A day of two parts, a morning trip of 13km to San Gimignano and an afternoon trip of the same length to Colle di Val d’Elsa. A lot of climbing, 713m on a day that was mostly overcast, but the temperature still reached the higher 20’s at times.
There was no chance of an early start today. Breakfast was served at 8am – and what a breakfast. The owner and his mother put on a fantastic mix of toasted sandwiches, pistachio filled croissant, egg, juice, coffee and more. I had a chat with a German couple, who I had briefly spoken to at the restaurant last night.
Finally on the road by 9.30, it was a steep downhill for the first 2-3kms, passing through the Chianti wine area and the first views of San Gimignano in the distance. I met an English couple who had been woken by a fire alarm at their B&B, but nobody came and they couldn’t turn off the alarm, so they’d set off at sunset.
Again a lot of the walk was on a gravel path with fantastic views, passing through a number of elegant vineyards before reaching Pancole.
Pancole is famous for a miracle that is said to have taken place here in 1668, when a mute shepherdess met a beautiful lady whilst crying about her families poverty. The lady told the shepherdess to go home and the pantry would be full of food. Returning home, the pantry was full and the shepherdess had regained her voice. When the villagers returned to the place the miracle had occurred, they found brambles, and removing them found a shrine with a fresco of the Virgin Mary nursing a child, by a well known painter from Florence 200 years earlier. A second miracle is said to have occurred in 1944 when the Germans destroyed the building, but the wall with the fresco survived.
There was some kind of fete taking place, so I couldn’t see the fresco and continued on my way towards San Gimignano. I followed the roads and met the Italian girl who I had met on the 3rd day, the first walker I had met on this trip. There were some nice views of the town and its towers as I walked towards the town.
San Gimignano, was famous for its 65 towers when the town was at its height, of which 13 still exist today. In medieval times a tower was a symbol of power, given they were so difficult to build.
The town was packed with tourists and there was a long queue at the ice cream shop – with supposedly Italy’s best ice cream. I also stood in line and paid 7€ for three flavours, the most expensive ice cream I bought in Italy. I rested in front of a fountain in the communal square and watched the world go by, before walking through town to start the second half of the day and leave the tourists behind. All the pilgrims I have met are staying here, so it is a short day for them.
I left the town with great views back towards the towers of San Gimignano and in front of me the parish church of Santa Lucia.
There was a lady in front of me who was playing music via the speaker on her telephone. It was so loud, I could hear it when I was at least 50m from her. Whilst I was walking quicker than she was, I kept stopping to take pictures, and she kept catching up. After a couple of kilometers road walking, at Santa Lucia, the road turned into a path through a combination of farmland and forest.
At one point the path split into two. I choose the alternative path to Colle di Val d’Elsa, and was immediately greeting with a steep climb up to Camaggiori, still in the forest. I passed a sign saying “Whoever walks in the woods is looking for a different, inner freedom, which makes him master of his life. You will listen better to your breathing, your emotions, the beating of your heart. Don’t seek distractions. THIS IS YOUR PATH.”
Leaving the forest, I bought a bottle of water from a vending machine, reminding me of Japan where there was a vending machine on each corner. From Camaggiori it was a 4km slog, mostly along roads to Colle di Val d’Elsa.
It was 6pm and I was shattered by the time I passed through the entrance to the walled town. I stopped at the hotel I thought I was staying, only to find out that I wasn’t staying there, but another place down the road. The B&B was next to the castle of which I had a great view from, my bedroom window. Colle Val d’Elsa has been the capital of crystal for centuries, so much so that it has been nicknamed the Bohemia of Italy. Wine glasses, drinking glasses and plates are formed can still be observed today, and the town produces almost all crystal glass in Italy. To be honest, I didn’t see any of this.
The receptionist recommended a restaurant which I walked to after a shower. Thankfully I was there when it opened and got a table. There were 15 tables, but they could only have 6-8 tables with people eating dinner. So anybody that came was either turned away, or told they could sit down, but wouldn’t be served for 30 minutes! I had a fine dinner.
I was back at the B&B by 9.30pm, and probably asleep by 9.35! A 27km day, with more than 700m of elevation. A nice day, with a pleasant stop and rest in San Gimignano amongst the tourists.