Total Distance Walked: 24.7 km
After a restful sleep, I found my breakfast box on a hook outside my room (named La Piazza). I enjoyed the pastry and coffee and packed up the rest for my lunch!
The exit from the town was beautiful and quiet at 7:15 am. Down the road, then on to a variety of paths.
Along the trail through some fields and forests, I came across a man, sitting in a chair by the path . He had a rifle in his lap (I didn’t take a picture!). After I passed him, I heard dogs barking and men shouting from an area I had passed by a few minutes before. I believe they were hunting wild boar (’tis the season). My guess is the man along the path was there to deal with any boars that came his way. At least that is the story I am telling! And I saw boar prints along the path.
Further along the path, an abandoned farm house stood near a castle tower called Castello della Chiocciola built in the 14th c.
I stopped at an eclectic “local” cafe set up for pilgrims in La Villa. Everything was “by donation”. I enjoyed a cappuccino and made use of their washroom, which was very well stocked. It is so great to see some locals supporting the people on the trail. There were picnic tables next door and an electric vehicle charging station! The sign on the chair in the photo below translates to: “At the important crossroads of the Via, there are no signs.”
I walked along a rocky paths, and quiet country roads past herds of goats that moved in unison, with their bells clanging and a little later a deer crossed the road not far in front of me. It was a peaceful walk. I met three equestrians along the section that took me past an obelisk that marks an 18th c. tunneling project to drain a large marsh that was believed to be responsible for malaria outbreaks. The project built 2 meter diameter tunnel of hand-cut bricks that goes for 2.2 kms!
There were sections of very muddy paths, a remnant of the recent rains in the area. I followed the ridges along more farmland and a small community. I was getting close to Siena.
The last 1.5 kilometers to Sienna was steep uphill, had to stop to giggle at the house that had a Route 66 drive through sign on their patio – and a longer stop for a rest at the top to enjoy the view of old town Siena on the horizon! On the way to my accommodation, I passed the hotel where the WCW were staying and entered the Old Town through the large gate, Porta Camollia. I checked into my hotel and had a bit of a rest before meeting up with Kathy, Pat and Dagmar for a quick glass of wine before they went on to their reserved time to tour the Duomo.
I was quite tired, so I opted to pick up some groceries to make a little picnic dinner in my hotel room, knowing that I would be back in Siena in two days.
