Lessons from a pilgrimage

Over the last week I have been on a Pilgrimage. Well, not exactly a pilgrimage in the religious sense. But walking a path that pilgrims have been walking for centuries towards Rome. The whole of the route stretches from Canterbury (in England) to Rome.  Being somewhat time poor, and wanting to get back on the bike in other parts of Italy, I picked what appeared to be the most interesting and picturesque section – in Tuscany.

Similar to our great rides in New Zealand, these Pilgrim routes attract walkers and cyclists from all over. Some for just a few days, others for months. One day it’s a couple from Chicago we meet, the next a mother and son from Dublin. It’s  a great way to see the countryside , keep away from over-touristed cities, and at the end of the day a valid excuse for a vino or more.

But strolling through vineyards, olive orchards and plenty of various forms of greenery also gives one the opportunity to consider both our natural , and built, environment. There was some walking  on roads, but generally the surfaces were gravel tracks and dirt paths. Contrary to what we see of Italian drivers on the autostrada, generally drivers in the countryside are extremely courteous – more so than many of the drivers on country roads in New Zealand.
 
Whilst the purpose of the journey for the truly religious devotees may be to demonstrate the extent of their pious-ness, for me it was more of an opportunity to see the countryside and (of course) ponder the state of the industrial real estate industry back home. Naturally I am thankful to those agents who have kept me updated with their 2 am calls. Knowing the latest sales and yields trumps sleep any time.
 
Being on the other side of the world , and communing with nature, is also very helpful to maintaining perspective.

We might at times despair over the state of our economy in New Zealand. We look back and find it hard in retrospect to comprehend that so many people were convinced  that a part time job in a fish and chip shop was experience enough to run a country. But that is nothing compared to the number who seem to think that a convicted felon who thinksHaitians eat cats and dogs is fit to run the wealthiest country on earth.

Being on a pilgrims walk doesn’ t take you on the most direct route between A and B. It takes you past castles and  monasteries and churches. And more churches , and even cathedrals. Although some people might think that once you have seen half a dozen cathedrals you have seen them all, in reality you need to see at least a dozen before you can walk right past the next one. But what impressed me greatly on this latest experience with churches was not that the largest, with the most idols and the most frescoes were the best, but that some of the plainest, and most functional , actually had the most impact.  And isn’t that similar to industrial buildings?  Very often the most basic – minimal office, good stud height and great parking – are the most attractive. Simply because they work.
 
In other observations of Italy – the day that we were due to leave the very north of Italy where we had been hiking for a week in the Dolomites, there was a national train strike. Even so, there were enough trains running  that we were able to put together transport (bus/train/bus/train/bus) through to Tuscany. Italy may have a reputation of being somewhat chaotic – but the basics still seem to work. And with hardly an orange road cone to be seen.