It’s the last day, the leg from Monteriggioni to Siena.
Early in the morning we begin our walk and after few kilometres we meet Giovanna and Cecilia, who are brewing a coffee while taking a break. We share chocolate and taralli from Puglia and have the second breakfast on the side of the path.
We keep on walking with them, passing the Castle of the Chiocciola , so-called for its round tower and the snail shape stairway inside it, the Osteriaccia, an ancient stop on the Via Francigena, dating back to middle age, and finally we rest for lunch at Pian del Lago. In the 18th century, Francesco Sergardi Bindi, a noble from Siena, spent all his money on an ambitious project to dig a tunnel to dry the lake and make the area healthy and cultivable.
This morning we had bought a bottle of Chianti so the break is particularly happy and relaxing and it’s hard to leave again. Siena is waiting for us, we approach the city from North among vineyards and olive tree groves and we get in. Just after passing the signpost Francesca surrenders to muscle cramps, she can’t walk anymore. Huw and I stop a small pick up full of gas tanks, and the kind man from Calbaria who’s driving it and offers to take her the rest of the way into town.
We cross Porta Camollia, the ancient imposing gate that protected Siena from Florence in the Middle Ages, and proceed along the historical main road until Piazza del Campo, Siena main square. The tour is over, we finally relax with an aperitivo and we enjoy the beautiful view of the Torre del Mangia.
Technical notes
In 3 days we walk for about 60 km; every leg measured about 20 km and we walked at 2.5 km per hour (average).
Climate and weather: at the beginning of April the weather was warm and pretty good, I personally recommend covering this part of the Via Francigena in the spring or autumn; avoid summer because it can be very hot and dry.
