My Big Fat Francigena Weekly Summary

Another wonderful week. This time our wanderings brought us to Tuscany. The week’s weather has been wet, not a big problem for us, we don our raincoats and our waterproof boots, however the puddles linger and paths remain slippery and muddy and more challenging for days.

My trekking strategy is to follow the exquisite choreography of Edward’s steps – his ballet like movement gliding seemingly effortlessly, an arabesque here and a pirouette there. We interact in a variety of local tableaus. Coming down on a particularly challenging path reaching for bamboo stalks the size of a fist along the path we were delighted to hear music in the distance. As we approach we saw a tent and neatly covered chairs in rows and the voices of a cheering crowd as “We are Family” entertained a wedding party. Further along as we entered a narrow pathway out of town we were passed by 2 cyclists. Their animated conversation was about food. One cyclist yelling “Molto importante, pomodori piccoli.” His companion muttered a response but was corrected loudly “No, no, no, no, piccoli pomodori sono molto importanti.” As they cycled into the distance I could hear a repeating “No, no, no, no.”

For me it is impossible not to feel conspicuous. Perhaps it is the walking stick, my sartorial splendor, the sweat, maybe the blank stare from fatigue. Often when we enter a town we find a congregation of older men, perhaps pensioners, who glance up from their game of Scopa, long enough to render a judgement. There is a term, “umarell” , that refers to a man who stands at the edge of a construction site, pants resting just below his breastbone and hands clasped behind his back, offering advice to the construction workers. These are the seated version.

Tuscany offers endless stunning views and chiming church bells marking the passage of time and our progress. The new challenges are the serial ascents to hill top towns, climbing 400 or 500 feet 4 or 5 times a day. In fact I have observed people from my car walking on these toads wondering why are they doing that? Are they crazy?

We arrived in San Gemignano today, a vibrant town packed with visitors. It looked like an Italian Medieval Pavilion you would find at Disney world. Two days to Siena.