Wednesday, October 8 Off to Orvieto

We hired a driver to take us to Orvieto. Orvieto is a small city perched on a rock cliff. The site of Orvieto was once an Etruscan acropolis. We arrived around noon and headed out to see the sights. We started at the Albornoz fortress and the St. Patrick’s well. The views from the wall were stunning. We then headed to the Orvieto cathedral.

Tuesday, October 7 - 15 km

It was a cold start to the day today but as we walked it warmed up nicely and turned into a beautiful day. Before we left Canada we decided we didn’t need toques or gloves…bad decision so I had to improvise and use my handkerchief as a kerchief. Oh well didn’t look pretty but kept my ears warm. We walked through wine country with wineries and beautiful vistas all around.

Monday October 6 - 20 km

Today we walked to Buonconvento. It is said to be one of the most beautiful villages of Italy. It was a nice day and the walk was filled with wonderful panoramic views along the way.

Sunday, October 5 Day 4 - 17 km

Started the day at 8:00 am Mass in Siena in a beautiful cathedral. Weather was calling for high winds and rain. We missed the high winds but we did get some rain on our way. We made it to our destination by 2:00 pm which was good because the restaurant was only opened until 2:30 pm. We had a delicious late lunch/early dinner and settled into our rooms.

Saturday, October 4 Day 3 - 25 km

It was a long walk today so we started early. Stopped for breakfast about 6 kms into the walk at a beautiful little farm. We passed a few castles on our way. We walked through many fields and as we got closer to Siena we had to walk on the road for some time. Roads are not that wide and cars travel very quickly on the winding roads so we had to be very careful. Found our place for the night and went to the main square for dinner.

Friday, October 3 Day 2 Walk 20 kms

Today we walked from Colle di Val D’Elsa to Monterigioni. Just a little over 20 kms. It was a beautiful day and for the most part we walked along a river. Again lots of ups and downs. A number of times we had to cross the river holding on to ropes as we walked across on large stones. As we neared the 17 km mark we could see a town far away and high on a mountain top. We thought surely that was not where we were headed but it was. After 17 kms our backpacks were getting a bit heavy as we headed straight up to our final destination for the day. We had an earlier dinner and are now in our beds for the night. There is no heat in the room and it is a bit chilly but there are tons of blankets in

Thursday, October 2 Walk Day 1 - 15 km

We are finished being tourists for a while and becoming pilgrims. Today we started our walk toward Rome. We started in San Gimignano and walked to Colle di Val D’Elsa. The walk was up and down with a couple streams to cross on the way. Most of the day was sunny and warm but it got cool as we neared our destination.