A steep descent from Montefiascone brings us back down to the countryside and we are soon back on the Via Cassia. The roman road is splendidly preserved for 3k, along which we walk in the shade of oak trees. The road is paved with flat broad stones called basoli, originally the road would have been 4m wide but is narrowed to a country lane between olive groves and fields of grass now.
We come to the thermal springs of Bagnaccio, but here it is 5 euros for a bath in a hot pool so we give it a miss and carry on, we are hot enough already.
Stopping later on in the shade of one of the large umbrella shaped pines we are entertained by bee eaters on the high tension wires, 1,2,3,4 no 5 of them!
We enter the urban sprawl of Viterbo past a large cemetery ringed by flower stalls, but there is nowhere for pilgrims to eat their lunch so we ultimately a find a park.
Viterbo is a big place with ancient walls, gates and fountains, it doubled for Rome in some fifties Italian films, and George Clooney will be filming Catch 22 here this summer.
It has a papal palace which was the site of the first conclave. In 1271 the citizens of Viterbo confined the cardinals in it, cum clave ( under lock and key), until they chose a new pope, as they were fed up of waiting for them to deliver a decision after waiting for 3 years, does that ring a bell with anyone?