Gallina – ~ wander.essence ~

via francigena: gallina to acquapendente

wanderessence1025 January 10, 2024

Gallina to Acquapendente: Crossing into Lazio

Monday, July 17: On Monday morning, I took a taxi from Gallina to Acquapendente (30 minutes for 60 euros!). This officially ended my time in Tuscany; I had entered Lazio. Darina had taken off early to walk on her own to Radicofani. She would spend the night there and walk on Tuesday to meet me in Acquapendente, where I would stay an extra night until she caught up.

The taxi driver was 35-year-old Andrea who lived in Radicofani but he was yearning to return to Florence where he lived and studied for a while. He was studying to be a mechanical engineer. He didn’t care for small town life. He said Tuscany was beautiful but we would find Lazio not as pretty. He said we would love Bolsena. But Acquapendente was nothing special and we would find Lazio to be flatter (We would wait to see about that).

I was in town by 9:00 am and was able to check in to the Il Teatro BB right away after a short stop in a bar for a cappuccino and chocolate croissant. I climbed 4 flights of stairs and got into the room and immediately turned on the air conditioning, the first I’d had since Buonconvento. What sweet relief. I was excited to have a place of my own where I could bask endlessly in the cool air.

I hung out in the room, which is the same building as the Teatro Boni, catching up in my journal for a long time, then I showered and went out to explore the town and have some lunch.

I left Tuscany today and entered Acqupendente in Lazio. This is Darina’s photo; she didn’t pass this sign until she left Radicofani the next day.

Teatro Boni

Acquapendente was first occupied in Pre-Roman times but only in the 10th century was it named for the Latin “hanging waters,” most likely due to waterfalls along the Paglia River below town. The town grew up around the Via Francigena. Its oft-rebuilt walls helped it fend off attacks from its principal rival Orvieto. The walls protected it during constant wars between imperial forces and those of the Papal States.

I dropped into Chiesa di Sant’Agostino built in the Gothic style in 1250. In 1746 a violent fire caused serious damage. During reconstruction it took on a more Baroque design. It has six chapels, three on each wall. A triumphal arch delineates the presbytery. The bell tower with a bulb dome is the work of Guglielmo Meluzzi.

I dropped by Casa Girolamo, where Darina and I would stay tomorrow night after she arrived, just so I’d be familiar with the lay of the land.

I dipped into another church, Chiesa San Pietro. Its façade faces the Francigena Road. Its presence on the pilgrim’s way could substitute for religious purposes, such as the visit to St. Peter’s tomb in Rome. I found two German pilgrims sitting on a bench outside the door, commiserating about the ordeal of walking in the heat.

Chiesa di Sant’Agostino

Chiesa San Pietro

I walked to the far end of town to Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro. Originally the church of a former Benedictine monastery, the present building began as a 12th-century Romanesque church. It is a pilgrimage site due to the relics it contains of St. Bernard of Castro, and more importantly the reputed drops of the blood of Christ on a stone brought from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The beautifully preserved 10th-century crypt just below the main altar shows the relic behind glass. I was the only one in the church and I didn’t see how one got into the crypt, so I didn’t go into it, although Darina did when she arrived. I did enjoy the art exhibition in the church, with its oversized paintings and collages.

Sadly the Tourist Information across the street was closed on Mondays so I couldn’t get my pilgrim stamp. It is housed in a structure known as the “Julia de Jacopo Tower.” Here in 1550, a local girl closed the door in the city walls, which soldiers defending the city inadvertently left open, enabling it to withstand an attack by invaders.

By this time it was hot and the whole town was asleep. On my walk back, I found a couple of modern-day murals. I returned to Bar Roma for an egg salad sandwich on white bread and a Coke Zero. I bought a beer to bring back to my room.

Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro

peek at the crypt

Art exhibition at Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro

street murals in Acquapendente

Inside another church in Acquapendente

a bushy building in Acquapendente

I spent the afternoon relaxing and writing in my journal. After I enjoyed my beer, I took an hour nap. Darina called and told me the stage to Radicofani wasn’t as daunting as we’d been warned it was. She said the walk was shorter than the guidebook said and that there was an Agriturismo about 3 hours along that served lunch. She even climbed up the tower for amazing 360 degree views. She had boundless energy; I guess it helped that she’s 20 years younger than I am and super fit. I didn’t regret not going.

I ventured out at 6:30, withdrew some money from the bank, and went for dinner at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca. I enjoyed two glasses of white wine, 3 types of crostini, Cacio e Pepe, and a delicious Tortino al cioccolato in raspberry sauce. The place was owned by the very elegant wife of the guy renting me the Teatro BB. It was air-conditioned, very classy and had a great playlist with fabulous ambiance.I used my Shazam App to find what the songs were and I surprisingly found “Help” by Aaron Taylor and “Thelma and Louise (We’re Not Looking Back)” by Izo FitzRoy. I wished I’d remembered to turn it on earlier.

I certainly wasn’t dressed for such a classy place because I had ditched a bunch of my belongings in Bagno Vignoni in hopes of reducing my backpack weight. Some of the things I threw in the trash there were my “nighttime outfit,” two disposable rain jackets, and my headlamp. Getting rid of that stuff really didn’t make much difference in my pack weight because the thing that weighed most was water, which could not be reduced in the heat.

The elegant woman, maybe Elisa (?), asked if I was the guest at Teatro BB. I asked how she knew and she said she’d seen the photo of my documents at her house.

Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

me at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

Cacio e pepe

Tortino al cioccolato in raspberry sauce

Back at the apartment, I talked to Mike for a bit. I saw Alex and Jandira finally post pictures of themselves at an outdoor concert and Jandira was really showing (she’s due in October). It brought tears to my eyes. I wanted so badly to get home to see the family. They’d be visiting us in August and we would have a baby shower for them.

I loved loved loved my rest day today. And lucky for me, I’d have another tomorrow as I waited for Darina to walk from Radicofani. I really couldn’t wait till this ordeal was over and I was back in the comfort of my own home.

Steps: 7,372; Miles: 3.13. No Stage walk for me today.

Weather: High 92°, Low 75°. Sunny. Red Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

A Day in Acquapendente

Tuesday, July 18: Acquapendente is not really a town where anyone would want to spend two days, but I was happy to stay there if it meant I didn’t have to walk in the heat and if I could stay cool in air conditioning. Luckily the Teatro BB guy allowed me to check out at 11 am Tuesday morning, extending my stay in air-conditioning. The woman at Casa Girolamo, the apartment Darina and I had reserved back in March, allowed me to check in as early as 9:00, but sadly that apartment didn’t have air conditioning. It had a fan luckily, but fans just push around hot air so it wasn’t all that comfortable, especially as the afternoon progressed.

After checking in at Casa Girolamo, I went to the tourist information and got my pilgrim stamp for the town. I stopped at a nice cafe, La Campanella Caffetteria, for a sweet treat and cappuccino. I got another stamp there.

Casa Girolamo

Darina had walked from Radicofani but there was one dangerous stretch from Centeno and the guidebook recommended taking a bus from there to Acquapendente. It turned out there wasn’t much in Centeno and Darina had a hard time finding such a bus. She did get one, however, and I walked up to the bus stop to meet her and show her to the apartment. When she got off the bus, she was accompanied by a French guy, Pasquale, who was about 62 and had been walking from France. We would see him many times during the next stages.

After Darina showered and did her laundry, we went for a nice lunch in the air-conditioned Gran Bar. Usually all we see in bars are sandwiches behind glass that have been sitting there for heaven knows how long. The woman at Gran made us fresh sandwiches in buns with prosciutto and cheese and greens, accompanied by cold beers. We raised a toast to Darina’s two days of walking.

Although Darina said the path to Radicofani had been easier than the guidebook led us to believe, the walk downhill from Radicofani that morning was very steep and gravelly and harder than she expected. Knowing how much I feared steep gravelly descents, she said I would have hated it and it was a good thing I’d skipped the stage.

