Chuck's News: Day Two -Thursday, October 22, 2026

My heart attack of August 26 combined with Jeff’s impending surgery 2 weeks later put an end to our walk from Great Saint Bernard Pass to Lucca. We cancelled flights, cancelled room reservations and weeped big tears at the lost chance to visit iconic places in Northern Italy. But, the biggest loss of all was the lost chance to reconnect with our wonderful Camino friends Tom, Susan, Jonathan, Franny and Nikki who were hiking the same route. They had started in Switzerland a month before us and would be days ahead when we started from the pass, but we had plans to train or bus ahead to visit with them and then return to our walk.

Thankfully, no damage occurred to my heart, my clogged cardiac arteries were opened with stents and pains I had experienced for years melted away with the blood returning to my heart.

Invincible Sally immediately took action to revive our walk in Italy. The fact that we were now six weeks later in the season for our starting date made starting at 8000’ up Great Saint Bernard pass a less desirable option, so we decided to do the next section from Lucca to Rome. We timed our arrival in Rome to coincide with the ending of our friends walk, we would arrive by plane a day after they arrived by foot. Last night was the reunion. Today was a continuation of our journey in seeing such wonderful people and friends.

Sally slept the whole night through last night. I know, because I lay awake next to her listening to her gently snore. Doesn’t she know about jet lag? I do, because I lay awake hour after hour as my body ignored local time and insisted it was early afternoon through most of the night. I did sleep an hour or two just before my alarm tried to wake me at 7:30. The night wasn’t a complete loss, but I would have benefitted from more sleep. Sally woke refreshed and ready to go.

We breakfasted on boiled eggs we had prepared in our electric tea kettle last night and a yogurt, then headed out the door a little before 9:00 to rendezvous with our friends at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore at 9:30. We walked in reverse the same road we had taken yesterday, climbing back up toward the Termini train station. At the church we waited a few minutes for the rest to arrive then spent 10 minutes in line to have our bags scanned before entering the church. Sally was particularly excited because this is the church that Pope Francis chose to be buried in. The church was first built in the 300’s and has been added onto through the years. There was quite a crowd in the church. We wandered around, viewing Bernini’s and Francis’ places of rest, seeing a relic from the manger of Christ’s birth and enjoying the artwork throughout.

After an hour we headed out the door, then down the street to a sidewalk cafe to have something to drink. We found a couple of empty tables we could slide together to accommodate all seven of us, then enjoyed coffee, Cokes or lattes and pastries. Periodically the discussion would turn to what we wanted to go see or do as a group. The consensus was, we were doing now what we most wanted to do, be together. We spent an hour sharing stories, experiences and ideas. They were good about pointing out places on our upcoming route that they had found meaningful as we peppered them with questions.

Tom and Susan had an afternoon flight to catch, and so our fellowship had to disband before noon. Nicki, Sally and I headed for the Metro stop to ride across town to St. Peter’s Basilica. Susan had made reservations for a tour of the basilica for the three of us the day before, guided by an organization I was never really clear about. We needed to be in front of the facade of the church at 2:15.

We had a little time to spare so we stopped at a cafe for cokes and a bite to eat, then got in line about 1:45, hoping we would make it through security and up onto the front of the church by 2:15. As we stood in line we noticed people trying to cut into the line in front of us. Once inside the fences that guide the crowds a few people tried to pass us and cut the line. Both Sally and I admired and enjoyed the way Nicky matter-of-factly shooed them back, telling them quite loudly that everyone here had waited and so could they, so get back to the end. The end was a good 100 yards behind us.

As it turned out our timing was perfect. We arrived right on time and met Michael, a priest and our tour guide.

The next two an a half hours we were treated to Michael and his explanation of the history and meanings of St. Pete’s. You might think 2 and a half hours a long time, but Michael was so sincere, so engaging and so knowledgeable that the time slipped by unnoticed. The 15 or so people in our group really enjoyed the tour and complimented Michael. Sally paid him the ultimate compliment when she said we would be excited to see him as pope.

We stopped at another cafe, this time for two beers and a fizzy water, then we walked the 1.3 miles back to our room. Nicki came up to see our place and have Sally try on a lightweight jacket she wanted to give her. 10 minutes later, amid sad goodbyes we parted with Nicky. We have hopes of getting together again, perhaps when we visit in Australia, maybe when she comes north for another adventure.

Time to get busy planning our walk. Primed with ideas from the group and using their guidebook they gifted to us, we planned the first three days of our walk, making reservations for places to stay, all three pilgrim Osterias. We take a bus to Lucca tomorrow, spend two nights there, touring the town and resting, then Sunday morning we begin our walk. Because the first stage spends 7 miles passing through the outskirts of Lucca through the industrial area we decided to take a short train ride two stops to avoid it and then walk the final 5 miles into Altopascio. We then split the next stage, an 18 miles distance into two nine mile days, staying the second night in the town of Ponte A Cappiano. Ponte is Italian for bridge and our accommodations for that night are literally on the bridge, a structure built by Cosimo de Medici in the late 1500’s. After that, we plan to spend day three walking the 9+ miles to Miniato, a hill top town.

We are saddened to have our friend gone, and Rome now seems a little empty and a bit lonely, but we have our adventure in front of us and are both excited to get walking.