When I woke up this morning, I realised I was less than 400km away from Rome. How amazing is that!
Then it was time to turn the airco back on. The sun was already on the building and my room was slowly turning into an oven. The Cavalieri del Tau hotel in Altopascio deserves recommendation. All you need for a good night of sleep. There was even a bible in case you forgot to bring a book. The insulation was the only problem. You can literally hear everything that is happening in the building. Luckily, it remained pretty quiet on this early saterday morning. At check-out, I bumped into the friendly receptionist. She even took the time to explain me where to go. So this time, I didn't get lost at the start. It was pretty easy as well. Just follow the main road out of town on a pink sidewalk. After about 1km, the path changed into gravel and disappeared into the forest. The weather forecast promised lower temperatures, but not yet for today. It would again go up to 36 degrees. But the trees gave shade, I hear you think. Yes and no. It was not a thick shady forest, so the sun got through. But it was nice after the roadside walk from yesterday. Birds were chirping and insects were buzzing. I also started singing the famous song singing in the rain. You never know it helps. After a while, I ended up on a gravel road with rounded cobblestones. This road has been here for hundreds of years. Even the milestones still stand. Pretty epic feeling thinking about all the people who walked this road. It brought me to the village of Galleno after 7km. Not much more than one straight main street, but there were two bars and they were open. Which one to choose? Well, the second bar is always better. I made a good choice and enjoyed a cold fanta and a sandwich with tomatoes and mozarella. From here, there were still 20km to walk. The heat would make this a long day. The next stretch went through the Cerbaie plateau. That is a low hill plateau of 120 square kilometers filled with scrubby pine trees. The Via Francigena follows dirt road 201. Easy you would think until dirt roads start going in all directions. I took a wrong turn and had to go back. It made me lose 30min. But then I met 2 fascinating ladies from Slovakia. They were hiking the stretch Lucca - Siena. In my defense, they also had already taken a wrong turn. Surprisingly, one girl was hiking on plastic slippers. Did her hiking shoes get lost? No she preferred the slippers. We hiked together for a while and had great fun. I didn't even notice the path had been going uphill, but suddenly there was a big downhill to reach Ponte a Cappiano. As the name says, this town is all about a bridge. It is a nice covered bridge that spans the Usciana canal. The water was deep green. There is a nice square next to it with several bars, but nothing was open. So I joined a local reading his newspaper on a bench. Not too long, because I wanted to arrive before dark. The path continued on a dyke. No concrete here, but a grassy dusty path. In a meanwhile, my legs were covered in dust and my lips were dry. Not only my lips, the whole landscape surrounding me was dry. The first canal still had water, but the next one looked like it hadn't seen water in a long time. The bridges looked sad. They probably felt useless. The dyke took me into Fucecchio. This nice little town atop a hill has a church at its highest point. My water bag ran out, so I really had to top up. I didn't expect a problem, but everything in this town was closed. I didn't find any bar open nor a shop or a water fountain. Did I end up in a ghost town? The streets were full with parked cars, but the people were nowhere to been seen. As a present from the pilgrim gods, I bumped into a cigarette vending machine which also had water, soft drinks and snacks. Lifesaver! I enjoyed my snack on the terrace of a closed bar. By now, I was getting tired. Doing 30km in 36 degrees with a 12kg backpack isn't nothing. Leaving Fucecchio, I took a bridge over the Arno river. This is Tuscany's most important river. Then another dyke road took me along San Pierino to San Miniato Basso. From here, I could already see my destination for the night: San Miniato, a famous fortified village atop a hill. The tower Federico II can be seen from kilometers away. There is a new walkway that takes you up the hill. It's popular with runners. Someone was also paragliding above the hill. In a meanwhile, it was 20h and the moon welcomed me. The path drops you at the parking just below the center from where you can take a lift into town. San Miniato is small, but attracts lots of tourists. The terraces were full. I went straight to my hostel in the middle of town, but it was already closed. I phoned, no answer. I was just considering my options when a friendly lady called me back in English. The hostel was almost fully booked tonight but nobody had shown up. Honestly, I can't blame them on this terrain with the heat. So I would be the only one again. She explained me where I could find the key. I chose a bed in dorm Nicolas. It was very hot inside, but they had fans. Crazy Dimi still had some energy left for a walk around town. The small medieval streets of San Miniato give you the feeling to go back in time. I even climbed up to the viewing platform at the bottom of the tower. From here, you have stunning 360 degrees views. That's the reason the village came to life. It was a lookout over two important routes which meet here: the via francigena and the road Pisa-Florence. I found a little shop open which sold me a Tuscan specialty with bread and vegetables. After a good shower, that was my evening meal. Tomorrow, another 24 beautiful kilometers to Gambassi Terme. Thunderstorms are only forcasted for the evening so I should be fine. Looking forward to it, but first my body needs some sleep.
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AuthorMy name is Dimitri and I'm turning 40 in 2023. Through the years, I have tried to live my dreams. Everything is possible, the sky is the limit as long as you believe in your dreams and work hard to make them happen. Do what you never did before. Go where you have never been before. It will be scary, but it will also be worth it! Archives
July 2024
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