Gran Bar

Darina at Gran Bar

me at Gran Bar

It was too hot for me to go out in the shuttered town, but Darina wanted to see it. So I relaxed in the apartment while she went out to see all the things I’d seen yesterday.

At dinner time, we went again to the fabulous Bottega Maius L’Enoteca, the place I’d eaten the night before. We had Vernaccia from San Gimignano and pizzas. Mine had zucchini and zucchini flowers and mozzarella. Darina’s had prosciutto, arugula and cheese. They were delicious. Of course we ordered the same chocolate cake I’d eaten the night before. Again, the ambiance at this place was fantastic, with a playlist that included “Sweet Water” and “Such a Fool” by The Meltdown and “If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)” by Aaron Frazer. Darina, as a middle-school teacher with a wonderful way with children, had a sweet conversation with the owner’s daughter.

Darina at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

appetizers

pizza with zucchini and zucchini flowers and mozzarella

pizza with prosciutto, arugula and cheese

me at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

me with Darina at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

Tortino al cioccolato in raspberry sauce

Darina with the owner’s daughter at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

Steps: 6,502; Miles: 2.76. No Stage walk for me today.

Weather: High 93°, Low 76°. Sunny.

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 (UNCHANGED): (Day 8 & 9): 91.94 /211.77 miles (147.95/340.8 km).

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday walk: to Chapel Allerton and beyond.

via francigena: buonconvento to san quirico d’orcia to gallina

wanderessence1025 January 3, 2024

Buonconvento to San Quirico d’Orcia

Saturday, July 15: On Saturday morning, we left Buonconvento at 4:50 am, our earliest start so far, since we had 21.7 km ahead to San Quirico d’Orcia. Little did I know how awful the next two days would be.

We hiked on a miserable path overgrown with grasses & weeds that scratched our legs. It took forever but we finally got on a wide gravel path leading up to the vineyards of Montalcino. Sadly it was foggy and we didn’t have any views to speak of.

We passed through vineyards of the prized Brunello di Montalcino grapes; the wines produced from these are considered some of Italy’s best and most expensive. They were first mentioned in the 14th century. The vintages benefit from the hot and dry sub-climate of the region. Strict requirements must be met to earn the Brunello DOCG appellation, according to Walking the Via Francigena Pilgrim Route Part 3: Lucca to Rome.

We walked past the buildings of the Tricherchi Winery complex at the summit.

We walked among cypresses all uphill in the fog past the Altesino Winery to the Caparzo Winery. It supposedly had a pilgrim wine tasting but of course it wasn’t open at that hour. It did have a picnic table and a fountain so we rested there a while.

Leaving Buonconvento in the dark

the scratchy path

tree-lined lanes in the fog

vineyards

tree-lined lanes in the fog

vineyards

tree-lined lanes in the fog

Darina and me drenched in humidity & sweat

orchards

on the way to Caparzo Winery

Darina on the way to Caparzo Winery

cypress trees

me trudging through the cypresses

cypress trees

Caparzo Winery

view to the sky from a table at Caparzo Winery

Caparzo Winery

We continued on the uphill road forever and as the fog burned off, we had majestic views of the Tuscan countryside. We walked along the ridges with almost no shade for what seemed an eternity.

We could see the town of Montalcino on a hilltop across the valley but the path didn’t pass through that town. No matter, Mike and I had visited it by car in 2019: tuscany: montalcino.

