Italy – Explore Some More

Italian Adventures – 7 day walk on the Via Francigena

As a follow up to my walking vacation in Portugal last year (completing a section of the Portuguese Camino), I set off to walk a portion of the Via Francegina in Italy, which is shown in the map above.

The Via Francigena is a path from Canterbury, England to Rome. Since medieval times people have made this pilgrimage from various points in Europe to visit the Holy See and the tombs of Peter and Paul. The full path is over 2000 kms. My journey of seven days of hiking about 121 kms through the rolling hills of Tuscany…plus additional mileage of getting lost and wandering the small towns where I stayed overnight!

September 20th: Train from Florence to San Miniato

The train system in Italy is quite easy to navigate. I had one change, then hopped on a bus that dropped me off close to the hotel where I was staying…about 1/2 Km walk…all uphill! While I was waiting at reception to get a question answered, four women had arrived and were checking in. I asked if they were walking the Via Francigena…and that was the start of new friendships and walking buddies for part of the next 7 days! Kathy (from Portland), her sister Pat from Alaska, Dagmar and Robyn both from Seattle (Bainbridge Island) and me became the West Coast Women on the Via! They were walking all the way to Rome.

We went together to investigate this lovely hilltop town. First stop was a glass of wine at a local restaurant on a piazza. Perfect for people watching and enjoying a glass of local wine while we got to know each other. Afterwards we wandered the streets, enjoyed the views and even browsed through a local art gallery. Dinner was at a small but busy restaurant…fresh tigliattina pasta with olive oil and black truffles. It was so good! After dinner we visited the local gelateria for dessert, then stopped by a deli to pick up lunch food for the next couple of days. Finally…back to the hotel for a glass of wine on the patio. Time to turn in for the night to get a good rest for the first day on the path.

The via Francigena leading to San Miniato

VF – Day 1: San Miniato – Gambassi Terme

Total distance walked: 26.4 kms

I met the WCW for breakfast on the patio in the morning. They were getting a ride to a spot “down the path” to avoid some of the road walking. I started out from the hotel. It took me a few tries to find the Via Francigena markers, but finally I was on my way. There was a stunning view of San Miniato, just a little bit down the hill.

The path along the road wasn’t too busy and the views were nice. After an uphill climb the path left the road and followed the ridgeline along olive groves and vineyards. There were some remnants of previous rainy days.

Signs of previous days’ rainfall
Selfie fail!

About 14 kms into the day, I started to get a little tired. Slowed my pace, stopped for lunch (and discovered I had left my deli purchases in the fridge in my hotel room). I took lots of breaks during the remainder of the day. The afternoon was hot and there wasn’t much shade. I rejoiced when the sun went behind a cloud for a few minutes!

would love to know the story of abandoned buildings

Along the fields, I noticed a large yellow bench at the top of a hill. “What’s one more hill,” I thought to myself. Managed the short but steep walk and enjoyed the views. It is a local monument to honour the pilgrims walking the Via Francigena in this area.

Hard to see in this photo but my destination is at the top of the hill in the distance

The last leg of the day wasn’t quite as tough as I though it would be, not really steep but a constant uphill. I arrived at my accommodation, Ostello Sigerico at about 4:15. I almost walked by it as I was expecting it to be in the town of Gambassi Terme. It is located behind the Church of Santa Maria Assunta of Chianni on the hill leading up to the town.

The hostel was basic, but pleasant. It had a lovely courtyard where I enjoyed a cold beer after I had settled in and shared a table with a young man from Germany. He’s an automotive engineer with Porche who is on a multi-month sabatical, solo walking the Via Francegina to Rome. At dinner, I was seated with Max and a retired couple (Cane and Elena) from Holland. We enjoyed a good conversation.

Retired early to my room as it was a long and hot walking day. The WCW were staying at different accommodation in the town of Gambassi Terme, so we agreed to connect in the morning to walk the next leg together.

