Hiking, Via Francigena

And We’re Off! Lucca to Galleno

Retirement Reflections

Lucca proved to be a wonderful place to hang out before our pilgrimage. There was much to see and do, including the Old Town, City Walls, Botanical Gardens and  the Via Francigena Museum (a must see for Pilgrims and non-Pilgrims alike)! It also allowed us to check off the practicalities that we needed to do, i.e. getting our Official Pilgrim Passports, purchasing a local SIM card, and picking up a few last minute items. Most importantly, it was a great place to hang out with our youngest son.  During our final evening, I chose to neglect my blog and watched reruns of Friends with Creighton, something we did frequently when he was younger. Our photos will need to tell you the rest of our Lucca story.

Accommodations: Affittacamere Luce,Traversa III di Via Romana, 96,Lucca, Tuscany 55100. Phone: 3208424344, lucerooslucca@gmail.com.  Cost: 40 euros per night for a double room, 60 euros for a triple..   Highlights – Extremely engaging and conscientious owner.  Super clean and comfy environment with large kitchen. Considerations – The accommodations were very close to the VF Trail but they were a fair jaunt outside of the City Center and Tourist Trail. We inadvertently accumulated more pre-trail walking than originally planned.

Botanical Gardens
The Via Francigena Museum
More from the VF. Museum.
Absolutely no lack of food and drink!

And before we knew it, we were off to Galleno

Day One Distance Walked: 24 km
Time: 6 hours + rest breaks.

Fears Realized: Zero! No unleashed angry dogs, no mosquitos,  no snakes seen, no big climbs, no death-defying traffic and no rain…..at least not yet. As a bonus, there were numerous places to eat, drink, and refill our water bottles.

Best of all, the views were lovely and the walking felt great (tiring, but immensely satisfying)!

Accommodations; Casetta dei Pelegrini, Galleno.
Tel: 0571 299931 – Cell: 366 9997072  sanpietrogalleno@gmail.com. 
La Casetta dei Pellegrini is located near the Church of Galleno, along the path of the Via Francigena that passes from Altopascio through the woods, and continues to Ponte a Cappiano and Fucecchio. it comes out right in the square of the Church of Galleno .
11 beds. Beds may be booked in advanced via phone or email. Basic Rooms (3 beds in our room shared with one other hiker). As a bonus free internet and chocolate were also provided.
Cost: Donation.

Next Stop: San Miniato Basso

* Thank you for all of your kind comments. I promise to reply soon,

 

Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

65 thoughts on “And We’re Off! Lucca to Galleno”

      2. Congratulations on getting to Rome. My mornings will be so much bleaker now without your report to read! (I’d got into the habit of reading it out to hubby while we were driving home from our morning walk each day).

        Like

  9. Looking good! Great all the info about the places costs etc….have a great journey🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏻‍♂️😎

    Like

    Reply

  12. What a great way to kick off the journey Donna – lovely weather, plenty of food and water, and clean, affordable (and colourful!) accommodation. Hope the trip continues on as well as it’s started xx

    Like

    Reply

  13. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, Donna. The weather looks perfect. I’m happy you ignored the blog and watched reruns of Friends with Creighton. Times like that are special. Enjoy and be safe! xo

    Like

    Reply

  19. Hi Donna – the others have said it well … I’m so glad you had that extra time with Creighton … fun. Just enjoy … cheers Hilary

    Like

    Reply

  21. Hi Donna,
    The pics tell a great story. Love also the reviews of your accommodations. Glad the first “real” day was quiet and a good introduction to the trail.

    Like

    Reply

  26. Hi Donna, I poured myself a glass of wine and reading your posts is my end of week reward:). I am also bookmarking your posts for reference. The museum photo with the silhouettes is a cool effect. Time with your son, priceless:)

    Like

    Reply

      1. I am slightly embarrassed. It sounds like I mentioned a glass of wine when reading through blogs a couple of times. Occasionally, not all the time:) 🙂

        Like

  29. The 24 on the first day was fine as it was fairly flat with numerous places to stop for food and drink along the way. Although many complain about the boring views (of roadside traffic) on this stretch, I quite liked it!

    Like

    Reply
  30. Pingback: Revising our Travel Bucket List: Vancouver Island North – Retirement Reflections

Leave a comment