Tuscan countryside on the way to Torrenieri

Darina walking

vineyards near Montalcino

countryside near Montalcino

view of Montalcino

vineyards

view of Montalcino

the long hot road

sweltering path

view of Montalcino

making my way through Tuscany in sweltering heat

Tuscan countryside

view of Montalcino

Tuscan countryside

Finally we reached the small town of Torrenieri, where we stopped at a cafe. We basked in the cool interior and had honey pastries; I enjoyed a cappuccino. It was a much needed break from the hot sun. A castle is believed to have stood in this town as early as the 9th-10th centuries. Its existence was documented in 990 as Sigeric’s Stage XIII Turreiner. In the Middle Ages it was important in the region for being on the Via Francigena, between the Orcia and Arbia valleys. Because it had few natural defenses, the town was often sacked by passing armies, including a 1235 pillage and conflagration by the army of Orvieto. In the 14th & 15th centuries, Siena fortified its walls and used it as one of its territorial defenses, but with the fall of Siena and the rise of Florence, the town drifted into obscurity. Documents record a pilgrim hostel dedicated to Sant’Antonio here in 1601.

Torrenieri

church in Torrenieri

Downhill past the church, we aimed for the bottom of the valley. A quiet asphalt road, SP137, carried us the next hour, making a long and gradual climb to a summit.

As we descended on the road we could see San Quirico d’Orcia on the ridge between two hills ahead. Darina was so far ahead of me I’d lost sight of her. I thought I’d just walk alongside the road into San Quirico, which would certainly be a lot flatter and shorter (albeit more dangerous) than the path. But when I got to where the path branched off, there was Darina waiting for me in case I missed the turn off. We took a gravel path and went under the highway overpass and made a steep and sustained climb in the hot sun, passing through olive orchards, alongside a farmhouse. After a very long time, we stopped to rest in the shade on some logs that someone had cut and left helter skelter on the ground. Two Italian women came and joined us, Graciela Maria and Julia. They were from Sicily but were on a quest to do several days each year on the Via Francigena. Graciela Maria was a middle school English teacher like Darina was, so they arranged to have their students work together on some projects. She was part Italian and part Irish.

Graciela Maria changed into flip flops and planned to walk in them the rest of the way to San Quirico. I honestly didn’t know how she’d do it as the path was still a long distance and very rough.

More treeless Tuscan countryside

Tuscan countryside

Darina, Julia, me and Graciela Maria

Then we traipsed through a sparse forest for a long while. We eventually walked up steps to San Quirico d’Orcia and turned toward the Collegiate Church of Saints Quirico & Giulitta, starting the pretty pedestrian walk through the charming town.

We had to walk all the way through town to our accommodation, an apartment called Cesaroni House. The woman who rented it out was someone who really didn’t care about her guests, and especially not about pilgrims. I had sent my backpack ahead through Bags Free, for the steep sum of 20 euros (on the Camino de Santiago it was 5 euros per stage), but the bag had not arrived. It was about 1:30 by this time, and the woman called the Hotel Ghibellino in Buonconvento to find it was still sitting in the hotel lobby. They said it would be there in an hour and half. I was so annoyed because I couldn’t shower, change out of my hiking boots, or change out of my sweaty clothes. I had sent it ahead because today was a 7 hour stage and I wasn’t doing well carrying it in the extreme heat. This was the 2nd time Bags Free had been late delivering my bag and I’d only used them several times. This is one of the main problems in Italy. Between taxi services which have a complete monopoly (there is no Uber in Italy) and a service like Bags Free (It only has one competitor which has more strict rules about which accommodations they can deliver to), you’re totally at their mercy.

Darina and I went to a nearby restaurant for lunch as the woman at Cesaroni house said she’d contact me about 10 minutes before Bags Free was to arrive. (She had to go somewhere, or so she said). Finally the bag arrived around 3:00, and I was finally able to shower and do laundry, etc. By this time I was extremely irritable.

San Quirico d’Orcia

Collegiate Church of Saints Quirico & Giulitta

San Quirico d’Orcia

Darina had gone into town to check out all the churches, so I walked up on my own. I needed some space between being annoyed about the air-conditioning situation in Buonconvento, the general lack of air conditioning in today’s accommodation and everywhere, and general frustration with the heat and the difficulty of the walk. I stopped at a wine bar, Intralci, and talked for a long time with the waiter there as I enjoyed two glasses of cool white wine. He asked why on earth I would subject myself to such misery on this path in summer. I hate the summer at all times, but the only reason I’d come in summer was because I wanted to do it with Darina and she is on a teacher’s schedule. I told the guy I was tempted to change my ticket, go directly to Rome by bus, and fly home. It was a good time to vent and have someone who understood my suffering. He was totally sympathetic and said sometimes we make bad decisions, which I definitely felt I had done. He also said it was a shame because Italians along the Via Francigena don’t care about the pilgrims, the stages are long, difficult and without services and the heat is unbearable.

