August 3, 2024 - Daily Distance: 17 km - Total Distance: 254 km

The day starts off perfectly with a hearty breakfast and the indispensable coffee that we can make in the apartment’s kitchen. Before we leave, Paolo waves goodbye from the balcony: his two-day walk ends today, and he parts ways with the group, which returns to being composed of three people.

After a couple of kilometers of gentle ascent, we immerse ourselves in a pleasant dirt path that leads us into the countryside. The sun slowly begins to rise, providing a display that, despite our familiarity with it, never ceases to amaze us. The Maiella towers beside us, while on the horizon, we start to see His Majesty the Gran Sasso. Its grandeur is breathtaking—an image of rare beauty.

We continue our walk through the countryside, descending gently toward the Torrente Lavino, which we find dry. We cross its wide bed without difficulty and enter the Lavino Park, where a sulfurous thermal spring gushes. The waters of the stream, fed by the spring, are an intense emerald color—a real feast for the eyes.

The girls take advantage of the sulfurous water to refresh their tired legs, worn out from over 200 kilometers of walking. With today’s stage anticipated to be short, we allow ourselves some time for these rejuvenating activities, but we know we’ll pay for it later: even short stages can become exhausting!

Upon exiting the park, we encounter a comfortable bike path. At the start of the path, a small wooden hut with the sign “Gli amici del tratturo” reminds us of our commitment to this journey. I check the map and notice that our route crosses the ancient path of the tratturo right here. Having passed through this area before, I remember a bar right at the start of the bike path. Convincing my companions to stop is surprisingly easy.

After a brief pause, we set off refreshed and quickly reach Scafa, which we pass through without stopping: we’ve already lingered enough. The steep climb that follows is short, and soon the route becomes flatter. Along the way, two large pipes accompany us, but we can’t figure out what they transport—perhaps water, it could be an aqueduct.

As we start descending toward Piano d'Orta, we’re overtaken by a series of fire trucks: there’s been a fire along our route! We fear we might have to detour, but a firefighter reassures us, saying the emergency has just been resolved and authorizes us to continue, advising us to move quickly because “it’s much hotter further down.” No need to repeat it: none of us want to extend the route.

We pass the burned area without problems and, back on the road, find a fire truck blocking the way. The team leader looks at us in disbelief: “Do you have enough water? And you’re out in this heat?” Despite the high temperature, Elena jokes, “Actually, it’s cooler than usual!” The team leader looks even more incredulous: “Yes, but now go and rest...” He doesn’t know that the temperatures today are indeed lower than in previous days, and that the stage is relatively easy.

We enter Piano d'Orta. There’s a bar... we could stop... but Silvia is not falling for it: she checks the GPS and declares that we’re still too far from our destination. Onward!

Before entering Torre de' Passeri, we have one last encounter: Mariano, a volunteer cleaning the town entrance from weeds, stops to chat with us. He knows the tratturo well and tells us he’s trying to map the ancient route with his friends. He also gives us some useful tips for tomorrow’s stage.

The signs for the "Cammino della Pace" reappear: we were almost worried we’d lost sight of it!

Finally, we reach the bar that marks the end of the stage. As usual, we immediately attract the attention of the local elders, who bombard our girls with questions.

In the late afternoon, we were supposed to visit the beautiful Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria, but a heavy thunderstorm prevents us from going. A pity because it would have been worth it, as the photos at the top of the page from a previous visit attest.

Track of the day