Siena provincial trail no. 2, day 4: Vescovado di Murlo - Bibbiano (21 km) (including a few detours!)

Picking up where I left off the previous day, I walked along the road from Vescovado to Murlo, a tiny village dating back to Etruscan days. But the Etruscan museum wasn't open (yet?) and neither were the coffee bars; in fact, there was no-one about except the cat you can see in the picture below, and even it was not looking very lively. So I proceeded down the hill to the former mine of Miniere di Murlo and onto the trail that follows the bed of a former railway for transporting the coal extracted from the mine. Being a railway bed, the trail is perfectly flat; a new bridge has been built to cross over the Crevole stream at the point where a stone railway bridge once stood. 

Murlo and its only inhabitant 

Leaving Murlo through the town gate

Miniere di Murlo

Il Ponte Nero

Torrente Crevole

The trail passes through outcrops of jasper, which is crumbling away to form shards that pave the path with gravel. 

Coming out at the other end of the trail, by La Befa, I abandoned trail no. 2, which proceeds on to Montalcino, and turned toward Buonconvento on trail no. 5. After only a few steps in this direction I was intrigued by a sign marking the turn-off to Montepertuso: 

"The bells of Montepertuso, from the mysterious hilltop, calling those who have lost their way back to the right path". 

This was no doubt the function of the church perched atop the hill, which would have been a landmark for travellers between Murlo, Montalcino and Buonconvento in the valley below; and it is the function of this place today, now that it is home to the "Comunità Mondo Nuovo", a place where people who have lost their way in life can go for help. When I arrived, two men were retrieving honey from a beehive, while a group of Austrian hikers admired the view from the churchyard.

Beehives with a view

I got talking to one of the men living in the community - the youngest member, and the newest, he informed me. Only 20 years old, he said he had left the big city and come there of his own will in order to change the direction his life was taking. Judging from our chat, I would say he has the all the intelligence and willpower he will need to do it. I wished him the best of luck, bought a jar of honey to take home, and set off back down the hill onto the road toward Buonconvento.

A sweet souvenir of my visit!

Prickly pear flower

Wild rose - and the bee that stung me (or one of its companions)

Thistle 

The road between Murlo and Bibbiano

Coming closer to Bibbiano - but alas! The pub is closed

Buonconvento comes into view

From here I was once again on a familiar road - the route from La Befa past Le Carcerelle to Bibbiano. Home to our local pub! But unfortunately it happened to be the pub's weekly day of rest. A man who was doing some cleaning in the kitchen gave me some ice water - though on a hot afternoon it was torture to see the beer taps, turned off! 

After Bibbiano I ventured to take a shortcut, marked as path number 515, which would have brought me out at the gas station just below Resta, my final destination for the day. But I forgot one detail - in between Bibbiano and Resta there is a river! The trail fords the river, but in spring time the water was too high and fast to risk. So I had to trudge up the hill - hot and weary by now - where I looked for trail number 5, which would at least take me to Buonconvento without having to walk along the road. Found the trail marker, but when I followed it... the trail quickly petered off into a field of tall grass. As I was studying the map looking for an alternate route, a car pulled up, and the driver informed me that the trail had been ploughed under and offered me a lift into town, where I was able to catch the bus on the fly, ending up at the gas station I would have been able to walk to if the water in the river had been lower. And from there up the hill to Resta - quite weary after the day's total of 21 kilometres! 

Siena provincial trail no. 2, Day 3: Cuna - Vescovado di Murlo (14 km)

Today's walk was not as scenic as the first two stages - though that may have been partly due to the weather being rather grey and dull. The temperature was perfect for walking, however, and after yesterday I definitely didn't need more sun!

