Rest day

Monday was an uneventful day of walking except for a plague of flies that swarmed us for a mile or so. We had planned to leave early and walk without stopping to our destination town since it was another very hot day. After a delicious lunch in the sweet village of Buonconvento, we realized we had almost three more miles to walk to get to our agriturismo lodging where we were booked for two nights. The man who pointed us that way tilted his hand up as if to prepare us for the grade of the road.

We were a little dismayed to realize how isolated the miniature village of Pieve a Salti is (not on any map!) but perhaps that is the point of a rest day. Do nothing and let one’s body recuperate. It turns out they had a swimming pool at another property we could use as long as we didn’t mind walking about 1.5 kilometer to get there. So this morning after having enjoyed a leisurely walk to take photos of the morning mist, I walked to the pool. Apparently I was the only guest willing to make that trek because I ended up having the enormous pool all to myself. Time to think, time to reflect and time to enjoy this beautiful place. 

Mileage Tuesday - 11 miles

Everywhere we go, dinner and most breakfasts are served outside. Lunch is often a sandwich along the trail.

Looking back at the Hotel Borgo Antica. Our lodging has been nothing fancy but clean and lots of original character. 

 

A stone marker outside of Buonconvento.

       The entrance to the old town of Buonconvento.

                A sit down lunch on a hot day.

 

         Strade bianche - the white roads of Tuscany.

                  View from our agriturisimo.

Mesmerized by the morning mist.

                                   Day of rest.

Strade Bianche - White Roads

As we were leaving Siena this morning, we crossed the Campo, which is the huge piazza in Siena where the famous Palio horse race is run. This morning it was set up for a different event, The Strada Bianche which means “White Roads”. This 180 kilometer (111 miles!) bicycle race takes place on the white limestone gravel roads around Siena that we have been walking on. It starts and ends on the Campo in Siena. Today was the amateur division and there were cyclists from all over Europe to participate. We were lucky to see a glimpse of the race when we were about 5 km out of the city. 

Most of our day was spent quietly walking across a beautiful landscape. It is easy to see why artists are inspired here with the curves of the hills and the silouettes of the vertical cypress trees. Estates surrounded by trees sit perched on the highest points.

It was hot and dry today (almost 90 degrees F) so it was irritating when we missed the turn to head off the Via to our hotel. We backtracked for a kilometer but then felt redemption when we were able to find an opening in a fence to slip through as a shortcut. We enjoyed the shaded terrace that overlooked the countryside. Even though it seemed like we had walked so far, we could see Siena up on a hill in the far distance.

Mileage today (including our do-over) - 15 miles

Leaving Siena

                          Quiet Sunday morning

Amateur cyclists were here from around Europe this weekend.

The Cypress trees outline the drives leading to villas and wine estates.

                Following the signs south to Rome.

We met father and son (Jan and Louis) from Belgium, seen here taking a lunch break in the shade. They have taken a week’s hike on the Via Francigena every September for the last four years. Next year they will make it to Rome to celebrate Jan’s 60th birthday.

We met Elisa from Menaggio (Lake Como!), Italy and she is walking on her own.

We were all looking for water today because it was so hot and we were depleting what we had with us. This was a welcome sight.

 

Beautiful Siena

On we go. Today was a day of extremes; there were some beautiful woodland trails with shade and smooth walking, some quiet lanes of crushed limestone and then some segments along a busy road with no shoulder and cars zooming by. We were rewarded with a prize at the end of today’s walk as we arrived in the beautiful city of Siena. It is a gift of visual stimulation. Unfortunately, a few new blisters on my feet made the last few miles a little uncomfortable so I wanted to enjoy the view sitting down.

The streets were crowded with weekend visitors but that didn’t take away from the grandeur of the buildings and the design of this city. The Duomo (cathedral) took 150 years to be built and was finished in 1348. The mosaic floors are an artistic treasure and many areas are roped off to preserve the floor and allows them to be viewed as thousands tour the cathedral. 

We got our Pilgrim stamps on our Via credential and enjoyed our walk around the “centro storico”, the historic center of town. After checking in our hotel, we enjoyed a visit to the laundromat right across the street. From the exciting to the mundane.

Today’s mileage - 12 miles + 2 miles walking in Siena.

Wide open farmland with dirt paths for the hikers.

 

It is 20 degrees cooler in the woods. 

Walking on the road is nerve-wracking but thankfully most of the Via is away from vehicle traffic.

Cosetta and Sergio from Milan, Italy are also on their way to Rome.

The Siena Cathedral

Very distinct marble in black and white, which are the symbolic colors of Siena.

