this precious time unaltered by this journeying with Him. It has been a privilege and a pleasure, a challenge and a joy. I am blessed indeed to have had this opportunity. And here is the reflection I mentioned earlier that I actually wrote on the train!

Pilgrim wanderer

I take the first step

And then, step by step by step I wander the pathways, the highways and the low ways 

The distance passes, my feet carrying me onward

By myself and yet not alone

For God journeys with me 

And I am buoyed along by those who travel with me in spirit

Moving onward on this journey

Lost, and found, in thoughts

A cherished sacred time

Of high mountain and valley low

Of forest trails and dusty roads

Every path leading me onward 

I treasure the people met along the way

Holy encounters - ordained and precious

Forever etched upon my heart

As I've been on this hallowed way

But now my destination beckons

Where my final step on this pilgrim journey will be taken

---

And now, this journey is complete 

No longer weighed down by that which I have carried with me

Instead this now swapped for the memories I shall forever hold

Rich and deep and profound

These are a burden I will be privileged to carry with me

As I continue on my way

Step, by step, by step

Bless you all for your part in my pilgrimage. I couldn't have done it without you!!

But for now - rest, and recovery!

Monterotondo to Rome

Oggi arrivo a Roma!

Today I arrive in Rome!

My final day of walking has arrived and I have a plan! The left foot is still tender though not as bad as I thought it might be (at the moment at least!). 

The app I've been following suggests walking for 12/13km (7.5/8miles) and then catching a bus into Rome which would take an hour. And after that I'd still have to get to St Peter's Basilica. But after a bit of research using my two additional guide books, and good old googlemaps, I will walk to the station at Monterotondo and take a 20 minute train ride to the outskirts of Rome, to Roma Nomentana.

From there I will then walk across the city to St Peters Basilica - about 7.5km (4.6miles) with the option of using public transport if my foot isn't happy.

I can't believe this day has finally arrived! 

I'm actually feeling super very excited to finally arrive in Rome and collect my testamonium with my Credenziale del Pellegrino that is now almost full of stamps that I've collected along the way! 

Ci vediamo a Roma!

See you in Rome!

Day 15 done and dusted. Running the gauntlet and making it through

It's interesting as I take a moment or two to write this to think how much more difficult these past few days have been than those at the beginning. Even considering the ridiculously hard ascent up Mount Subasio, since leaving Piediluco the days have just felt so much harder. And today was no exception. 

A quick breakfast in the cafe opposite kicked off my day and then I sent my luggage on its way and got going myself. 

I paused at the top of the hill and prayed the pilgrims prayer and got surprisingly emotional as I did so. Had to fish out a tissue and sort myself out! I think it was the realisation that there is just one more morning to pray this prayer, so goodness knows how I'll be tomorrow!

The initial part of the walk was ok - but as per my comment this morning I definitely had to 'dig deep' to get all the way through to Monterotondo.

But as another marathon quote I happened to come across today, by Cameron Jacobs, who became the youngest barefoot marathon runner yesterday, said:

"Believe you can and you're halfway there"

I'm not sure sure I was halfway, but I trusted that I would be able to do it and got going.

Firstly, as a much needed encouragement, whilst I haven't listened to much whilst I've been on this walk a song called 'Desert Road' by Casting Crowns, one of my favourite bands, has been popping up on social media so, as I had decent connection for once, I played it as I went along:

https://youtu.be/g8sazOiolF8?si=DMRc2Qit2WoJfQnD

And the words of the chorus just hit me:

I don't know where this is goin'

But I know who holds my hand

It's not the path I would've chosen

But I'll follow You to the end

Lord, as long as I am breathing

I will make Your glory known

Even if it means I'm walkin' on this desert road

And God and I had a little moment together at this point - much to the surprise of an older man and his dog out for a walk together along this same path!

Interestingly someone drove past just after this and stopped to offer me a lift - I thanked him and told him I was a pilgrim to which he nodded and then drove off.

Though in hindsight I do wonder if I maybe should have said yes as Palombara Sabina took almost as long to get out of as to get in yesterday! An hour and forty minutes including a rather dicey walk along a stretch of road with no verge and fast cars again!

At this point I was rather relieved to get away from the traffic - I ended up having to run for part of the length of the road so got extremely hot and sweaty and had to pause to recover in an olive grove. 

Once I'd cooled down I carried on but realised that getting up off the floor having covered so much distance in the past few weeks was a bit more tricky than I'd expected 🤣

I'd already planned to stop in a town about halfway called 'Castelchiodato' for a coffee so I was just about there when I happened to encounter a lady coming the other way who asked me where I was going. When I told her I'd walked from Assisi she was amazed and told me I had great faith and gave me a hug! We swapped photos and names - she was called Euliana - and it was a really special God-ordained precious moment of encouragement! She was so lovely! 

