Day 21: Stage 16: Piediluco, 27 km, Drizzle, 20°

Death By A Thousand Stairs!

Last night having missed lunch I was pretty hungry. I ordered three different plates of food! It was wonderful, and surprisingly inexpensive. While I was in the middle of dinner, I was invited to join a couple from Adelaide, Australia after my meal for a visit. I gratefully excepted the offer, and we spent the next two hours mostly talking about walking and other travels. My South African friends had told them to look out for me, which was very considerate. Before I knew it, it was at 20:00 and time to get ready for the next day and then try to sleep.


Last night I had been informed that breakfast would not be until 8 o’clock this morning. I didn’t really want to wait that long, so I made a plan to be up early and on the road before 7:30. I’m wide awake by six so it’s not really a problem.

When I looked out my window it appeared to have rained most of the night. As I was going to try and find something to eat in the next village, I set off down the highway because at that early hour I figured there wouldn’t be very much traffic. It was an educated guess which paid off nicely. 

It wasn’t looking as though it was going to be a very nice day and drizzled most of the morning. I didn’t bother with wet gear, but I did put my pack cover on before I left. I thought of my South African friends having to climb over what I passed through yesterday in the rain and the clouds. They are only carrying day packs, but even then it’ll be slick. Hopefully they all do well.


That’s a watch tower up on the hill. Historically this has been a very strategic route into Umbria, and in early times this route was clearly well defended and taxed. I would continue to see these types of watch towers most of the stage. 
I had planned to walk the 4 1/2 km to Ferentillo because there was a grocery store there that opened early, and I knew I could get something to eat there. However, it turned out that luck was on my side as I found a bar open in the centre of town where I was able to get something to eat and some hot tea. Happy days!

I crossed the highway on this foot bridge and re-joined the route. 
It’s easy to see how a couple of well-placed fortresses could control access to this beautiful valley.

Back under way. I must say, the trail was generally in much better condition after the rain than I thought it would be. There were some puddles and muddy areas, but most of the time it was very walkable. This was a pretty easy stage except for one section which I’ll come to later. 

Looking back towards where I started the day, deep in that valley, almost more like a gorge in some places. You can just make out the two fortress towers, one on either side of the entrance to the narrow pass.

In fairly quick succession, I passed through three mediaeval hill towns.

It was nice to see that I am making some progress towards Rome. That distance can be comfortably managed in the next six days. I think there’s one 30+ kilometre day, but all the rest are sub 30.

Today’s cat is one wet lookin specimen, but a seemingly patient critter. Further up the road I met a friendlier cat, and recorded a video to send to the kids.

For a time my wanderings at home are going to seem so dull after walking here! Even here I occasionally find myself becoming a little blasé about yet another mediaeval hill town😂. After giving myself a swift kick, I remember just why I’m here and the special reasons for walking in Europe.

As ever, the poppies never disappoint even in the rain.

You might recall that I indicated yesterday that there would hopefully be a special experience today. There was!

This is called the Cascata delle Marmore. I’ve read that it’s nearly 1300 years old and was built by the Romans in 271 BC. At 165 m, it’s the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. It was built in order to drain the marshy Rieti Valley wetlands in an effort to end malaria in the region. Late last night I read that on weekdays they typically turn on the water around noon and later on in the afternoon for a couple of hours. As I approached at around 11:00 I could hear two long sirens. It seemed that they had turned on the taps earlier than I had expected. My guide book says that it’s a €10 entry fee, but the actual entry fee is €12. However, if you’re a pilgrim you get in for free! This was turning into a very special day.🙂.

Here are some photos and videos from an exceptional visit. This is when I want a real camera with me, and not my phone. That said, the new phones really do a pretty good job.

The Camino route actually goes through the park. You have to take route one to get to the top of the falls. 

I think I used the title to this post previously in Japan where there were so many stairs up to the temple areas that I grew to hate them! The stairs, not the temples. The title applied again today, but I dutifully chugged up each and everyone of them.

Of course the stairs led to some really outstanding views of the upper falls and the surrounding area that I had walked through today.





If you look at the short video profile at the bottom you’ll get an idea of the climb. 

After I had recovered at the top, I walked along the waterways that feed these falls and the hydroelectric generation that comes with it.

And then I was into my destination


I found a small restaurant that was thankfully still serving lunch where I enjoyed an amazing meal of tagliatelle with mushrooms and a glass of white wine. 

The view from my window this afternoon. I believe this is a bit of a resort and vacation area. It’s sort of has that feel about it.

Tomorrow I get back into the mountains. I certainly hope the weather is going to improve. It looks better outside this afternoon, so I’m hopeful. There’s 1100 m of climbing tomorrow, so it should be fun!

Oh, spoke to soon. Some thunder and now it’s pouring!🫤

Here’s the summary of today’s walk. Enjoy!