Retracing Wandering Italia: finally the Grand Italian Trail

Retracing Wandering Italia: finally the Grand Italian Trail

Leaving Popoli with my breath in my throat, taking a wrong turn and getting lost and then having to retrace my steps, a map that does not help to understand the right direction.

And then, the irrepressible joy of finally seeing the first sign of the Sentiero Italia and leaving, after four days, asphalt and traffic!

At the time, I thought I had taken the “highway” that would take me to my destination, Trieste, and I certainly couldn’t imagine all the problems that this Path would entail.

No, I was just happy to be able to walk a narrow and rough path. And then, the beauty of the Nature that surrounded me, with a wonderful Tirino Valley to give me continuous surprises: the spectacular river, one of the cleanest in Europe, and its luxuriant banks; endless fields of poppies in Capestrano, and two Abruzzese shepherds who kept me company for a while.

And again: the arrival in Ofena, destroyed by the heat and the distance, to spend an evening full of joy with the locals. Who also found me accommodation for the night …

The hours go by, and a bit drunk, tired but happy, I settle in the room indicated by Marco, moving two barriers and boards covering the entrance. I inflate the mattress, slip into my sleeping bag, and, in the dust that now fills the air, I am filled with the pleasure of feeling like a real wanderer, an adventurer.
Because the adventure, after all, lies in letting the unexpected happen.

Nel 2018 ho intrapreso un viaggio, a piedi e da solo, dal Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise verso Trieste, risalendo l’Appennino e affrontando le Alpi.

Se volete sapere e ripercorrere questa avventura, potete farlo leggendo Wandering Italia – Un viaggio per riprendersi la vita disponibile su Amazon, Mondadori Store, o scaricabile come PDF.