Distance Walked: 1402 miles
Current No. Blisters: 7
Tuscan hilltop hopping. If I had to describe the past week in a phrase, that would be it.
The journey continued from Lucca, at the end of last week. I’d just finished with the Apeninnes and Apuan Alps, and indeed with a few touristic sights in the city (walls, towers, history and food). A smoggy haze still hung over everything, but despite this, the city remained rather pretty.
After almost forgetting my underwear (for the first time on this trip), I was then outnumbered two to one by Frenchmen on the long exit of the city. Company and conversation was very welcome on that rather stale morning tarmac stretch. Afterwards, I cracked on alone to the bridge, constructed by the Medici at Ponte a Cappiano, as mentioned last week. An evening pizza, and Aperol Spritz were sufficient to revive me from the walk, and from the shock of yet again meeting a Belgian pilgrim who I always believe I’m in front of, and who always pops up again in the oddest of places (not that it’s a race!).
Tuscany revealed itself in style the following morning. Gone was the sun’s hazy veil, opening up views of distant hills (and near), gentle ripples in a wheat-carpeted world, cut with dark lines of cypress trees. The walk was long, rewarding, and welcome, and built to a spectacular finish on the bald summit of a small hill, where we three pilgrims, from Blighty, that country over the Channel (France), and the other country over the other channel (USA) set up tents for the night.
Some Italians made their way up for an evening meal, and found us there, in the middle of a masterchef-style cook-off (I lost…), and they were poured glasses each from the wine bottle (naturally, local Chianti).
It was a good night, until the rain (the first in weeks) began at five in the morning. All was quickly packed up, and a sombre walk to the nearby town of Gambassi Terme was started, earlier than planned. The thermal baths went down very well, with a surprise sauna raising my spirits considerably. After that, it was a trivial-feeling hilltop hop over to San Gimignano. The town was visible from quite a distance, on account of a striking collection of medieval towers. Droves of tourists constantly milled about the main street (except at the morning pilgrim starting time of 05:00, when all was blanketed in a serene silence).
After I’d tried the saffron ice cream, and spent a night in a palazzo high up on the main street, San Gimignano joined the host of other cities I’ve passed through on this journey, as remaining but a memory, once the towers had been swept behind the hills of Tuscany. The walled city of Monteriggioni, crowing another Tuscan hill (as name-checked by Dante) was the following nights stay.
Tuesday evening in Sienna marked the first time in a while that I’ve been sternly told off – this time for singing. That said, perhaps a full pelt harmony duet of La Marseillaise in the shower at the hostel might have been a tad much. An evening in Sienna made for a nice, if brief city break from the route (allowing me to be a tourist for a few hours).
The next few days of the route were Tuscany at its best, yet again. Views and sweltering heat dominated the day, and wonderful skies the night. This week finished at another wild camping site, this time not far from the natural thermal springs at Bagno Vignoni. After a roasting day, a dip in the pale blue waters (and a vaguely warm beer) was simply perfect. We cooked some sausages for dinner, and slept under the stars, without a tent.
And so, I am now less than a week from Rome, if all goes well. Road signs to Rome have started to pop up, giving some substance to the thought that it might actually be a real place, after all this time.
For the final stretch of the pilgrimage, I’ll be posting daily updates (a picture, brief caption, and perhaps a thought or two on the experience as a whole). I’ll be starting these posts tomorrow, on Monday the 1st of July. If all goes well, I may be in Rome on Saturday the 6th. It’s something of a surreal thought that this journey is almost at an end.