As I shared in the introduction to this photo series, each of these pictures has a meaningful back story for me. Perhaps it helps capture better why I choose them to accompany these key lessons from my own life and experience with pilgrimage … what I have called wisdom of a wayfarer.

This first photo was taken at Pietralunga, in Umbria, during my walking pilgrimage along the Via di San Francesco in June 2018. The previous three days walking had been rather painful: the demanding downhill/uphill during my first day had taken its toll on my knee. This day, finally, I walked relatively well … relatively, compared to the previous two days. No doubt the knee support (and the Voltaren) I bought at a pharmacy in Città di Castello had helped!

The walk — some 30km from Città di Castello — had been a pleasant one through the hilly Umbrian countryside. The arrival at Pietralunga meant a decent into the valley, and a final steep walk up stepped streets to the top of this hill on which this borgo is sited. Not exact fun with an aching knee, but the beauty of the gorgeous little town helped distract me as I stopped to take a few photos, and capture something of its atmosphere.

The local parish was also very welcoming to pilgrims, and has even a dedicated simple pilgrim hospice (Rifugio Betania) to welcome those along the way — giving me ample time to rest and pray. At the time, the parish church was closed and undergoing restoration — since then completed — after one of the recent earthquakes in the region.