Siena provincial trail no. 2, Day 1: Siena - Taverne d'Arbia (18 km)

On the road again!
Sentiero n. 2 della Provincia di Siena. Not a pilgrimage route, but a winding path from Siena towards Monte Amiata, touching on some of the places I visited last year on the Via Francigena, but following a different route.
There are, I think, 7 major trails winding up, down and around the province of Siena, but when I read that number 2 was "the backbone of the trail system in the province", I decided to start with that one. And it seems like the natural place to start, as the trail leaves Siena via Porta Ovile - the city gate closest to my daughter's flat, where I will be based while walking the first part of the trail.

The only trail marker in
the first part of the route -
mangled, faded, and tucked
into a hollow tree!

A word of warning about this trail: it is not well marked, AT ALL, and so you must follow the directions carefully. There appears to be no printed guidebook, but I was able to download the directions in Italian from http://www.sembola.it/itprov02.htm, a mountain bikers' website. Following their instructions, I had no trouble at all, except in the last bit of today's stage, where I must have missed a turn-off, as I ended up under the viaduct of a busy highway instead of in the centre of Taverne d'Arbia!

The route exits the city walls of Siena through Porta Ovile, after which it takes only about 15 minutes of walking on city streets to get over to the other side of the railway tracks and find the footpath up to the Basilica dell'Osservanza.
Inside the church are a couple of Madonnas by Sano di Pietro which I would of like to see, because of the painter's connection with Fattoria Resta, but unfortunately there was a barrier all around the central nave with an alarm system installed which did not allow me to get close to the paintings. They were in semi-darkness in the side chapels, and I didn't have a coin to turn the lights on! So I will have to go back!

Approaching the Basilica dell'Osservanza

From the Basilica there is a lovely view back over the city of Siena

Looking back past the Basilica towards Siena

Officially exiting the city of Siena, the path follows a gravel road lined with poppies and... other wild flowers.



At the village of Cipriano, the route leaves the road and becomes a footpath and horse-riding track through the woods, rather muddy at this time of year! Back on the road, it climbs to the tiny fortified village of Monteliscai.

Monteliscai

Between Monteliscai and San Giorgio a Lapi, someone appears to have lost a dragon, according to this notice posted on a telephone pole! "Frightening, but not aggressive." Well, that's good to know! "Please give us a call if you see it." - Will do!

I am beginning to feel somewhat worse for wear in the last stretch coming down towards Taverne d'Arbia, along a cypress-lined avenue with views of Siena. The city is not really very far away - only a quarter of an hour on the bus - but I have come by the scenic route, round in a big half-circle.

Finally in Taverne d'Arbia!

Back in Siena, the bus drops me off at Porta Ovile, which means a steep climb up Via del Comune!
Only to go just as steeply down on the other side...
But that's the way it is, in a city built on the "crete senesi", the clay hills of Siena!

The coup de grace for my calf muscles!

A healthy hiker's dinner

But after dinner and a shower, I manage to summon up the energy to go out for "La notte dei musei", and at amazing evening at Santa Maria della Scala, the former hospital/pilgrim hostel/orphanage/social services institution across from the cathedral in Siena. In the former pilgrim hostel, conservation experts are at work on restoration of a number of Ambrogio Lorenzetti frescoes which have been detached from the church in San Galgano. And students from the local art school are presenting items from the Briganti collection, an amazing library donated by a private collector who passed away in 1998. I spend the evening looking over the students' shoulders at early guidebooks to the city, 19th century photographs, and, best of all, original volumes of Piranesi engravings, some of which are printed on oversized sheets of paper that fold out of the books to cover the entire table....
By the time I leave the museum it is late at night and my eyes are popping with amazement!
Who would have thought that a Saturday night in the library could be so exciting?