Striking mosaic floor designs throughout the Duomo.

Tending to the details to life on the road.

Surrounded by Chianti

Many people know that we developed a preference for Chianti wine when we lived in Italy. It has become our “vino della casa” (house wine) so you can imagine that we enjoyed walking through this region named Chianti. The red wine flows here, a 4 euro glass of the local wine is divine!

As we get close to Siena, we are also in a place where there are many grand structures that were built between the 12th and 16th centuries to defend the Republic of Siena. One of the most striking is the medieval walled town of Monteriggioni which we saw up on a hill long before we got to it. 

We are discovering one of the more difficult aspects of traveling “a piedi” (on foot). Unexpected situations become much more complicated like today when we arrived at our lodging 2 miles from town to find the restaurant there had closed. So after having walked a good part of the day, we had to walk back down the hill to the main road and then climb back up the hill to Monteriggioni. We had a great meal and celebrated Dave’s birthday and then splurged on a taxi to take us back to the hotel along the Via.

Today’s mileage - 9. 2 miles (11.2 after walking to dinner!)

                      Happy Birthday David!

                             Ancient roads

Sunflower fields to the horizon …too bad we are a few weeks too late!

Abbadia a Isola - A Benedictine Monestery on the Via from the year 1000.

Walking through farmland, todays’s destination is Monteriggioni, the walled medieval town by the arrow.

A closer view of Monteriggioni, built ~1215

          Papperdelle with fresh porcini mushrooms.

                      The local wine is the best.

Gisella from Sicily 

A view from the town wall.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Our hotel in San Gimignano was located right in the main piazza but it was rather plain and nondescript, that is until we went to the breakfast room this morning. One whole wall was made up of large windows with a panoramic view of the entire town. The morning sun made the scene glow. It was a perspective we hadn’t seen before and it took our breath away.

We got an early start because the forecast was for another hot day. As we walked by an olive grove just outside of town, we saw an older man trimming his trees. He was whistling a lively tune but stopped to greet us and wish us a Buona Camminata (“Good walk”). David responded by whistling a tune himself and the man walked over to reach out to us through his fence. It was a lovely moment.

It is becoming apparent that one of us (who will remain nameless) has a better natural sense of direction than the other. Let’s just say that there was a brief argument while standing in front of a sign that included a map with an arrow “Voi siete qui” which means “You are here”. One of us was trying to make the point that we weren’t really there! The joys of map reading and using a navigation app are endless.

We walked through another beautiful medieval walled hill town (Colle di Val d’Elsa) but unlike San Gimignano, this one didn’t have tour buses or tourists massing through its narrow streets. It was only about 8 miles away from San Gimignano but quiet and deserted. I was so happy that our walk passed through it, off the beaten track.

As we got close to our stopping point for the day, we passed an Etruscan terme (thermal spring) where some young people were socializing. I looked up the Etruscans and their civilization was thriving in Tuscany around 250 B.C.  The outline of the structures were still visible and the water was an iridescent turquoise. 

Today’s mileage - 12.2 miles

                 View from the breakfast window.

                                   Outdoor kitchen

                                          Wash day

                      The lane leading to today’s hotel.

      The entrance to Colle di Val d’Elsa walled historic center.

                            Etruscan thermal bath

                                  Stream crossing 

Looking outside the wall.

Medieval Towers

10 miles on a hot day.

The towers of San Gimgnano in the distance

                    The frescos of Sant’Agostino

                 Breakfast at Tenuta Sant Ilaria

                           Olympia and Guilia

  Some people do the Via Francigena on a bicycle or even on horseback!

            The main Piazza in San Gimignano

              The grape harvest has begun.

          Gambassi Terme - a cistern for water

The memory of today’s breakfast experience could be an antidote to any gloominess I encounter later this year. Sunshine and fresh food served outside with a view of Tuscan vineyards stretching to the horizon. Ahhh, breathe in, breathe out. I am so grateful to be here.

We walked 10 miles today so it was considered a shorter segment. But since most of it seemed uphill and it was 84 degrees (F) it was enough! We met other people on the trail - a group from Ireland and two delightful Italian young women, Guilia and Olympia. We watched workers in the vineyards harvesting the grapes and looked forward to enjoying the local wine when our day was through.

We ended today in San Gimingnano, a town known for its medieval “skyscrapers”, these 15 towers can be seen from miles away. We have good memories of visiting here before with friends. We got our Pilgrim Passport stamped in Convento Sant’Agostino where beautiful frescos were painted behind the high alter in 1465. 

Today’s mileage - 10 miles