Monte Velino - we made it!

Another dreadful night's sleep! 14 people in one room and a symphony of snoring. Torturous really! We were up by 6.00 a.m. (as the extra sunrise photo testifies) and on the trail by 7.30 a.m. Quite a hike!!! My phone app registered 23,2 kms, 41,779 steps and 97 floors!! It was wonderful being on the trail, chatting amicably to my companions - and very pleasant company they are - walking, walking and still walking. In many parts it wasn't easy walking, with rocky, stony and gravelly parts being very slippery, and even dangerous at times. We really had to use our poles. Still, we made it to the top - about 2,400 metres - and enjoyed a moment of achievement. 

By the end of the day, we had walked for nine hours and my feet were killing me. The last part was just "get me to the car and get these boots off!) I loved being out on the trail hiking, but to be honest, I found the landscape very barren and arid in parts. Not a tree in sight! Still, the seemingly endless expanse of the mountain range was humbling.

But our day did not end here. We had to drive back to Rome and then take the train to Grosseto. It didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. We ended up on the 9.30 p.m. train, with a packet of crackers for dinner. Then the train had technical problems, causing a 30 minute delay. We finally rolled up to Grosseto, where Tiziano was thankfully waiting for us. Home by midnight, shower and bed!