Day 20: Lucignano d'Arbia - Resta

17 km

 

 

 Sara joined me again for the last leg of my Long Walk

 

 

 

Typical landscape of the Crete Senesi

 

 

Ponte d'Arbia

 

 

Bridge at Ponte d'Arbia damaged by August 24 floods

 

 

Le Crete Senesi - the clay hills of Siena

 

 

The path runs in parallel with the railway line and occasionally crosses over it

 

 

 

 

Piana -where the Villaggio della Birra beer festival was held recently

 

 

September flowers

 

 

Hungry and ready for a rest, not far from Buonconvento we decided to forgo our packed lunches and drop by Mario's restaurant for a dish of pici!

 

 

 

Our timing was just right: as we were coming into Buonconvento I received two phone calls, from Alain (in the blue shirt on the left, from France) and Chantal (in the blue shirt on the right, from Quebec), who were just coming into town with their respective travelling partners and wanted to meet up!

 

 

After lunch, and after checking Guy and Chantal into the pilgrims' hostel run by the parish church in Buonconvento, we all headed towards Resta together.

 

 

I have finally found the way to walk from Buonconvento to Resta without walking along the highway(hardly) - all you have to do is follow the Via Francigena signs!

 

 

 

 

 

A familiar sight, seen with new eyes 

 

 

Sara and Marie-Helene lead the way up the hill

 

 

 

 

 

My goal is in sight!

 

 

We arrive just as the grape harvest is finishing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home again! 

 

 

Pilgrims in arrival at Resta

 

 

 

A Resta sunset

 

As a fitting end to a pilgrimage, in the evening I converted to a "hospitaliere", providing dinner and beds for passing pilgrims and travellers, helping them plan the next leg of their walk and even "stamping" their pilgrim passports with my name and address and the date!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 19: Siena - Lucignano d'Arbia

 

17.5 km

 

Leaving Siena through Porta Romana on a foggy morning

 

 

Unfortunately this spread is laid out not for pilgrims, but for a cycling group

 

 

Via di Certosa in the mist

 

 

Certosa - now a hotel

 

On this leg of the trip I met Andrea and Selvaggia, from Versilia, who are walking to Rome on their honeymoon - with two little dogs!

 

 

 

As the curtain of fog is drawn, the beauty of the clay hills south of Siena is revealed 

 

Within a few hours we had left Siena far behind

 

  

 

 

 

Approaching Cuna! I have always wondered what was within those walls....

 

 

 

And today is the right day to investigate! I was rather disappointed to find that within the walls of the fortress were perfectly ordinary houses. Someone was practicing on a drum kit, and a lady was having an argument with the letter carrier over where to leave the bills.

 

On the way out I photographed the gate of the fortress and the little chapel outside it.

 

A little farther down the road I met a German pilgrim on his very first day walking - he had just set out from Siena. Unfortunately we parted ways when I stopped for lunch in a very scenic spot.

 

 

 

 

 

The Crete Senesi - clay hills of Siena 

 

 

I then continued just a little farther before deciding I had had enough walking for today. It was too far to reach Resta in a single day of walking so I left the Via Francigena at Quinciano, walked down to Lucignano d'Arbia and ended my day's walk in this lovely village.

 

  

Lucignano d'Arbia - the washing well

 

 

Lucignano d'Arbia - the washing well

 

 

 

Lucignano d'Arbia - the northern gate

 

Lucignano d'Arbia

 

 

 Lucignano d'Arbia - the church 

 

 

 

Lucignano d'Arbia - the southern gate

 

Day 18: Monteriggioni - Siena

10 km

 

 

 

Monteriggioni - buzzing with tourists in the daytime, empty at dawn!

 

 

 

Sara leaving Monteriggioni

 

 

Monteriggioni in the distance

 

 

Walking with Rudolf, the first pilgrim I met on the Via Francigena way back in Luni!

 

 

Fertile tilled fields

 

Castello della Chiocciola - is there a princess locked up in that tower?

 

 

La Villa: the best-equipped rest stop on the Via Francigena!

 

 

 

There's a first aid kit, a number to call to ask for coffee or sandwiches, fresh water, benches and a table, a stamp for your pilgrim passport.... even a mirror!

 

  

Pilgrims of various nationalities enjoying the rest stop

 

A little farther down the path we missed a turn-off - which must have been unmarked, as everyone seems to miss it unless they are following a GPS track! We ended up on the road, and as I had walked this stretch before and knew it was a dangerous and unpleasant road to walk, I advised everyone to take the bus the rest of the way into the historic centre of Siena rather than walk through the modern outskirts on a busy road with no sidewalks. As it was threatening to rain, they were all happy to take my advice - all except Alain, a lone Frenchman who set off in search of the correct path into Siena on foot. The rest of us made an inglorious entrance into the city of Siena, not through the majestic Porta Camollia but by bus to Piazza del Sale. Sara and I were able to point everyone in the right direction to find their accommodations for the day before it started raining. Then Sara and I took Domenico, Marie-Helene to our favourite lunch spot in Siena before spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing and waiting for the rain to pass. 

 

  

 

In Siena at last!

 

 

 

 

Happy after lunch and a flask of Chianti