Via Romea Germanica XIII: Trento, Italy to Levico Terme
Route ruminations, the rain continues, the joys of Pergine
On a grey, cloudy morning, with rain threatening, we bid adieu to Trento. According to the guidebook, today was supposed to be the last of the significant hill climbs in the first half of the Via. After Levico Terme, the terrain would either trend downhill, or (through the Veneto) be flat.
As a special feature for any Camino de Santiago veterans reading this account, I would like to add a few observations about some of the differences we have noted between the Via and the Camino Frances, which Mary and I walked two years earlier.
Solitude may be the most striking difference between the two routes. On the Camino, from the moment we boarded the train to St Jean Pied de Port, we were surrounded by peregrinos. The Camino Frances, with its 100,000+ pilgrims each year, is awash in fellow travelers. It definitely had a community spirit, and it was often difficult to walk for any extended time by yourself. Wherever you were, there was always a backpack (or several) in front of you.
In monastic terms, the Camino Frances is the city, while the Via Romea is the desert. Thirteen days into our trek, and we have yet to meet another pellegrino. We have crossed paths with day hikers and…
