San Gimignano, Colle di Val d'Elsa and Monteriggioni
Day 4 - There is only one walk from San Gimignano to Colle di Val d'Elsa. I hated to leave San Gimignano, and could easily have spent another day, just wandering around. That's how charming it was. But, we had to move on.
We walked through the Focu valley, and Borgatello to Colle Alto, through villages, fording a stream. Tuscany was hillier than we expected since the trip was only graded Moderate. A little of today's route finding notes: "...turn off left on to a white road. After 100m, the white road bends left; go straight ahead (on right of the pine wood) onto a footpath. The path may be somewhat overgrown and scratchy, but it is straight and obvious and still passable." I have a map (in a large plastic baggie) hanging around my neck, and trip notes in hand, religiously following the directions.
Colle di Val d'Elsa is another medieval town built on a ridge.
We walked the entire length of town (which didn't take very take long) and started our descent from the old quarter to the new town where our hotel is. We got lost trying to find the road down, but there was always someone to point the way (understood the pointing even though we don't understand the Italian). We'd walk in the direction of the "point", find another person to ask, follow that "point", until we arrived at the Hotel La Vecchio Cartiera in the new town.
After walking 13 km., there was no way we were going to walk back up to the old town for dinner so just grabbed a pizza in the area, and watched all the young people strolling around the square.
Day 5 - Today's highlight was the walk to the village of Monteriggioni, with its 17 towers. It is a 16km. walk and should take about 5 hours. We've run into many bikers doing the same route as us.
Lots of farms today, gently rolling hills, passing through delightful villages. From today's notes: ".....You go through a shady tunnel of holm oaks and after about five minutes reach a clearing with a lone holm oak. Here the wide track swings left. From this point, the footpath has been recently cleared and marked. When you get to a lone holm oak, you need to pass the holm oak on the right and head into the woods (ignoring the wider path to the left of the holm oak and ignoring the paths with the black and yellow signs)!" First, you have to know what a holm oak looks like; second, if you miss the proper holm oak, just backtrack until you find it; and third, if you are completely lost, find the nearest road and use it!
My sister and brother-in-law drove through Tuscany years ago. Their driving experience was described as an exercise is frustration, marked with lots of screaming, "turn right...no, turn left....no go back" and they almost came to blows over the navigating. It's nice to know that driving was just as confusing for them as walking was for us.
There were occasional glimpses of Monteriggioni on its hill, and we found two other hikders wandering aimlessly, trying to find the right path up the hill as well. Somehow, we all got there.
Monteriggioni is a little north of Siena. This fortress was built in the 13th century, and the village is completely contained within the walls.
Monteriggioni
Our hotel tonight was Bar Il Feudo on the Piazza Roma, and dinner at Il Piccolo Castello, very good Tuscan cuisine. It was heartwarming how the Italians would gather around us in the bars, just to chat, find out where we were from, and sympathize over 9/11.
Tomorrow, Siena.....