Via – Day 2: Gambassi Terme – San Gimignano

Total Distance Walked: 14.7 KM

Breakfast was provided at the hostel, but it was pretty meager…and the coffee was cold (staff prepare everything the night before and apparently the thermos didn’t function well!). With everything packed up I walked up the hill to the town – about 15 minutes away. I had some time before meeting the WCW and I found a lovely bar (that’s what coffee shops are called in Italy) and practiced my very limited Italian…”Vorrei un cappuccino e un cornetto al pistacchio, per favore.” I sat at a table in the piazza with a lovely view of the country-side. A few minutes later, I hear someone shouting “aiuto” (help) and several people went running down the path by the ravine. From what I could gather, a man had fallen and was having difficulty getting up…but he was OK.

After coffee, I wandered some of the streets of the town waiting to meet Kathy, Pat, Dagmar and Robyn to start our hike for the day.

Street views of Gambassi Terme

We started our journey down the hill, along a roadway for a short bit, then on to gravel paths that led us through vineyards, olive groves and wineries.

This was a day of getting to know the group a little more and enjoying the beautiful Tuscan landscape. Although it was a shorter distance day, it felt a little long. Several rolling hills through vineyards and farms, but nothing too difficult. We stopped for lunch along side a vineyard and the group shared some cheese, meat and delicious Italian cookies since I hadn’t replenished my lunch supplies. Such a generous group!

I discovered that the tall skinny trees we see are cypress trees, while the ones that look like stalks of broccoli are pruned Monterrey pines.

Soon we could see our destination in the distance.

After checking into the hotel (Hotel La Cisterna) and having a shower, I met Dagmar for a walk around this interesting town, enjoying the views of the surrounding country side and exploring many tunnels and walkways. I was surprised to see Max (from the hostel) and we had a brief chat. Dagmar and I decided to pause for refreshments and enjoyed an aperol spritz on a patio. We met up with the rest of the group for further exploration and later settled on a small local restaurant for dinner…fresh pici (like thick spaghetti) with wild boar sauce accompanied by a tasty Vernazza wine, selected by Robyn. After dinner, it was time for gelato at a shop that claims they have the best gelato in the world. While it was tasty (Raspberry Rosemary and Cremma for me), I am not convinced it is the best. The search will continue throughout my stops in Italy!

Another amazing day on the Via Francigena!

Via – Day 4: Colle Val d’Elsa to Monteriggioni

Total Distance Walked: 20.9 km

The morning showed remnants of the storm on the horizon, and a beautiful sunrise. I enjoyed a great breakfast at the guest house then walked down the street to meet the WCW.

Our plan was to walk along the Elsa River – we had read that it is a beautiful walk with turquoise waters and small waterfalls. We exited the walled hamlet and three of us walked down the stairs to the new town area. Dagmar’s ankle was giving her some grief (from a recent injury) so she and Pat took the elevator down and we were to meet them in the town below. It took a little while, but we eventually found each other!

We got a little turned around trying to find the river path and a local tried to explain it to us (in Italian). Eventually, we found it and started walking along the river. From the torrential rains from last night, the river was flowing fast, and high. When we got to the first river crossing, we watched the young women that we met the day before going across. Normally there are big flat rocks that you walk across, but they were submerged in the flowing, muddy river. The “youngsters” had taken their shoes off and were gingerly stepping across. Considering they were probably 35 or 40 years younger that our group and there were 1 or 2 more river crossings after this one, we made a team decision to backtrack to the alternate route that would take us through the city of Colle. I am convinced that was the right choice. We had another view of the river from a bridge as we exited the city. There were no turquoise waters on this day!

After leaving the town of Colle, we passed by a site of ancient thermal baths from Etruscan-Roman times. Although someone had taken a dip, we passed on that experience. It was a serene area. Not sure what the critter was, but he was enjoying the warm water!

The hike today took us through hills, woods and meadows and through the small town of Strove (pop. 84) where we stopped for a rest. Soon we could see the hilltop town of Monteriggionni (and yes another hill to get to the town!).

Of course, climbing the steep hill to Monteriggioni meant having a gelato before my walking partners were driven to Siena where they would take a rest day. After checking in to the lovely B&B (called Rooms and Wine), I had some lunch, explored the town and then had the complimentary glass of wine at the organic wine store owned by the B&B.

This was a treat after the small bathrooms in previous accom.

Later I bought a ticket to walk the walls and enjoy a lovely sunset. Like other towns, by 6 pm most of the visitors had left which made it very pleasant to enjoy the views. Another wander around the streets, then I settled in for a restful sleep.