3 amazing hiking days are behind us, and let’s just say so are some of the hardest hills yet! However the weather could not have been better so we are not complaining!

We left Lucignano d’Arbia and headed towards San Quirico d’Orcia. The guidebook had listed this day as a 19-mile hike, so we planned to take a bus for the last few miles. 19 miles is too many for this group to tackle. We do have our limits! And besides when the guide book says 19, it always turns out to be at least 1 additional mile.

Our path today was wide open for the first part. The distant hills were gorgeous, usually filled with vineyards or olive groves and some type of agriculture. A lot of the land had already been harvested and was in process of being tilled

San Quirico was a small but very lovely town. We had a nice BnB with coffee and tea available. That’s always a treat in my book!

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We broke up the next segment because it was 20 miles. We wanted to walk the distance so booked a room in Castiglione d’Orcia. We first walked through Vignoni Alto high on a hill. Around the corner we go and come upon a woman who looks like she has some artwork on display. She greeted us and we discovered that she and her sister create placemats that are entirely too special to use as such. It took them 3 years to come up with the paint and process formula but the outcome was really special. We each bought one and plan to frame them and display in our homes.

The views from this hill were amazing. And to be honest all the way down the hill every direction was filled with vineyards and olive groves and the most beautiful villas.

Soon after, we walked into Bagno Vignoni where the town square has a thermal pool. No one is allowed in, but it’s pretty and on a cool day the warmth from the water feels good.

We finally made our way into Castiglione d’Orcia. What a quaint town. The stonework was different, the people were out and the kids were playing in the streets. We met the mom of the BnB owner who owned a clothing and jewelry store below us. As usual we had dinner after 7 since that is the rule in Italy everywhere we have gone…

The following day to Radicofani was a long day (15 1/2 miles) so we set off at 7 am and started on our way. In the end we had climbed 2300 feet of elevation and it definitely felt like it.

We enjoyed the scenery the entire way. We had several stream crossings and were so happy it had not rained in a few days. Crossings can be challenging but often the large stones have been placed so you can easily cross. We like those…

By the time we got to the top of the hill into the town of Radicofani we discussed stopping at a bar but decided nope, we needed to find the house we rented. So of course the road continued to climb up into the town, but we did find our house. The key was under the mat where they said it would be and we walked in to the usual stone/ceramic home and we were all instantly freezing. As we took turns showering the rest of us snuggled in our beds in our very damp clothes and nobody got warm until 1) shower first 2) dress into clean dry clothes and finally 3) go outside. Now we are warm!

Unfortunately it was Sunday and very few places were open. No grocery, one bar close to us, and a wait til the usual dinner opening of 7 pm.

Dinner was wonderful. We all felt warmed and fed after we finished. Time for bed.

Tomorrow we head down the mountain to Acquapadente and hope the miles go quickly. I think the climb into Radicofani was the hardest of the trip. We will need more time to recover. Ciao!

#italianadventure #ViaFrancigena2022 #italianreset