Duly encouraged I was grateful to find there was a cafe round the corner so I stopped for a proper rest with a cappuccino sitting on a chair - so much easier to get up out of! And then I continued on towards Monterotondo. I had another stretch of scary road to endure and then I spotted my first wild boar - 'cinghiale' - glad they were at a distance though.

Now my app seemed to be suggesting I carried on along the scary road, but I simply couldn't take the stress so I looked at the map and figured out I could take a detour through a forest and rejoin the route at a later point. 

The forest was so lovely - such a relief not to have to be walking with such a sense of fear and apprehension! And what was nice was discovering the red/white markers of another trail. I'd had to use them previously for short parts of the walk in previous days so it was nice to have the reassurance of these as I made my way through to the rejoining point. Made me think of Gloucester as their colours are cherry and white! And also as Andy is such a fan, having told him I was going off route these frequent bright markers felt like he was really with me!

Funnily enough when I rejoined the route it had me following the red/white markers anyway! But I was so glad I'd chosen not to go the road route - though unbeknownst to me my adventures with scary roads were not yet over!

It was a really lovely forest walk and even when I lost the cloud race, at least initially, the tree canopy kept me fairly dry so that was a relief.

But...all good things seem to have to come to and end and as I exited the forest the rain began to come down more heavily and then I was taken back onto scary roads once again - and this time the scariest yet!!

Just had the realisation I can wear my coat backwards arms and all as the weather got worse!

A welcome sight having not seen blue/yellow markers for quite a while!

"To stay is to exist, but to travel is to live."
-Gustave Nadaud-

There aren't any photos of this extremely terrifying road because I had to keep my wits about me as the cars passing me were going so quickly and the opportunities for pausing out of their way were limited and given the weather as well it all got quite fraught. I did have yet another person stop to offer me a lift, but as I was on the opposite side of the road and their stopping caused traffic to come to a standstill behind them it felt easier to wave them on. But again, as the next part of the walk took me the best part of an hour rather than about 7 mins drive I do kind of regret saying no thanks!

Finally, foot sore and weary, though thankfully unsquashed, I entered Monterotondo.

This is where the official walk concluded, but I still had another 10 mins walk to my hotel. 

One very, very, relieved pilgrim!!!

When I said foot sore I really mean it - whilst the padding and plasters stayed on all day the foot was sore all the way - all 21.33km (13.25miles) of it. The blistering has got worse and I am now seriously debating whether or not to follow the last section tomorrow. Though it has to be said when I'd been looking at the plans before I even started the pilgrimage one thing I'd made a note to do was walk to the train station here and catch a train into the centre of Rome so I could drop my stuff off at my hotel and then walk the 50 minutes to Saint Peter’s Basilica/Basilica di San Pietro to get my testamonium.

Speaking of which, my pilgrim brothers sent me a photo of them receiving theirs! I'm so so happy for them and am even more eager to get mine now!

I will make the final decision about the last section in the morning - but suffice to say that having walked more than 250km (155 miles) or already I think I'll be happy to go with my alternative plan. I've always said I was never wedded to every step - and if this sore foot is the reason I don't walk the final 12km/7.5miles then that, I think, is fine with me.  

As I reflected earlier in a chat with Andy the 'flavour' of the walk has significantly changed in the past few days, and I can really see why people walk Rome to Assisi rather than the way I've done it. The walk just seems to have felt harder each day, the terrain has changed and it is has felt busier and busier as I've got nearer to Rome. Maybe in a way that's a good thing - preparing me in a way to be more ready to come to the end of this pilgrimage. 

But for now, one more night before my arrival in Rome.

Palombara Sabina to Monterotondo

A very different view out of my window this morning:

And for that I am thankful - I've just checked the weather forecast and it suggests the possibility of rain again after lunch. Another cloud race may well be on!! But this will depend on my feet. 

Although not too achy when I got up they are still sore. I'm all bandaged up and praying they don't cause too much trouble for this, my penultimate day of walking. Just today and tomorrow to go which feels a bit of a surreal sentence to write after all these days of walking. 

As I've got closer to Rome there are definitely mixed emotions going on. Excitement to nearly be there, sadness it's nearly over and concern as to whether I can make it but I just happened to watch a news reel from yesterday's London marathon (the first time ever I don't think I've watched the start to try and spot the house I used to live in and my childhood church) and the interviewer was asking "What's one thing you've learnt about yourself today?" And one lady replied: "That I can do it, that if I dig deep I can do it."