Under the Tuscan clouds

Had a little trouble picking up the right road leaving the Grancia in Cuna. Never ask passers-by for directions when walking - they don't know the trails. Not even dog-walkers! This lady sent me down a road that turned out to have a large gate right across it. And a large dog behind the gate! Finally I actually had to look at one of the hiking maps I have been collecting over the years, and then the route was clear to me. I climbed up the hill toward Le Caggiole somewhat hesitantly as the directions I have been following, from the mountain biking website, said there would be "sheepdogs to welcome you to the farm". But though there were several dogs, as well as sheep, the dogs didn't seem to be engaged in guarding the sheep, and were all friendly; one of the farmhands was out and about and walked with me on the stretch leading past the house, so the dogs were no trouble at all. What was a bother though was the tall grass on the way down the other side of the hill - got my feet and the lower half of my trousers quite wet! Surely it wouldn't be too much trouble for the people at the farm to cut the grass occasionally along this stretch of the path?

Fortunately the overgrown dirt track soon joined a gravel road leading to the village of Radi, where I had been hoping to get a cappuccino and a croissant - but no luck, the only bar in town seems to be closed on Mondays. If it ever actually opens! There was nobody around at all in Radi, and so I continued on toward Murlo, signposted as another 6 km. There was very little traffic on the gravel road, though whenever a car did pass, it raised quite a cloud of dust. There were no other walkers about, though I several cyclists passed me, including some with large saddle packs suggesting serious intentions. 

Shortly after leaving Radi I stopped for a break in a field with a view back toward the church I had just passed coming out of the village.

The road was lined with trees, but in the occasional breaks between trees the views were amazing, under a dramatic sky.

Can you see Siena on the horizon?

And as I began to tire, I slowed down and took some time to capture the wildflowers growing along the route on film. 

I arrived in Vescovado di Murlo at 11 am and, as the clouds were beginning to look more and more threatening, I decided to take the 11:50 bus back to Siena rather than proceeding on to the hamlet of Murlo and having lunch there. I took a stroll around the village of Vescovado, where I discovered it was market day - perfect! One stall sold pecorino cheese, and another apples. My favourite hiking snack! So I sat on the round bench you can see in the picture below and had my mid-morning energy pick-up right in the middle of the market square before picking up a bus ticket and heading for the bus stop on the main road. Shortly after I got to the stop it started raining - and then pouring! Luckily the bus driver was already starting his engines across the road, and let me get on early! 

Vescovado di Murlo on market day

Siena provincial trail no. 2, Day 2: Taverne d'Arbia - Cuna (12 km)

This morning I caught the bus back to Taverne d'Arbia, where I left off walking yesterday, and after a quick stop for cappuccino continued across the bridge over the Arbia river, through the town of the same name, and up the hill to the turn-off for what turned out to be a very scenic dirt track through the clay hills to Isola d'Arbia. Siena is visible all the time to the north, framed by ever-changing varieties of wild flowers and trees. At this time of year the countryside is beautifully green, there are no annoying insects, and the temperature is perfect despite the lack of shade!

We are definitely in the Crete now - the entire landscape is moulded out of clay!

Biancane, a characteristic formation of the Crete Senesi

Someone has been here before me

Heading due west

The view back over an irrigation pond towards Siena

After passing through the town of Isola d'Arbia, crossing the highway and the railroad tracks, the trail becomes the Via Francigena for the rest of the way to Cuna.

Follow the white arrow to Rome - or the yellow arrow to Santiago!

The massive brick construction of the Grancia di Cuna, a fortified granary that belonged to the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala. The grain stored here was ground in the mill in Monteroni and made into the bread the institution distributed to the poor, pilgrims and the sick. Some of the grain was also sold to fund the institution's operations.

The construction is undergoing renovation work at present, and much of it is under scaffolding, so it cannot be explored. The prettiest part, for the time being, is the gate I go through as I leave. 

And here is the reason for the existence of this very impressive construction - wheat! 

Still green in May, and liberally sprinkled with poppies.

At Cuna I leave the path and walk down the hill to the highway to catch the bus back to Siena once again. But as it is Sunday buses are rare, and I have an hour to wait, so rather than sit by the highway I walk into the town of Monteroni to get something to drink before catching the bus back, feeling satisfied with my half-day walk and somewhat sunburned! 

Monteroni d'Arbia

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?