As I headed off this morning, there was a wonderful view over the valley. Off in the distance on the top of the range, you can just see the little town of Belmonte where I had lunch yesterday..

It was a mixture of asphalt, dirt roads and tracks today. The asphalt was very hot with little shade and temperatures in the mid 30s.

There must have been at least a dozen dogs at this rundown house. Luckily they had a tall fence.
I liked the curved shape of this old tree.

Whilst there was almost 300 metres of climbing today, it was easier than yesterday as the asphalt roads were graded with lots of cuttings.

I wasn’t the only one out walking today.
Part of the walk was along shaded bush tracks.

Walking along a track, I heard lots of grunting and a frightened group of wild boars ran across the road in front of me. I could hear them tearing around in the bush so I got my camera ready in case they crossed the track again. And they did.

Mum, dad and the kid, or should I say boarlet.

A pleasant part of today’s walk was along an old migration track that was used by shepherds to move their flocks to and from Abruzzo, according to the seasons.

A view of the path, an old photo from the information board and a section of the rock wall.

Nearby was the town of Posticciola which was a resting place for shepherds and their flocks along these migration paths.

People in this area have a pride in their towns. They’re very clean and most have flower pots all over the place.

The pretty fountain in Posticciola. I wasn’t the only one having a drink.

Just past the town was a bridge built during the 11th century, although there has probably been one here for much longer. This was also a customs post before Italian reunification where shepherds had to pay to bring their flocks into the Papal States.

The Romanesque bridge over the Turano with a glimpse of Posticciola behind.

Heading further up the valley, I came to the Turano Dam. It was built in 1939 to produce hydroelectricity and for flood prevention.

There’s been an extended hot and dry period in Italy and the lower than normal lake level is obvious.

The end point of my walk today is the little town of Castel di Tora which sits above the lake.

The view from my bedroom.
Around Castel di Tora.
A romantic dinner for one.

Tomorrow I head to Orvinio. Whilst it’s only 14 kilometres away, there’s an 800m climb and 560m descent in the middle.