via francigena: agricola fratelli marchi to siena (& a rest day in siena)

Tuesday, July 11: We left Agricola Fratelli Marchi at 6 am. It was a cool morning with low humidity and I wasn’t sweating much at all compared to other mornings. It was nice to start the day not being drenched. We walked through woods abutting fields at the edge of an artificially dried lake bed, the Pian del Lago, which we walked across.

At this place, a Sienese nobleman undertook a massive tunneling project in 1766 to drain the Pian del Lago swamp believed to be responsible for local malaria outbreaks. His efforts fell short and the Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo completed the project, a hand-cut brick tunnel two meters wide running for nearly 22km to the southeast where it emptied into Torrente Rigo. The “Granduca Canale” destroyed the wetland habitat but created wide flat farmland in its stead.

Descending into the woods, we came upon a pyramidal obelisk identifying the 18th century earthworks that drained the lake bed we just crossed. Here, we sat at a picnic table to rest and have a snack.

We passed an equestrian center and a cemetery and then started entering the suburbs of Siena. It was a very steep climb on an asphalt road in hot sun with workmen blasting leaf blowers, making the entire climb noisy and unpleasant.

We finally reached the top of the hill, turned a corner and came upon a straight long street lined with businesses and bars. We stopped at the first one, Cecco, which we were told had only been open 3 days. I enjoyed a pistachio croissant and cappuccino. We were so happy because we were only 35 minutes from Albergo Bernini, where we would stay for 2 nights.

We  stopped briefly in a modern church, which didn’t have a pilgrim stamp as usual.

We walked through the Porto Camilla into the old town and then arrived at Albergo Bernini, in a great location close to everything.

Albergo Bernini was a lovely place. We had a large room with a king bed and a twin bed. The Albergo had a beautiful terrace with a view of all of Siena, including the Duomo and the huge Church of San Domenico. It was hosted by the kind, enthusiastic and helpful Eugenia. It even had a ceiling fan but of course no air conditioning. We could prepare tea or coffee or use the refrigerator to store breakfast foods, beer, and wine in the kitchen. Also we could hang our clothes on the terrace where they easily dried.

I found out when I arrived that I had a painful blister, not like the first one I’d had that easily peeled off. After our usual routine of doing laundry and showering, I put Compeed on it along with a moleskin donut around it and then I went limping around Siena in my sandals.

We had lunch at Nonno Mede, right under our terrace. I had the most delicious Fagottino Ricotta e Pere: ricotta and pear fagottino wih pecorino fondue and summer truffle. What bundles of joy! I had a Hugo and Darina an Aperol Campari. Though the people there were not friendly, the food was delicious.

After lunch we went to the enormous austere brick Church of San Domingo of the Dominican order; St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), patron Saint of Italy, was a member. The youngest of 25 children, she became one of Italy’s most beloved mystics. She died after fasting at the age of 33. San Domingo exhibits some of her relics, her skull and thumb, while the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome holds the rest. Of course no photos were allowed but that didn’t stop people from snapping away. For once, I followed the rules.   I was able to see both her skull and thumb on display.

We also visited Santuario Casa de Santa Caterina da Siena. The native house of St. Catherine of Siena  was transformed into a sanctuary in 1464. Her family was obviously very wealthy. The Sanctuary had some breathtaking frescoes especially in the family chapel.

Later Darina suggested I should put antibiotic cream and a bandage on my blister. I pulled off the Compeed to do this (obviously I didn’t know what I was doing as I’d never used Compeed before) , and painfully deroofed the whole blister, leaving a bloody gaping mess exposed. I suddenly felt hopeless, thinking how I’d hardly be able to walk around Siena on our rest day, much less walk the next several stages of our walk.

I was able to limp around the corner to Zest for dinner. The restaurant sat on a very steep  street so it was best for two people to sit beside each other looking down rather than sit on the other side where you think you’re going to topple backwards all the time. Luckily the seats and tables were adjusted for the slope, but it still felt precarious. I enjoyed a Hugo with pear and ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta, topped with olive oil and cherry tomatoes. The waiter was super friendly and made a production of shaking out Darina’s napkin and placing it with a flourish on her lap; Darina was surprised by the theatrics as it is not a Slovakian custom to put a napkin on one’s lap. Darina enjoyed a mushroom and truffle risotto – with her napkin on her lap!

We enjoyed the views on the terrace of our hotel after dark and drank beers with some chips. Eugenia from the hotel recommended I see a pharmacist in the morning about my blister so I told Darina she’d probably have to go out on her own on our free day since I didn’t know if I’d be able to walk.

Steps: 26,147; Miles 11.09. Day 5 Stage Walk: 9.07 mi, or 14.6km.

Weather: Siena: Hi 101°, Lo 68°. Sunny.

