Nothing tops a comfortable room after a long day of hiking. That is what hotel Il Garibaldi in San Quirico d'Orcia offered me. I slept like a rock. Although there were some strange things. I found a full bottle of red wine hidden in the wardrobe. The towel looked like a white tablecloth. There was no lightbulb in my bedside table lamp. But nothing that kept me awake.
Today was a short day of 16km. When I came down at reception around 9h30, everything the girl last night said appeared to be not true. The hotel could stamp my passport. I didn't have to pay a tourist tax. And on top of that, the bar was closed on Sunday. I looked really disappointed and it worked. The lady opened the bar just for me and offered me a coffee with a croissant. Happy as a child, I headed into the center of San Quirico d'Orcia. Walking through the entrance gate of this walled village is like stepping back into time. I scored a second stamp in the tourist office. I think they got bit annoyed that pilgrims kept asking, so there was a big sign: stamp on the left, put stamp yourself. The village consists of a main street with a church at each end and one in the middle. The middle one was too small for the Sunday mass which had just began. Impressive how many people showed up. Just behind main street, there is a public parc named Horti Leonini gardens. It is full of pruned hedges and fascinating statues. In a meanwhile, more and more people came to the village. Some already started wine tasting. Even here in the bars, they sell some glasses of wine for 30-40 euro. For me, it was time to go. I crossed the residential area around the town and quickly came to gravel. The first 5km were pretty straight forward. Climb a hill for 2,5km and walk 2,5km back down. The gravel road was pretty busy with cars which made a lot of dust. It was hot today, the forecast said 33 degrees. When I reached the summit, I was already sweating hard. But the views over the rolling Tuscan hills never get boring. In the descent, a sign warned for a 15% gradient. That is tough on the legs. Just after the top, I passed the picturesque hamlet of Vignoni alto. There was nice music playing in the church and a lady tried to sell all kinds of handmade things. To leave the village, you have to walk through an archway where you get an iconic view. Before I knew, I arrived in Bagno Vignoni. There are hot springs in this little town and on a Sunday, this attracts a lot of people. Around the center, there were big car parks and they were pretty full. Very special here is the central square. It consists of a pool of hot water. This is the only aquatic piazza in Italy. I was already looking for my swimming gear, but sadly, this is strictly forbidden here. So I went for lunch on a cosy terrace next to the pool. I tried a lot: waving my hand, blinking my eye, almost screaming, but after 20min, nobody had even taken my order. It was so busy. I left and had a take away sandwich on a bench. The water from the central piazza flows into the Orcia river passing the Mulini Natural park. There you can dip your feet in the hot water for free. Perfect for a pilgrim who didn't have time and budget for the big thermal pools. Time to move on, I still had 10km left. But where to go? Signs were nowhere to be seen and my guidebook was unclear. Luckily, my gps helped me out. When I arrived at the wooden bridge over the river, it was blocked off for maintenance. Don't tell anyone, but I went over it anyway saving me a 30min detour. Quickly, the path started climbing again. A young couple was enjoying the pool next to their holiday villa. They looked at me like I was crazy, walking in this heat. Don't worry, I like this. A farmer was plowing his field. When I reached a farm, I thought it couldn't go any higher, but yes it could. The Via Francigena climbed to the highest point. It felt like I could see the whole of Tuscany. Deep below searching its way through the valley was the busy road Via Casia. Afterwards, it went downhill again on a wide gravel road. Here I picked up speed. But not too fast, I wanted to enjoy and look around. Some people live here completely off grid along a gravel road far away from the next house and with stunning views. Some of these houses are clearly converted into holiday homes. They call them agriturismo, but they are in fact luxury villas with swimming pool. People come from everywhere in Europe. I saw cars with Norwegian plates. I took a last break at the bridge over the Torrente Onzola. The river had dried up. Now I had to climb another hill for stunning views to then get back down again. Tuscany is always up and down. I passed a man who let his dog run while he followed in his car. The Via Francigena continues here to Radicofani, but I had cut this long stage in two. I had contacted agriturismo Passalacqua for a bed, but they were full due to a wedding. So I had to descend further to the main road and the hamlet of Gallina. There I found Ostello La Vecchia Posta. The friendly owner Michela attended a concert and was not there. She gave me a code to get in. In this village, there was nothing open on Sunday. One restaurant did take away if you order before 5pm which I did. So at 19h, I went to pick up my zuppa di legumi and bocconcini di pollo. The food was brilliant. The hostel even better. It feels like grandmothers house with a wood stove and old furniture. Upstairs are three rooms, but I'm the only guest tonight. I only paid 21 euro to stay here. The son Matteo passed quickly to pick up the money. Before sleep, I made myself tea and crashed with a book on the comfy couch. Heaven! I will sleep well here. Tomorrow, I climb to Radicofani which sits at 793m. Only 16km, but all uphill. This will be my last full day in Tuscany. Tomorrow evening, I will be at less than 200km from Rome!
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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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