CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS

Posted bymichelleperramPosted inItaly, Pilgrimage, St. Francis, Travel, walkingTags:, , , ,

The Way of St. Francis

May 12, 2026

Monte Libretti to Monterotondo

Miles walked 3.78

It’s another day that I’m taking a taxi. Since deciding that I cannot finish this Camino I am still seeing the beauty and grandeur of this country and learning about myself. Today is about cleanliness.

Since I arrived way too early at my hotel I asked if there was a laundromat near by. Why yes! Only .3 miles away. So I changed my clothes (because I spilled yogurt and oil on my pants yesterday) and gathered my laundry.

If you’ve travelled to Europe you might have noticed the water is very hard which means the shampoo doesn’t get sudsy. Well I found a barber shop around the corner and the young man gave me the best shampooing I’ve had in three weeks.

Then let’s talk about the showers I’ve encountered along the way. Mostly they are square with folding doors that meet at the corner. They’re general not bigger than 2.5 by 2.5 feet and some as small as 2 by 2. Don’t even think about bending over to shave your legs! But my shower today felt huge.

Then a stop for lunch.

Cacio Pepe and a half carafe of wine. Cacio Pepe is pasta with cheese and pepper. The cheese was so strong that I could smell it without sticking my nose in the plate. Rounded off with an espresso and it was a perfect lunch outdoors in the square.

A view of the church from my lunch spot.
The old gate leading up to the square with the church.
Saw a young girls wearing the same shoes as me. Does that make me Italian chic? Probably not but I do like these shoes.
And rounding off the day with an Aperol Spritz and a dish of olives.

I had so much to eat today that I skipped dinner.

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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