The Green Hills Of Tuscany: Firenze to 14km before Siena.

April 9, 2015

One good point about the hostel is, there's a small supermarket next door. So easy to pop out for milk and whatever in the morning to breakfast, not included in the price. Though in the kitchen is a big box of cornflakes left in the "free food" box, and coffee.

I've no intention of setting off early, lingering over breakfast before clearing my stuff from the room and checking out at ten o'clock as requested and then, giving the bike a clean and check over. And having noticed the internet working again, I load the pictures I's unable to yesterday. Then return next door to buy food for the road before finally wheeling the bike out the door at eleven.

I continue on the street where I was-the day I arrived in Florence and was intent on leaving again, thinking with so many people, all accommodations would be fully booked, when I spotted the hostel sign. The street is narrow and there isn't much space for me and the odd car or delivery van that speed along it. After what seems a kilometre, I pass through an arch gateway in the old city walls; on the outside, is a roundabout and once I've paused to look at the map, decide to follow the sign for Siena, which is a steady climb until coming to a big interchange roundabout for the autostrada and risky crossing entry and exit slips-as I feel the cars swerving round won't stop if I happen to be traversing their path-until joining the road without the "no-cycling" signboard.

The road on narrows to almost single-track with recent painted white lines on both sides but none in the middle. It climbs sharply with neat rows of olives trees patterned hillsides. Then down sharply zigzag fashion, where I meet on a bend a car coming up, hauling on the brakes and run in on the gravel to let the car by. I cross a bridge at the bottom, round to the right and straight up again.

At some stage my head feels bare, instantly realising I went without my helmet. It's too far to go back to retrieve. I've it many years and has a dent in the side where an artic-truck passing me, swung too soon in because of an oncoming truck, it's empty shipping-container payload swings over pendulum like, banging the side of the helmet and I received an incredible shock and you could say, a lucky escape.

The road come to an elbow and there's an abrupt drop down and round a hairpin bend, but from the elbow is a cul-du-sac running up to a hilltop hamlet. On this drive I linger, looking over a stone wall at the road down the bank beyond and decide to lunch.

Once on the move again, I descend and come to a tee and turn left on the main road to Siena. The plan is to stop early, find a campsite a short way before the city, so as to spend a few hours there tomorrow morning. And the time passes quickly by. The way climbs quite a bit until there's only pine forest to the side. I pass a walker, a young man to whom I say chao, he lifts his head confusedly out of reverie and nods, before returning to his thoughts. A few kilometres further the road comes down to a crossroads village with Siena 18km on a sign. Here I have an ice-cream: the first in Italy, but it won't be the last. And enjoying it, the other benches to the side of the cross soon fill. The people in the next speaking Norwegien and there are motor bikers, all enjoying ice-cream in the afternoon sun.

It is only three kilometres more when I come to a copse of low twisted trees on a rocky hillside with a track in, up to a level grassy spot by a stand of tall Lombardy popular.

Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 2,301 km (1,429 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0