6. Monteriggioni to Siena (Stage 33)
Wednesday 11th October 2023
| Distance |
Time |
Elevation in meters |
Km |
Elapsed
Hrs-Mins |
Moving
Hrs-Mins |
Gain |
Loss |
Min |
Max |
| 23.33 |
6H49 |
4H59 |
734 (300?) |
650 (250?) |
241 |
359 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Courtesy of www.gronze.com
Courtesy of Garmin
Original map courtesy of "The Via Francigena Terre De Mezzo by Roberta Ferraris "
Early morning start from Monteriggioni
Last look back at Monteriggioni
Adolf the cat
(And before you ask, No, I did not add the moustache with Photoshop!)
This looks promising.....
refreshments in 2km
Castello dell Chiocciola
This building, in all probability dating back to the fourteenth century, has certain features which are difficult to interpret stylistically. Its name derives from the spiral staircase contained inside the unusual cylindrical tower rising on the eastern side. The castle is composed of stone stronghold towers, the tallest of which has a jutting-out crenellated upper section supported by stone wedges. Similar architectural features are also evident in the cylindrical tower which is topped by a sentry box giving this building a rather unique appearance when compared with other fortifications of its time. The castle received a mention in 1555 due to resistance it put up against the imperial French troops who finally brought about the surrender of Siena. |
Punto Sosta La Villa "Donativo" refreshment place
Who could resist Marcella's cake!
The soil at Pian del Lago. The artist's colour "Siena" is said to come from the red, brown, purple of this soil
Back to the tarmac for a while
11km to go to Siena
At this point my Garmin watch showed I had done 11.06 km in 3H27
Dust kicked up when a car passes along these gravel roads
A nicer walking trail with a bit of shade
La Piramide
This stele was erected by the Grand Duke Leopoldo as a memorial of the reclamation works and witnesses the human efforts to control nature. About three centuries ago the area of Pian del Lago resembled a desolate marsh. In order to drain the waters there were four swallow-holes called "bottini", with maintenance to ensure their use being carried out by the Commune of Siena since the 18th / 19th century. In 1764 the noble Francesco Bindi Sergardi of Siena asked the Soverign's permission to drain the Pian del lago at his expense. Bindi failed to carry out the reclamation and thanks to his building an underground canal excavated in the hillside he succeeded in converging the waters of Pian del Lago in the Riga stream and then the Merse stream. The Pian del Lago was finally drained between 1777 and 1781. A key driver was the fact that the marsh area led to mosquitos and malaria. |
The outskirts of Siena
First glimpse of Siena
Portta Camollia
The Camulio had been sent to Siena by the founder of Rome, Romulus, to capture his nephews Senio and Ascanio. However, Camulio instead stayed and built a town around the area of the portal. Over the centuries, this gate, which lead towards Florence was often the most defended. The original gate, built during the 13th century was razed during the 1555 siege of Siena. About forty meters outside of the gate, at the start of via Vittorio Emanuele II is the small renaissance-style Oratorio del Santo Sepolcro. A few hundred meters north along the same street rises the Antiporto di Camollia, an additional fortification built to defend this access to the Via Francigena.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
|
Looking back at the gate
The Campo
The Cathedral
At the Cathedral I met a group of tourists from Taiwan. One of their members was taking a photo; I offered to take the photo for him so he could join the group. Well, I started something! Everybody in the group wanted the photo taken with their phone; then they wanted me in the photo; then individual group members wanted their photo with me alone; then the ladies pushed the men away so they could have a photo with me!
One of the group, Irene Chiang, kindly sent me some photos when she returned to Taiwan.
Perhaps they thought I was Michael Palin rather than Michael Piper! |
Accommodation
View of Cathedral from the rear of the Hotel Duomo
Self-Service Laundrette
There is a self-service laundrette a short walk from Hotel Duomo
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