Day 14 Eremo di San Pietro in Vigneto: Hermitage with dormitory

Today: 15 kilometers, little elevation gain and no rain. Who would have thought it, it's possible.

At the end of Gubbio, I take a moment to look at the beautiful and well-preserved 17th century frescoes in the Santa Maria della Vittorina chapel. They show scenes from the life of Francis. Legend has it that he tamed a dangerous wolf here.

Afterwards, the route goes through the valley and then uphill on a beautiful, slowly ascending path.

My rain poncho

My rain poncho and I have now made peace. It no longer gets tangled up in my backpack when I put it on. And I've told it over the last few days how glad I am that I have it. Yes, that's how it is when you're alone. You start talking to your rain poncho :-). The fact that you bear an unmistakable resemblance to the Hunchback of Notre Dame? You have to bear it bravely. At least it stops the rain from running down between your back and your backpack. But today: thank God, it's not an issue.

The path today

The landscape reminds me a bit of the Bavarian Forest, with the difference that there are olive trees and vines here.

The guide says: "Make sure you stock up on food in Ponte d'Assi." It says that there are no places to stop for refreshments or buy groceries until we reach the end of the stage the next day. So I stock up on food and accept the extra kilo on my back.

In the Eremo I am immediately greeted with the information that dinner is served at 7 p.m.

The route is peaceful and quiet, but no longer lonely. There are many beautifully maintained farms with agritourism facilities. So you wouldn't necessarily have to worry about starving to death here.

14 accommodations and their special features

Today I am sleeping for the first time in accommodation with voluntary donations. You can imagine the Eremo as a mountain hut in the Alps, with a dormitory, but here it is a typical stone building.

The price structure of the accommodations over the last two weeks was interesting. The range was from 40 to 55 euros without breakfast. It is interesting to note that there is perhaps a difference of 2-3 euros between a dump and a wonderful apartment. You don't have to understand everything.

If you manage to get a place in a monastery, it will cost around 40 to 50 euros including dinner and breakfast - all for pilgrims only, of course. It is helpful to have a pilgrim's pass with you, for which you can get a stamp in every place.

Hermitage of San Pietro in Vigneto

The hermitage, a small but well-fortified complex, stands on a hill and on "ancient cult ground," as the guidebook says. The remains of a pagan temple and marble statues of protective deities were found here 300 years ago and are now in a museum in Florence. The chapel bears remains of frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries.

It is a truly spiritual place, especially at sunset. Then you should leave the protective walled courtyard with the bell and enjoy the quiet moment in the three-sided brick roundel with the cross in the middle.