Finally Darina joined me after she’d gone to mass. By then I had mellowed out and we wandered around looking for a place to eat.

We found a nice restaurant, Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria, where I had a yummy spelt, chestnut and porcini mushroom soup and Darina had a meat that is famous in the area.

wedding at Collegiate Church of Saints Quirico & Giulitta

San Quirico d’Orcia

me and Darina at Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria

Darina at Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria

me at Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria

San Quirico d’Orcia

Steps: 38,755; Miles: 16.44. Day 8 Stage Walk: 14.76 miles, or 23.75km.

Weather: San Quirico d’Orcia: Hi 96°, Lo 67°. Sunny.

San Quirico d’Orcia to Gallina

Sunday, July 16: We started walking at 5:15 Sunday morning, and we immediately started climbing. Luckily for once we had stayed on the far end of town, so we didn’t have to walk through town. We walked through a neighborhood of suburban homes and then into fields framed by pine & cypress trees. The road turned to gravel and climbed, sometimes steeply. I think somehow the Via Francigena manages to take pilgrims to the top of every hill in Tuscany. Ugh.

We saw a vista of Roca d’Orcia with its rectangular castle. We reached the summit of the climb. On a hilltop far across the valley, we could see the tall tower of the fortress at Radicofani, our goal for the next day.

The road turned to concrete as we descended and then we took a gravel trail to Vignoni Alto, a picturesque castle/hamlet that was a sentry point for Bagno Vignoni below. From there we had an iconic view of the Tuscan countryside.

Tuscan sunrise

Tuscan countryside

Our morning selfie

Tuscan countryside

I run into some cyclists along the way

Vignoni Alto

first views of Radicofani

descending to Bagno Vignoni

views of Radicofani

descending

views of Radicofani

glimpses of Radicofani between the cypresses

A steep gravel trail took us down to the Piazza delle Sorgenti (“Square of Springs”) in Bagno Vignoni, surrounded by small hotels, a bar and the Church of San Giovanni Batista.

Springs in the small town of Bagno Vignoni (pop. 30), largely unchanged since the Middle Ages, have been enjoyed since Etruscan times. Medieval notables such as St. Catherine of Siena, Pope Pius II, and Lorenzo the Magnificent frequented the springs. Picturesque buildings surround a pool of spring-fed hot water, making it the only aquatic piazza in Italy. The spring waters flow out toward the Orcia River.

Bagno Vignoni

Church of San Giovanni Batista

Bagno Vignoni

me in search of a cafe in Bagno Vignoni

Bagno Vignoni

We were too early for the bar, so we wandered for a while around the Estruscan ruins (Mike and I had visited them in 2019: montepulciano > bagno vignoni > san quirico d’orcia (again)). Then we returned to the town to finally find the bar open. The servers were extremely rude. I said to the waitress, “What is your problem?” She responded with great frustration, “We have hotel guests to serve!” Heaven forbid they should be remotely accommodating to tired and hungry pilgrims. These were the only services we would encounter for the entire stage, so we really wanted to have some food.

Just outside of town, I ditched a bunch of my belongings in a trash can in hopes of reducing my backpack weight. Some of the things I threw in the trash were my “nighttime outfit,” two disposable rain jackets, and my headlamp (it was rarely dark when we were walking). Getting rid of that stuff really didn’t make much difference in my pack weight because the thing that weighed most was water. That could not be reduced in the extreme heat.