Wednesday, July 12: Wednesday was our free day in Siena, and we started by having breakfast on the terrace: yogurt, granola, coffee, and donuts. While Darina headed up to the Duomo for a morning mass, I visited the pharmacist about treating my blister. I showed the pharmacist the bloody mess of my deroofed blister and she told me to put antibiotic cream on it and cover it with a mesh-type adhesive bandage. She advised me to walk around today and give it some air. It was good we had a free day so I could wander in my Tevas. She told me to stop whenever I felt pain and to clean the wound, put on more antibiotic cream and change the bandage.

I walked up to meet Darina at the Duomo and after her mass we went to the Museo dell’Opera e Panorama next to the Duomo, which features a two-level view over the cathedral complex known as Panorama del Facciatone. It sits atop the unfinished facade of the Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral). We had to wait for other groups to come down because the staircase was too narrow to allow people to pass one another going both up and down. We climbed 70 steps to the first level and another 70 to the second level. There we found fabulous side views of the Duomo, of all of Siena and of the Tuscan countryside, including the Piazza del Campo, the sloping piazza that has been Siena’s civic and social center since the mid-12th century.

After enjoying our views from Panorama del Facciatone, we walked through the Museo dell’Opera, which had many gorgeous pieces of religious art.

We then visited the 13th century Cathedral (Duomo) of Siena. The exterior horizontal white and dark marble stripes are reminiscent of Pisa and Florence. Three large Venetian mosaics with the coronation of the Virgin in the center are flanked by the Nativity of Jesus and the Presentation of Mary in the Temple.

The horizontal lines are repeated in the nave to majestic and dramatic effect. Under the immense dome, in trompe l’œil coffering with golden stars, stand 42 painted patriarchs and prophets. There are statues by Donatello, Bernini and the young Michelangelo. The mosaic floor, the work of over 40 artists who labored nearly 175 years, all combine to make a grand and astounding monument to God.

The famous Italian architect, Bernardo Rossellini, designed the Piccolomini Library, built in 1492. In 1502, Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini Todeschini, soon to become Pope Pius III, commissioned the artist Pinturicchio to paint the walls of the library. The stunning frescoes were based on designs by Raphael.  The result was one of the most exquisite painting cycles of the Renaissance.

I went to the Porte di Pardone to get a stamp for my credential; I exited through a door in the the cathedral and was waved brusquely away as if I were some ragamuffin. I asked a guard inside the cathedral how to find the place where pilgrims get the stamp and he escorted me through the same door I had already gone through. When the woman at the desk realized I was a pilgrim she was apologetic she had brushed me off earlier.

We found more amazing 15th-century frescoes with the night sky and stars in the ornate Battistero di San Giovanni along with sculptures by Donatello. Bronze panels by artists including Lorenzo Ghiberti depicted the life of St. John the Baptist.

We went to Pretto for lunch. Well, I went first because Darina went to the Crypt and she was there for quite some time. I sat inside and enjoyed an Aperol Spritz. I talked to a German couple who had come for a wedding in a convent near Siena. They were annoyed that the couple getting married, a British guy and a German woman, had chosen to get married in Italy at the hottest time of the year. They didn’t relish having to get attired for the formal 3-day event in this heat.

At Pretto, I had Tonno del Chianti: roasted pork, white beans, cipolla fresca and olive taggiasche. When Darina finally arrived, she had a salad she wasn’t overly thrilled about. My dish, on the other hand, was delicious despite being quite heavy.

We spent our afternoon in the Italian way, resting in the Albergo during the heat of the afternoon. I wrote in my journal, napped, and generally stayed off my feet, airing out my blister.

We ate at Zest again for dinner. I had a fried buratta ball on greens with dots of red pepper sauce. We both had delicious Hugos with pears. Darina had pici with wild boar sauce. She had been seeing stuffed wild boar heads in souvenir shops all over Siena and felt the boar was calling her name. It was very pleasant sitting at these strange tables on the super sloped street with views of the Duomo before us.

In the evening we sat on the terrace one last time sipping beers, knowing we’d have to leave Siena in the early morning for our next stage to Monteroni d’Arbia.

Steps: 9,524; Miles: 4.04. Free Day in Siena (no stage walk).

Weather: Siena: Hi 95°, Lo 71°. Sunny.

I had been to Siena for a day trip in 2019: tuscany: exploring siena.

The Via Francigena is an ancient road and pilgrimage route that runs from Canterbury, England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. In around 990, Archbishop Sigeric journeyed from Canterbury to Rome and back, but only documented his itinerary on the return journey, taken in 80 stages averaging about 12 miles (20 km) a day, for a total of some 1,100 miles (1,700 km).

This is the continuing saga of our attempt to walk the stages from Lucca to Rome, which are, in total, about 255.07 miles (410.5 km). Since we had to cut out stages due to time constraints, our actual goal was to walk 211.77 miles ( 340.8 km).

Running tally (Day 5): 44.43/211.77 miles (71.5/340.8 km).

This post is inspired by Jo’s Monday Walk: an unconventional hike around Faro.