The hostel in San Miniato was one of the hottest places where I already spent the night. I suppose the flat roof was to blame. After 30min in bed, I decided to sleep with the window open. Rather a mosquito bite than melting alive. Around 1am, someone starting singing outside, but he only kept me awake for 30sec.
This morning, I woke up with fresh air and a view over some trees. A good start of the day. In the end, one other person slept in the hostel but he was in another dorm. Not a pilgrim, but somebody who had worked late in a restaurant. He was a snoozer. His alarm kept going off. I never met him, he was still in bed when I left. I couldn't walk away without a short morning visit to San Miniato. The tourists hadn't yet arrived, so it was really quiet. I had the church all for myself. The view over the valley was amazing, but you could see that the weather was changing. Some high clouds had arrived. A cat on the stairs of the Duomo waived me goodbye and off I went. The first part went along a road. Not my favourite, but this was not too bad. There were outstanding views over the surroundings hills and valleys and there was almost no traffic on this sunday morning. After only 2km, I arrived in Calenzano which was not more than some scattered farmhouses. Here I already passed the last bar of the day, but it was too early for a break. The roads were in very bad condition. It inspired somebody to write on the street: san miniato = strade di merda. Not an issue if you walk. I made good progress while the sun came through and the temperature easily got up to 35 degrees. The path comes along the big swimming pool of San Miniato. Very tempting, but I was on a mission, walking 24km to Gambassi Terme. At a rest area, the Via Francigena left the concrete for a 4 wheel drive path. I sat down for a while and 2 German ladies passed. They had started their 4 day walk to Siena today and were a bit struggling with the hills and the heat. The dirt road Via Elsa took me deeper into the Tuscan hills. These are the rolling hills I associate with Tuscany. Very nice on photos, but very tough, because you keep going up and down all the time. First there was still some shade from trees, but pretty soon all that was left was dry farmland and some cypress trees. After a bit more than 10km, I reached the road again at Coiano. A little hamlet with no services but one big sign: water 100m. In this unforgiving landscape, you don't want to end up without water. So like a river in Africa attracts all the animals, a water fountain on the via francigena attracts all the pilgrims. I found the German ladies again and an Italian man walking with a little horse. I enjoyed the company and took a long lunch break. Afterwards, I continued on the dirt road for the nicest part of the day. The path stayed on top of the hills with stunning views over the surrounding farmland. Incredible how dry and dead everything is. Everything needs rain here. I wouldn't want to be a farmer out here. But I have to say, their big Tuscan houses on top of little hills are stunning. Some of these are clearly also holiday homes. The weather had changed completely and it got completely overcast. Perfect for walking and rain was not forecasted before late at night. Along the path, I bumped into the Slovakian girls from yesterday. They had a story to tell. Yesterday, they took a wrong turn and ended up in another city away from the Francigena. They had to pay 70 euro for a taxi to their hostel. It sounds incredible, but it is so easy to get lost here. However, never continue when you don't see any signs for a while. They learned the hard way, but they kept their positive spirit. Later, I took a break in front of a huge abandoned house. It was getting late and I still had to cover some distance. A little sign under a tree mentions 1506. That's when 150 Swiss soldiers first walked to Rome. It was the start of a long tradition of Swiss guards being responsible for the security in Vatican city. Just before reaching the road again, there was a sign saying big bench uphill. Late or not late, I wanted to check it out. Life is more exciting if you leave the path from time to time. It was a steep 5min climb and then I reached the top of a hill with stunning 360 degrees views. On that hill, they had installed a massive bench, you needed to climb on some rocks to get onto it. Sitting there was just magical. The rolling hills of Tuscany were all around me. And to the right on top of another hill, Gambassi Terme, that's where I needed to get. Not an easy job, because after 20km up and down, there was still a 5km climb. It is clear that some pilgrims struggle on this stretch. For the first time, there were first aid boxes along the path. Stickers also indicated taxi's you could call if your feet couldn't carry you anymore. Not for me, I climbed my way up through the vineyards while it was getting dark. The last part is along a concrete road. Luckily, I could walk behind a guardrail, because some drivers were speeding like crazy. The climb felt like it would never end. I went through Borgoforte before finally reaching a pilgrims hostel in a church and the sign for Gambassi Terme. I had booked an albergo in town, but the owner had said he could only check me in around 22h. So I first went for pasta in town. There was a big event going on in the village. In the afternoon, there had been some sort of a parade. Confetti was everywhere. Now everybody was enjoying beers and snacks in the central square. But the best was yet to come. At 22h, DJ Theo entered the stage. It was so loud and my albergo was on that square. Only at 22h30, owner Stefano showed up to check me in. The friendly man gave me a room at the back of the building, but I could still hear every song. Not a problem for me, that is why I have my earplugs. But first a shower. Here it got a bit bizarre. The shower was just next to the toilet, no curtain or what so ever. So you shower and you flood the toilet. You go back to your room. Later, you go back for the toilet and you have to swim towards it. It made me laugh. Gambassi Terme is located on a hilltop with some nice views and has a thermal complex. Most historic buildings were destroyed during medieval wars. Tomorrow, it is going to be rainy and I will walk the shortest stage of my whole walk. Only 13km to San Gimignano, an old village full of treasures. But now first sleep while DJ Theo is playing zombie nation.
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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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