RAIN, BUT THE PIZZA 🍕 WAS GOOD

The Way of St. Francis

May 6, 2026

Poggio Bustone to Rieti

Miles walked 4.7 miles

Today I’m in Rieti. It’s cold and is supposed to rain later on so I decided to again get a ride. The signora offered to take me in to town today. She didn’t mention a price so I thought I would offer a gratuity of 20 euros and she promptly said 60 euros. My mistake I guess.

And one more thing before I’m done with Poggio Bustone. Google Translate is a little off the mark sometimes. Signora spoke into my phone and this is google’s translation…

I’m pretty sure this isn’t what she said.

I’m in the town now and have managed to get myself a cappuccino and a croissant. I’m in the old part of the city so I hope the path is nearby.

The church is right behind my hotel so I’m going to head over and see if I might be able to get a stamp. Getting one seems to be tricky. Again I compare this to the Camino de Santiago where every bar, hotel, and restaurant has a stamp. In the churches the stamp is usually on a table in the back of the sanctuary and one has to do a self-stamp. Here one needs to find the priest who keeps the stamp locked away in a desk drawer. I’m surprised they don’t keep it in the Holy of Holies along with the Eucharist. And most of the time the priest is nowhere to be found. Today I got lucky and found the priest. However he wasn’t very friendly, but he did stamp my passport.

Rieti is a beautiful town with an old section above (of course) the new section. My hotel is in the old part.

Despite the rain today I’ve been able to get out and walk around the town. I was in search of postcards to send to the grandchildren. I think that kids like to get mail. Maybe that’s old fashioned thinking. There’s a magazine stand in the middle of the square and the lady directed me to the post office. Go figger. But lo and behold there I was able to buy postcards. So in the afternoon over a Martini Rosso Spritz I wrote.

Lunch in town was marginal. I haven’t had pizza in a while so I found a pizzeria. Unfortunately during the day they don’t use the ovens so the pizza, while tasty, isn’t hot and crispy.

I made up for the marginal pizza with a gelato.

Not to be deterred I went to another pizza place for dinner and there I had a great meal.

Fresh mozzarella, basil, and half a carafe of Montefalcone wine which is becoming my favorite.

Despite the damp and the rain it was a very good day.

Buon Cammino

Published by michelleperram

I am me, a person with love for others, a passion to be creative, and a desire to be a cheerleader for others. I’m a wife, a mommy, and a grandma (you can call me by my grandma name “Lady M”). I’m on a search to grow and connect more fully with God. I didn’t grow up particularly church, married a man who had, and we raised our three daughters in the church. I found a place to belong in the church and somehow discerned a call to go to seminary. I received a Masters of Arts and Religious Communication (MARC). I went on to become ordained as a deacon in the United Methodist Church and served in media ministry and Christian education. As clergy I found that I didn’t have a place to belong in the church so I left the United Methodist Church in 2010. I still believe and I’m still on a quest to draw closer to God. And I’m going to walk the Camino de Santiago.

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