This year’s adventure brings us to Italy where we begin our trek of “Way of St Francis”. The route begins among the Renaissance masterpieces of Florence, continues through the forests of Tuscany, passes through the mountains of Umbria to Assisi and ends in Rome. This 550 km (~ 350 mile) journey takes us through many of the cherished sites from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.
We arrived in Florence last night and went to our daughter’s favorite pizza place near the Church of Santa Croce.
Today was our day to explore the sites of Florence. We started our day along the Arno River walking by Ponte Vecchio to Santa Croce.
In the afternoon we visited Michelangelo’s masterpiece “David” at the Accademia Gallery.
On the way back we explored the famous landmark of Florence, the Duomo.
Of course no visit to Italy would be complete without the taste of Gelato! Today was our first of many encounters with the reward of long walking days.
We begin our first stage of the Trek tomorrow morning as we walk 14.5 miles to Pontassieve.
As we walk through this journey we will be trying to live the famous prayer of St Francis. Hope we can all contribute just a little bit to make this world a bit better every day.
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is dispair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Camino Mystic 
well so good to hear that you guys are doing another of these walks … and thank you for sharing with me I do enjoy these from my desk at work save travels
Looking forward to following you on this journey. Buona strada!
Wow! Another journey!
Safe travels
Penny Eppers
Great way to start the journey with the prayer of St. Francis.
Enayet and pat , wishing you happy and safe travels . I am walking with you in spirit . I will look forward to reading your posts everyday . Buen Camino my friends . Florence is my all time favorite city . I was Sobhappy to see David .
Hugs and love
Camino carla in Denver doing dishes and laundry !!
Lovely! This will be the best one yet!
So good to hear from you!! The gelato and pizza look delicious!! Have a wonderful trip and I can’t wait for more updates!! 🙂
Dear Patricia and Enayet,
What a wonderful surprise.
You can believe it, this afternoon I thought, that we didnât wrote each other for a long time and I
wondered hearing from you for the next trip.
This way is a very good choice.
I enjoyed Florence, Assisi, Rom ten years ago and loved it.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures, you both look young. J
The attached Picture shows my sister Elisabeth and me in Rome / Trevi Fountain.
Enjoy the journey and God bless you both and your family.
Love from Franziska and of course from my Michael
Patty and Enayet,Thank you for including us in your blog…should be a great trip!Ann & Dan
The two of you are amazing!! I am blessed to have gotten to know and I look forward to amazing pictures and stories along your journey.
Lorene, Happy New Year! Today is 1/2/2019. Are you still able to make a sale through Jared? Our youngest daughter will turn 25 this month, and we are intending to purchase a gift at Jared for her. If you cannot any longer make a sale, is there a favorite person that you recommend whom we should ask for to help us? Thank you for your recommendation, and I hope it is, indeed, you!! —Pat Jiwani
Lorene, please let me know your e-mail so that I can reach you outside of this blog! Thanks, Pat
my favorite prayer – the best prayer of all times! and my favorite Saint. oh how I wish I was with you two – but reading the blogs maybe I will feel I am there, or at least be with you in spirit – you both look great – great pictures. if you happen to walk by Sienna do visit the Duomo – I found it to be extra-ordinary and hard to leave once I was in there. good luck on your daily walk – will be looking forward to the blog every day!
There’s my favorite prayer again! Thank you again for sharing your adventures with us!
Another Camino!! you both are amazing! Photos are beautiful! I love St Francis Assisi’s Prayer – My High School (Xavier College) Prayer. Missed this year’s SRF Convocation as I away (Alaskan cruise and then to Canada).
Enjoy yet another journey! Safe Travels! Blessings!
Wow! What a great place to start an extraordinary walk. We were there a few years ago and took trains around Italy and a little driving. Everywhere we went was fantastic, and the food to match! The Italians love Americans, so what a treat you will have traveling through Italy. Love, Amy