Stage 11 San Quirico d'Orcia to Gallina

16 kilometers
Elevation gain/loss: 497/548
Steps: 25,344
Total distance traveled: 204.8 km
Distance to Rome: 208.1

The official Stage today is 32 kilometers from San Quirico to Radicofani. Brenda and I decided we would not do any 30+ kilometers days on this Camino, so we stopped halfway at Gallina, a tiny community with only one restaurant, and a bar famous for it's Panini sandwiches. Because the restaurant closes on Tuesdays, panini for lunch and dinner today. Of course, everyone except us vegetarians orders their sandwiches stuffed with Italian cold cuts: capicollo, mortadella, salami, porcheta etc... we had pecorino cheese on ours. We would have added tomato, but they had run out by the time we got there. However, at €3.50 per sandwich, and €3.00 for a half liter of red wine, these were our most reasonably priced meals we've had in Italy so far.

Today's walk wasn't long, but it was one very long ascent followed by one very long descent and repeated two more times. There were virtually no significant stretches of flat ground. I was exhausted by the end of it.

Tomorrow is even worse. The stage is a constant climb for 15 kilometers. After the last two days of hill climbing, I know better than to even try, so I'm throwing in the towel on Stage 11 before it's even started. Brenda is bravely soldiering on, and I'll be tracking her progress as I ride the bus to Radicofani.

We were once again treated to some lovely scenery today, and visited a tiny medieval hilltop town paved with 1000 year-old stones.
There's so much history here that you can't help but realize that the Americas are just baby nations in the eyes of the rest of the world. We stopped for coffee in Bagno Vignoni, which has a huge thermal spring smack-dab in the middle of the town square.

We may have to reward ourselves with a visit to one of the many thermal spas along our route before we head home.Read more