Day 6 Tuesday

A late start - away by 11am. it was a lovely sunny morning. On the lake side, we stopped for capuccini at a trattoria, overlooking the lake. Later on we stopped for lunch by the side of the white road some way back from the edge of the lake.

We then followed a mainly unmade dusty road to Capodimonte

and then Marta,

where we had a wander round and a snooze while waiting for the shops to open at 5 o'clock. Having bought supper and a bottle of wine, we walked along the southern edge of Lago di Bolsena looking for somewhere discreet to camp.

It was getting quite late and we were beginning to get not a little worried that we wouldn't find anywhere to pitch. I found a possible place - a fenced off site being done up for something, at the back of which was a grassed area. Nearby was a green lane which we took and found a way to the rear of the site which fortunately was open. We skulked there until light faded and then cooked a meal and put up our shelters. We had excellent ravioli to which I added green pesto, only to find that Nigel didn't like pesto! He had a few potato chipsticks instead washed down with cheap red wine.

Day 5 Monday

A pretty good night's sleep but with an extra blanket. I should have guessed that Barclaycard would not be accepted here. Once again, we had difficulty finding our way out of Vivo d'Orcia. Our host from last night had said there was a bus to Abbiado S. Salvatori at 9 o'clock but there was not. We retraced our steps of the previous day to locate a woodland track shown on the map but it clearly did not exist. We went back into Vivo d'Orcia to find the road out to Abbiado. This was more difficult than expected but we eventually got on the right road and then walked 7km to Abbiado. On the way, Nigel started to develop blisters and two blackened toenails which were obviously causing great pain. There was the first hint that Rome might not be reached. We spent some time in the tourist information centre in Abbiado, warming up and being helped by an absolute sweetie called Valeria who spoke good English. She let us leave our packs there while we went off to find some lunch - a microwaved tagliatelli for me in a very basic café but welcome for all that.

When we got back, Valeria had researched details of campsites beside Lago di Bolsena. We caught the 3.30pm bus to Acquapendente.

After a brief stop there, we decided to walk on and find somewhere to camp along the way. We called in at a tourist information centre and collected a map of the Francigena route to Bolsena. A very helpful young lady who spoke a little English was keen to assist. We then left the town, following Francigena signs which soon petered out. We headed towards the main road and after a while were offered a lift by our TIC girl and she took us all the way to Lago di Bolsena where she dropped us at a campsite on the western side. We had a 40 minute wait for the proprietor to return but it was very pleasant by the lake side.

We were the only campers on the La Grata site and spent a very peaceful night.

Day 4 Sunday

We continued road walking to Seggiano.

At Seggiano, we took what should have been a minor white road only to find a house in the way! They can do these things in Italy. We turned back and followed a slightly longer way round and at the other end of the white road there was another house built across it. We then walked on to Pescina - a very unremarkable place.

We lunched at a forest refuge area. I checked the ongoing route carefully with a route on a wooden board but we clearly went horrendously wrong in the forest. Instead of emerging on a road with Mt. Amiata to the west of us, it was some way to the south. We'd taken a wrong direction from the picnic site. After one or two attempts to head towards Abbiade S Salvatori, we gave up and walked to Vivo d'Orcia, a one horse dorp of a place, very sleepy, a bit shabby with mostly unmade roads.

We booked into Hotel Amiata, a strange place indeed. Our room was decidedly cold - Nigel went straight to bed with all his clothes on and this was only late afternoon! I thought a shower might be warming but couldn't seem to find it in the little en suite loo with wash basin. I then looked up and saw a shower rose in the middle of the ceiling. The room itself was a shower room! Of course, everything got wet but at least I had the sense to move the loo roll outside. I am sure the room was an electrical nightmare.

The evening meal served by the eccentric proprietor and cooked by his equally strange wife was interesting to say the least. We started with mushroom soup, served with a spoon and fork. It consisted of pieces of bread with a vaguely mushroomy stock and bits of mushroom - a veritable mush but definitely not soup as we know it. I had never before eaten soup with a fork! This was followed by a sort of spaghetti bolognese, followed by slices of rare beef with gravy, both served cold with artichoke.

Day 3 Saturday

Leaving Montalcino.

Difficulty finding the right way out of the town behind the fortress as there were a number of roads meeting at a junction - had to use the compass but even then succeeded in taking a wrong turn and despite asking a man in a garden and who assured us we were on the right road when it turned out we were not!

We picked up the correct route eventually and arrived at S. Antimo, a church on the edge of a town. It was clearly a tourist attraction - a clarinet player in the church.

We met a couple walking with ATG but not doing our route. We got lost somewhat the other side of Fiume Orcia (Monte Amiato station).

We took a minor road which wound around in the wrong direction and ended at a river with no way of crossing. We just had to turn round and retrace our steps. The heavens then opened with thunder and lightning.

Having wasted so much time, we reached the road out of Monte Amiato again (found some loos on the station) and headed towards Seggiano. The fields either side were waterlogged and no good for camping. We stopped for the night at a hotel/restaurant where we had an excellent evening meal.

Day 2 Friday

Broke camp early. At least it had stopped raining. It was actually a very pleasant, sunny morning.

Passed through the village of Bibbiano. Followed signs for the TNT pub (for coffee, perhaps?), but it was closed. A good morning's walk but the rivers we saw were in full spate.

One we came to had flooded the road so it was boots off!

The approach up to Montalcino looked daunting and was a long haul up a narrow road up the hillside.

We begged water at a house. Nigel was positively exhausted and probably dehydrated. Stopped for lunch shortly after and before entering the town. Superb views looking back from where we'd come.

On entering Montalcino, found a café and downed a beer pretty quickly, Nigel opting for what was by now a customary non-diet Coke to restore his blood sugar.

I went off to look for a supermarket to get some food for supper that evening but, thinking of Nigel, ended up booking us into a hotel - he was very grateful when I returned and reported what I'd done. I think a second night camping who knows where might have resulted in rebellion! The poor chap was whacked with the steep climb up into the town, his lungs not being quite as big as he'd thought. We ate out in the evening, Nigel having wild boar; I had Etruscan rabbit.

Day 1 Thursday

Leaving Siena, heading for Vescovado. We meandered through the streets of Siena, taking in the large square where the Palio is held and left the town through the Porta Romana. It rained in the afternoon. We finished early and camped in a waterlogged wood well out of sight of the road. There'd been so much rain recently. Standing in one place for too long in the wood caused water almost to cover the shoes. We used Nigel's tent only due to lack of space - its first outing. Very cosy inside - a bit too cosy, in fact! Cooked tortellini and red pesto sauce on the Trangia.