Via Francigena from Lucca


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5. San Gimignano to Monteriggioni (Stage 32)

Tuesday 10th October 2023

The day's rest in San Gimignano and the 30 degree temperatures that were forecast made me reflect on my schedule. I was, after all, here to enjoy myself and not kill myself! The stage from San Gimignano to Monteriggioni was listed in the book as 31 km with 550m of ascent and 610m of descent by the official route; the option via Colle val d'Elsa was nearly as long, being 27.5 km with 460m of ascent and 400m of descent. Both of these were, I felt, too much so I looked for a way of shortening the day. One option was to take a bus or taxi to Aiano, there the two routes split. There was no bus, and the tourist office felt it would be difficult and expensive to get a taxi there. A better option would be to go to Colle Val d'Elsa, a little bit further, which was connected by bus. The earliest bus left at 8-50 a.m. and got to Colle Val d"Elsa at 9-25 a.m., according to the Tourist Office. This was different to the information I had received at the hotel; the receptionist's son took a bus every day at 7-45 a.m. she had informed me. After a call to the bus company it turned out that both pieces of information were sort of correct. The 7-25 a.m. bus is essentially for school kids going to Colle Liceo, which is near Colle Val d'Elsa; the 8-50 a.m. bus went to the bus station in Colle Val d'Elsa.

I opted for the 7-45 a.m. bus; now I had a plan providing that the wheels did not fall off!

The receptionist ran after me to remind me that I could not pay on the bus; I had to get a ticket before hand. Right, I said, and where do I get one of those? The Tabac! Why didn't I think of that? So I was down at the Porta San Giovanni early and managed a coffee and a croissant before going over to the bus stop.

Distance	Time		Elevation in meters
Km	Elapsed Hrs-Mins	Moving Hrs-Mins	Gain	Loss	Min	Max
17.57	5H04	3H19	275	167	161	285

Courtesy of www.gronze.com

Courtesy of Garmin

Original map courtesy of "The Via Francigena Terre De Mezzo by Roberta Ferraris "

At 7-15 a.m. it was already 18 degrees

I made my way through Porta San Giovanni to the bus stop

My bus was confirmed on the information board.
What could possibly go wrong with my plan?

The anticipation was high as the bus pulled in...... but wait

Hello, Houston, we have a problem! The wheel's fallen off the bus!

The kids thought that it was hilarious as they were going to be late for school; the driver was less amused!
We sat for 45 minutes until a replacement bus came. You couldn't make it up!

The bus went via Bibbiano and eventually to Colle Liceo where it dropped the kids off, and I was also unceremoniously kicked off the bus as it terminated there! So where was I? Which way should I go to join the Via Francigena? At this point I went to my phone to use the App, but unfortunately it did not work. I spotted a coffee shop nearby where they had wifi, so I deleted the App and reloaded it again, this time turning on "Location Services". I was in Gracciano, and I walked towards the nearest point for the Via Francigena. This happened to be next to church, and was a bifurcation point for two alternative routes. I intended to take the left route, but a man came across from the church and told me to take the right hand route, which I did. I had had enough excitement for one day!

I met Max, Matte, Jamie and Jan again at these ancient ruins, and felt that I was back on track at last.

There is certainly plenty of signage around here. They must have had an EU grant!

Strove

Chiesa di San Martino

This church, recorded for the first time in 1137 in a donation, is situated on the section of the Via Francigena which leads from Abbadia a Isola to the resting place at Elsa (Gracciano). Composed of a single nave it has rafters on top, it also has an apse crowned on the outside by a series of arches. The internal lining of the walls consists of alternating horizontal stripes in travertine and brick, creating an original two-tone effect.

Strove

Bar-Pizzeria-Ristorante Ostello in Strove. By this time it was 11-45 a.m. and I had walked 10 kilometers in 2H50

Castel Pietraio

The first mention of the castle occurs in a document of the Abbadia-a-Isola between the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries. Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-century developments converted it into a country villa, thus obscuring the features of the medieval fortress, only recently restored and therefore visible.

Leaving the castle and heading towards Monteriggioni

Unusual surface with limestone showing through

This signage was confusing as it seemed to indicate a left turn,
but the Via Francigena went straight on

First sighting of Monteriggioni. Note the colour of the soil

Abbadia-a-Isola

The Church of Saints Salvatore and Cirino

The church, dating from the second half of the 12th century stands on a more ancient complex dated to the 11th century. It was built when the monastery was at its height; the building has a three-nave structure, marked by columns and pillars, with a crypt and triabsidal termination. It was originally completed by an octagonal latern, now missing. The facade was characterised by a double portal flanked by two half-columns, then substituted by a simple architraved portal.

The church offers basic pilgrim accommodation

Getting closer to Monteriggioni

Starting the climb to Monteriggioni

Porta San Giovanni

Chiesa di Santa Maria

This church, which dates back to the thirteenth century, was once the headquarters for a cannonical community. It has Romanesque-Gothic features and is composed of a single nave with apse; the extremely stark facade in travertine is dominated by a portal which is surrounded by an archivolt with a slightly gothic arch. On high there is a small round window and a large gothic window on the back wall.