Now if this lady can run a marathon, given that I stood beside and watched the London marathon for 25 years and said that one day I'd do it - but nope...that's never going to happen - I have already walked 229km / 142 miles I know I can do these last two days.

So this is what will carry me today - I can do it - if I dig deep, I can do it!!

 

Day 14 over. Car dodging and impromptu galoshes - a day of two halves.

So I set off this morning Google maps at the ready and began following the route suggested by my hosts. The first half an hour or so was great - lovely sunshine, olive trees and barely a car in sight. But then I had to walk along a much more busy road without much of a verge! 

There weren't loads and loads of cars, but every time one appeared I had to get out of the way - as I've mentioned before Italian drivers frequently drive very fast and close! I also had to swap sides quite a few times because of blind corners. So for maybe an hour and a half I had to walk on 'high alert' checking constantly whether I could hear traffic and which direction it was coming from and whether I had somewhere to stand whilst the cars, motorbikes or cyclists (some at quite some speed!) passed by. It has to be said that I was quite relieved to get back on track to the planned route in my app. What I hadn't reckoned for was the planned route taking a very short sharp direction upwards towards the town of Moricone. I found a bench to sit on to catch my breath as I'd not been able to stop properly since I left my accommodation!

I didn't care it had almost disappeared in the weeds - it was a seat and it did the job! 

Once I'd sat for a moment I climbed the steep climb up into Moricone and stopped at the first cafe I found for some much needed refreshment and a bit more of a rest.

By this point I'd covered 10.7km/6.6 miles in about 2 and a half hours. Ok, I thought - let's carry on!

Having had a short sharp climb into Moricone I then had another short sharp climb the other side! 

Worth it for the views but it did get my heart pumping!

I then was taken along a rough path that began to make my feet hurt because it was uneven in a way, bizarrely, that previous paths had not been. Around 15km/9.3 miles I finally found a suitable stone to perch on and administer some first aid! Am amazed that I've got this far without incident but once patched up I carried on again. But then I encountered this:

The instructions said 'cross the bridge' - hmm...easier said than done when the mud/water was the width of the bridge and reasonably deep. As was proved when a cyclist came up behind me and casually cycled through spraying water left and right as he did so!

Now, necessity is the mother of invention and there was no way I was going to get wet feet if I could avoid it so I put some lunch bags to the rescue with some micropore tape from my medical kit. And voila!

With a bit of wibbly wobbly walking on random stones and tree branches I then was able to climb onto the concrete under the crash barrier. Hanging on to this for dear life I sidestepped my way across and reached the other side fairly unscathed - a bit worn out but triumphant because my feet were dry! Yay!

I removed my plastic protection and carried on and was happy about 20 past 2 to find a sign saying I was approaching my destination.

But my happiness was short lived as I didn't actually get to my accommodation for another hour and a half!!! And that was because of many ups and downs, climbing along forestry paths all the while racing a rather dark cloud. And then I lost the race 😔 

Now I had sore feet, was all hot and bothered and also wet from the rain and at this point had no idea how far I still had to go.

Palombara Sabina in the distance...this is where my knees joined my feet and began to complain!

Down and now up again!!! Thankfully Andy was encouraging me to keep going at this point - I was losing the will to carry on I was so weary and sore.

Once at the top I had to stand under an awning to message my host and he came out to meet me and took me to the B&B. And of course my room is on the top floor so had make yet another ascent! And this on top of the 22.3km/13.2 miles I'd travelled to get here!

It was too wet for a photo outside when I arrived but this is the door to my place for the night. And at this point if I'd thought it was heavy rain before I was wrong!! The heavens opened and there was thunder and lightning and I couldn't see out of the window at one point because the cloud cover was so low!

I am grateful my place has a bath and a plug! But my feet still hurt and I am feeling a little stiff after today's hike. But once I had rested a bit, and the rain has eased, I set off to find some dinner.

And this is the door when the rain had stopped!

What a day! It's amazing how hard it is to walk with sore feet. I've heard that blisters can halt a pilgrimage walk and I can very well see why! 

Praying for them to be ok for the walk tomorrow and not to seize up too much or getting out of the room for breakfast across the road will be a challenge enough!

And I am so grateful that the rain I've encountered so far hasn't been horrendous like it has been on a few days just after my arrival!

Just 2 more days to go - a longish walk tomorrow and then the day I will arrive back in Rome. Going to finish my meal now and climb back up to my room and get some much needed rest in preparation!