I’m gonna say we have arrived to the halfway mark! Bravo Baraga’s. Someway, somehow with God’s grace, we made it to our humble abode before the big rain came. I’m thinking as long as we are tucked inside before 3-3:30pm, we are sheltered from the afternoon showers.

Glorious start to the day. George made me an espresso. I diluted it and created an Americano. More hot liquid to drink which warms me up in the morning. We bypassed breakfast, as I was hoping to get some miles in. The final waves of storms, like that’s a true statement, are predicted to come between 10am-2pm, Our most prime walking time.

We walked through the sleepy town of Torrenieri and saw two pilgrims, a couple of older Italian men yakking in the street and one Italian woman on her morning stroll. That was it. Nothing compared to the hustle and bustle of the bigger towns we’ve left behind.

Guess what? We had a morning climb. It was up and over a rather large hill, only to come straight down the back side and back up again. This is an ongoing theme in the Tuscan Region. We saw a few locals out for their morning workouts. I know this because there was nowhere to go. No stores, no Cafes, no Bars, just hills to climb!

Just before 10am, we had our first rain. I found a covering that was the entrance to a Cemetery. These sacred burial sites are tributes to the host of ancestors that have passed on. They are well manicured with rich marble and ornate tombstones. Some dating back centuries. We didn’t go in. I just used the entrance to deploy my umbrella and put on my rain jacket. George followed suit but he also has a pack cover. A little more insurance for his very few priceless items.

We headed up the hill and arrived at our first proper town, San Quirico d’ Orcia. It had a proper bar with cappuccinos, pastries and fruit. We took one of each and waited for the weather to pass.

Once we ventured back, the plan of the day was to stay on the roads because after stepping off the asphalt, we had five feet of caked goop on our trail runners. It was not pretty. So road walking it was. The biggest issue is there are cars, trucks and big buses that we have to share the road with. I don’t like this type of hiking. It’s number one scary, there’s no peace and tranquility and it just takes one knucklehead to end your day. But with that being said, most of the drivers are quite courteous, give us a little extra room and seem to NOT use devices while driving. Wow, what a concept!

We shared the road with many drivers, did not see a single pilgrim walking the highway and arrived with a few more gray hairs. Well, maybe not, as grey hair is all i have, and George has no hair. I’m not sure if that really paints an accurate picture, but you know what I mean.

I wanted to stop at Bagno Vignoni, as it was a Christian layover for many followers. It was such a lovely town, with a hot springs pool that no longer is available, but needless to say, it’s still the centerpiece of town.

What I was unaware of was the small, but endearing Saint John the Baptist Church. It is an extremely old church, that has a single nave plan with a simple facade. Inside is an 18th century Sienese painting representing Saint Catherine from Siena. Each 24th of June there are celebrations in honour of Saint John. This place became famous thanks to Santa Caterina Benincasa who lived here between 1362 and 1367.

We strolled through town, and decided to eat and wait out, yet another storm. After finishing lunch, George was ready to hit the road for the final push. I was done road walking and muddy trails were not going to deter me. So he went his way and I went mine.

There was less than two miles to go, well maybe 3, and 500’ elevation. The road was a zip zag of hairpin turns and seemed to climb fairly quickly. The VF Trail was a bit more of a roundabout way. I nodded George farewell and headed off the road. Yep, my shoes got some mud on them, and yes it was a bit longer, but I was happy as a pig in slop! Literally. And guess what? I saw pilgrims! We all embraced the muck and enjoyed the endless views away from speeding cars and click clack of poles on asphalt.

With the different routes, George found the receptionist and was heading towards me as I made it to the final stop. Yeah, we both made it alive and had our perfectly different experiences. I do believe this will be part of my strategy going forward.

We arrived in the medieval town of Castiglione d’ Orcia. It was a fortress built a long, long time ago to defend the Roman Empire. It is perched on a hilltop and has commanding views for hundreds of miles. It is a spectacular sight to see. We have a room that most likely served the soldiers who lived here. Now all we need is a sword and armor to keep the invaders away. I believe our mighty Lord has us covered.