After breakfast in the lower level of the old hotel building, I set off on my second last day of walking.

The path took me on quite a steep climb up to the Acropolis area above the town. Looking back, you can see how Arpino is built along a ridge.

Arpino

It was quite a steep climb, partly by stairs.

At the top, there was an attractive small residential area.

The megalithic remains here are around 2,700 years old. Of special interest is the pointed arch which is the only existing example from this time in the Mediterranean area.

The massive wall of polygonal stones.
The pointed arch.

From here, there was a mixture of pathways and asphalt. At one stage, an elderly couple drove past in their car. A while later, the same car pulled up next me and the driver told me I was going the wrong way.

It turned out that his house was on the Cammino route. He hadn’t seen me where I should have been when he was returning home after dropping off his wife somewhere, so he came looking for me.

My head had been in the clouds as usual and I missed a turn. He wrote down his address for me so that I could mail him a print of the photo. He doesn’t have a phone or email.

Mr. Riccialdo kindly drive me to his house after I took a wrong turn also saving me a climb up a hill.

Not long after, another man called out to me as I passed his garden. He wanted a chat and kindly refilled my water bottles and gave me some figs and apricots from his trees.

People are very friendly around here.
Yum

It was all downhill from here with a steep descent following an old mule trail past a large solar energy farm.

Eventually I reached an abandoned road used only by walkers and cyclists. It descended further down the long Melfa gorge.

The road wound its way down this gorge.
One of a number of large rock slides in the gorge.

After about 4 kilometres of walking along this road, I reached the valley of the Liri River and the town of Roccasecca.

I wasn’t totally alone on the road.

Roccasecca is the birthplace of the medieval philosopher Thomas of Aquinas who is remembered by a large statue at the edge of the town.

The statue of St. Thomas of Aquinas at Roccasecca.

Time for lunch.

Roccasecca is the standard stopping place for this stage but I had decided to walk another 5 kilometres or so to get to Montecassino a bit earlier tomorrow.

Feed the man meat.

Tomorrow it’s an 15 kilometre walk to the end point of the Cammino- the great monastery of Montecassino founded by Saint Benedict in around 529.