Estruscan ruins in Bagno Vignoni

view of Radicofani

Estruscan ruins in Bagno Vignoni

view of countryside from Etruscan ruins

Estruscan ruins in Bagno Vignoni

After our break, we took a detour because the pedestrian bridge was broken. It was a good thing the woman from today’s accommodation, Ostello La Vecchia Posta, had warned us because there were no signposts at all.

We had to go uphill then down a steep rough trail to return to the path. It was a rough and hot walk after that. The path circled up and around a hill past a farm where a bunch of dogs were barking up a storm. I took out my Birdie alarm and clutched it in my hand in case I needed to use it to scare the dogs. Luckily they were all caged.

We passed a vineyard and an orchard and traversed a hillside and through fields with Castiglione d’Orcia to the right. A road led us then to the bottom of a wide valley.

We crossed a bridge over Torrente Onzola and then a second bridge. Another climb and then we were out in the open with fields all around.

Tuscan countryside after Bagno Vignoni

me climbing again

Tuscan countryside after Bagno Vignoni

We found a lovely picnic table and fountain where we sat awhile and relaxed, even taking off our shoes. It was a good thing this place appeared, as it was barely mentioned in the guidebook and I had almost run out of water. Then we were out in the open with no shade anywhere for the last 4 km into Gallina, which was 2.8km off the track. Luckily we were told we wouldn’t have to backtrack the next day to return to the Via Francigena. It was a long miserable slog with no relief anywhere. This stretch almost did me in and I honestly worried I would die of heat exhaustion.

the house near the welcome rest area

the stretch from the rest area to Gallina

the long hot road to Gallina

countryside near Gallina

Darina walks to Gallina

me trying to make it to Gallina

countryside near Gallina

We arrived in Gallina around 1:30 but we couldn’t check in to Ostello La Vecchia Posta until 2:30. We hauled our bags into Il Parallelo, a pretty fancy restaurant. We definitely looked like what the cat dragged in. I had a glass of cool white wine and Darina had a beer. I enjoyed tagliatelle with mushrooms and truffles and Darina had risotto with truffles. It felt so good to be out of the sun in a cool place.

We ordered a legume soup for take out for dinner; we could pick it up at 7:00. This only restaurant in town closed at 5:00 but prepared dinner for take out.

Darina and I have lunch at Il Parallelo after making it to Gallina. I was never so happy to sit down!

We finally checked in to the Ostello where we met a French couple, Gaetano and Sylvie. They had been biking all over Europe for a couple of months and planned to continue another 1 1/2 months. They were in their early 60s and very fit. I am so impressed by the stamina of some people.

Today had been such a miserable day of walking for me in the heat that I went to work trying to book a taxi for Acquapendente, two stages ahead. There was only one bus from Gallina to Acquapendente on Monday and it was 5:00 in the evening, meaning I’d have to hang out all day with nothing to do in Gallina. There was no way I could endure the 18.7km walk including a 12km climb to Radicofani the next day. Also, Radicofani is a very small town, so I had no idea how I could get down from there the day after. Thus I wanted a taxi to take me the two stages. Darina of course would walk, as she is 20 years younger than me, and fit and strong. I was not about to put my health or life at risk in the face of the Italian government’s extreme heat warnings. Also, the walks were always longer than what the guidebook said.

I found an air-conditioned B&B in Acquapendente and, after many dead-end phone calls, found an expensive taxi for 60€ to take me Monday morning on the 30-minute drive. I couldn’t wait to spend an entire day in air-conditioning all by myself. Of course I had committed to walk with Darina so I also paid her my half of the accommodation in Radicofani. All of this cost me a pretty penny but it was worth every cent.

We went to the only bar in town, where we had beers on tap and Darina ordered sandwiches to take with her on her walk to Radicofani, where the guidebook said there were no services.

After hanging in the bar, we picked up our legume soup and ate in the Ostello kitchen with the French couple. We had a fun time communicating as they didn’t speak English and I couldn’t think of any French words and kept speaking Spanish, with Darina translating my elementary Spanish to French. Oh, I am so bad with languages despite all my studies!