Every hotel should have them… comfy beds, good showers, quiet, great vistas, and often, but not always, a TV. And obviously a church.
Which is where Francesca and her hotel in Sutri in the Lazio region of Italy, 70km outside of Rome, comes in.
Francesca is my babysitter on that leg of the 100km pilgrimage from Viterbo into Rome.
Which means that she has to show me the directions out of the village.
And onto the Via Francigena which means tutto diretto, always straight.
But, of course, she has to tell me twice… and inevitably I get lost and almost shot by a farmer shooting pheasants.
It happens.
And before she sent me on my way, she had to go into town early to get me plasters for my feet.
Charity begins at Rome
From my walk which was by then 5km longer than it should have been.
On account of me getting lost.
I would put on maybe 20 extra kilometres.
This being Italy and on the Via Francigena route charity is at the forefront.
And so back to the church.
It is a quirk, or an age-old custom, perhaps both, to have a church attached to their hotel.
And this is a working one, not like the church besides the Paradores hotel I stayed in recently.
Next to thE El Teide National Park in Tenerife.
Which for reasons unbeknown to me was locked.
Now there are few better ways to start a day than a quick quiet reflection.
On our place in the world among the hustle and bustle.
Now that can be a prayer in a church, or wherever your God lives, and a look outside and what He made.
OK, he seems to have given preferential treatment to the Italians, Il Bel Paese (the beautiful country).
But wherever you are in the world there are signs of his handiwork.
More hotels should have churches. After all who needs a gym?
Anyhow, to the important links… http://www.FrancigenaWays.com and http://www.CanariaWays.com.
And here are a couple of reminders of why walking the good walk is good for you and gets you closer to God.
And I don’t mean by almost bringing you nearer to death! https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/small-roads-lead-to-rome/ And https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/tenerife-walk/
MEET YOU IN THE PEWS
