Heading out just after sunrise. Radicofani still looks a long way off!
Looking back at agriturismo Passalacqua
Campiglia d'Orcia in the distance
Halfway! Time for a break. And to change my shoes, which got slightly wet fording the river.
On the long climb up to Radicofani (900 m), the views of Monte Amiata and the Crete are fantastic.
Radicofani is coming closer... but first, I have to get past the sheepdogs! These are working dogs and their job is to keep people away from their sheep, and they're bigger than me, so when I see two of them coming right for me I beat a hasty retreat and walk the last few km up to Radicofani on the roadside rather than on the path through the fields.
I am the first to arrive at the pilgrim hostel - it's only 3 pm. So after checking in and showering I head up to the fortress for some amazing views.
An eerie place with a strong wind blowing
From the top of the tower I look down on the town and on the path I will walk the next day
Radicofani. Empty streets, closed shutters, leaves blowing in the wind. But the town has a warm heart. You just have to know where to look for it.
A good place to start is Pane e Companatico, a simple sandwich shop, where I stand talking to the owner Silvana for the better part of an hour and she lays bare her soul while making me a tomato sandwich.
When I get back to the hostel with my packed lunch ready for the next day, a German couple and a French and a Belgian girl who are walking together have arrived. As well as two Italian cyclists. If Italians do the Via Francigena at all, they tend to do it by bicycle. If they want to walk, they go to Santiago!
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