Stage 12: Gallina to San Quirico d’Orcia — June 2, 2022

 17 km — 34^oC and sunny — We met 26 more pilgrims on their way to Rome.

(By Jim)

Although we set our alarm for 5:00, we were awakened by birdsong at 4:45.  We dressed in silence and packed up in the kitchen so as to not awaken our roommates.  Breakfast was strong coffee and carbs.  Italians love their carbs for breakfast — bread, rusks, brioche, Nutella, jam!

As Gallina is not situated on the VF, we followed a country road that eventually intercepted the trail after a few kilometers.  Tuscany has big skies like Saskatchewan, but without the flatness.  Tuscany is full of hills.  Pick any two points on a map and there will be at least one big hill between them!  Needless to say, it was a day of ups and downs as we plodded our way towards San Quirico d’Orcia.  Most of the hills went unnoticed by our legs, as we were in awe of the panoramic vistas all about.  However, the last hill was an exception.

It began at the Orcia River, outside of Bagno Vignoni.  Our map indicated that the VF crosses the river gorge by a  pedestrian bridge.  When we arrived we were distressed to see that the bridge is barricaded and a sign indicates that it is unsafe to cross.  We looked at the ravine and back at the bridge and to my surprise, Laurel said that the bridge looked safe enough. (Safe enough for what?, I wondered!) So we climbed the barricade and set out across the weathered creaky planks.  Twelve steps was all I needed to tell me that there is more Laura Croft in Laurel than there is Indiana Jones in me.  Weak in the legs, I bailed and returned to the barricade; Laurel reluctantly followed.  It took 30 minutes to slide down the bank, traverse the river by stepping on rocks, and climb up the other side.  Laurel was not impressed and we barely spoke as we made our way up into the resort spa, Bagno Vignoni.  An ice cold drink and brioche beside the medieval pools put us back in good spirits as we continued up this final hill of the day.  With a lot of sweat (and swearing) we climbed 300 meters in 3 km, by far our steepest, longest ascent to date.  Exhausted and parched, we descended into San Quirico d’Orcia for lunch. 

We still had not found accommodation for this evening.  All of the hostels, B&Bs, albergos, etc were booked up.  It was the start of a four-day long weekend (Republic Day) and most of Italy was on a road trip!  We had tried to pre-book days ago but with no luck.  So as we drank our 4th or 5th glass of acqua frizzante, I rolled the dice once more with booking.com —“momma needs a bed tonight!”  I hit the jackpot, as Casanova Wellness Retreat had just released a couple of rooms at a discount — breakfast included.  We snapped one up and hit the road with gusto.

Casanova Wellness Retreat was everything we never expected but appreciated nonetheless.  Air conditioning, king-sized bed, private terrace with a countryside view, swimming pool and, did I mention, with a view!  We took full advantage — showered, swam, and siestaed poolside.  As we chilled, our sweaty misadventure melted away.

In the evening we walked through San Quirico d’Orcia’s old town and had cold salads and a glass of Brunello in a wine bar.  Like I said, it was a day of ups and downs!