9 May 2007, Wednesday, (Day 19), Lucca - This is going to be brief because Lucca is too beautiful and there are too many bread shops, outdoor cafes and things to see here.

First though I must tell about our evening and morning in Pietrasanta. Simone took us to have a drink (the local speciality is the bersagliere, prosecco with a splash of Campari) yesterday evening in Piazza Duomo and then it was back to her house for Thai curry made by her boyfriend Antonio. Now the local Italian specialties are great - who could ever say no to a plate of orecchiette con cima di rape in Salento - but after almost three weeks on the road a spicy green Thai curry with tofu and eggplant seemed nothing short of a minor miracle.

The hospitality of Simone and Antonio was superb and not too many people would open their house to four smelly pilgrims, but the dinner portions were a tad petite for this pilgrim. I'd have gone for a third and fourth plate, but instead happily settled for many glasses of Rosso di Montalcino and then homemade limoncello as I discussed the Pietrasanta art scene with Simone and Antonio, who is himself an artist. He showed me an interesting piece depicting a woman's face wrapped in a viel he had just created out of 15 kilos of solid yellow rubber. Pietrasanta is something of a Mecca for European artists and that gives what would be just one more perfect Tuscan town a bit of an edge. And if you need another reason to come here, it's 5 kilometers from the beach.

So Thai curry, Tuscan reds and limoncello all made for a late night and for some reason unknown to me I had agreed with the Swiss for a Swiss start (departure at 7). This morning Simone accompanied us again to the piazza where we had capuccino and pastries for breakfast in the shadow of the cathedral. After that we stopped off at an outdoor studio where artists were creating statues out of the marble mined from the local hills, the same hills that produced the raw material used by Michelangelo and many of the world's other great sculptors.

The Swiss start morphed into anything but and we didn't hit the road until 9. We crossed the beautiful hills that separate Lucca from the sea ad made our way through the green countryside. Today was the first taste of that Tuscany of rolling hills and cypress trees that has so captivated generations of foreigners and Italians alike. The last three kilometers before entering Lucca were especially enjoyable as they meandered along the Serchio river.

After feeling strong for a week, today the fatigue set in quite early in the day (for now I'll write it off to the limited sleep I got and see what happens in the immediate future) and I was dragging by the time we made it to the city walls.

Simone specializes in marketing services for law firms and works between Pietrasanta and Milan. After I commented on the stunning difference between the Milan and Pietrasanta versions of Simone (the latter predictably more relaxed and healthy looking) and the presumed difficulty in recoiling the two lives, she said: "And what about you, I know you as a Milan financial journalist and you show up here in shorts, a tee shirt and a backpack in the middle of a 900 kilometer walk to Rome.

Point well taken.

Tip for the day: Piazza Duomo in Pietrasanta. Go there for drinks after you arrive, have breakfast there, take a day off from the Via Francigena and spend it in the piazza. Whatever you do, don't leave town without spending at least an hour sitting at one of the outdoor cafes. My second tip would be Antonio's green Thai curry, but since I want to be invited back some time I'm not going to give his phone number.

Trip details: Pietrasanta to Lucca, 32.2K. Altitude change: 456 meters up and 442 meters down.

State of the route: generally excellent though mostly on asphalt and a long stretch of about 6K was on a semi-busy state road with almost no shoulder. About 90 percent of the route very well marked with Via Fracigena signs though that missing 10 percent is a killer and cost lots of time as we asked various people for directions.

Weather report: sunny. 20 degrees C on departure at 9:00 and 24 on arrival at 6:00 p.m.

Medical report: two new blisters, nothing dramatic.