Siena and end of the Via Francigena walk

Last night, our castle room was a major disappointment. It was really expensive and the VERY cold. We had the heat on full blast, but the room never really warmed up. We did have good warm covers, though.

We just had snacks in our room instead of going back out last night. This morning, the coffee machine didn't work right, and it was good that I had extra instant packets with me, or I would have really been crabby!

We caught our 9:30 bus and rode just a few miles toward Siena. Phil had read in the official VF app said that the walking path went "through the brush and down a riverbed and through a woods. The route short and easy is made hard by the total shortage of water and roadhouses." I paraphrased, but basically, it went into no man's land. The bike route was recommended by one of our other guides, so we took the bus to about 4 miles from Siena and walked through the suburbs the rest of the way.

Fortunately, our bus stop was near a good coffee shop and pharmacy. We got a "good" coffee and had a couple of apple tarts. I went to the pharmacy to get more Tylenol.

We walked into town and arrived before our room was ready. The hotel held our luggage while we had lunch. We went to a real trattoria where the menus were not in English. Phil had spaghetti carbonara, and I had polenta cake with meat and mushroom gravy. Very tasty!

After we got checked in, we went to see the Duomo or cathedral. It was really fabulous and lots of artwork. Then we stopped at the Campo, where they have the annual horse race each year.

Tomorrow is a travel day so I don't know if I will have much to write. We have 4 nights in Rome at an AirBNB.

Our accommodation tonight is pretty simple, but it has a good price, has heat, and includes breakfast!. It is also in a good location.Read more