P2 Stage 27 Buonconvento to San Quirico D’Orcia 24 km

One hates to complain about the weather but walking in 90 degree heat for 5 hours with significant elevation gain will change your perspective. The heat just saps the energy out of you. When we finally arrived at San Quirico D’Orcia we were spent. The journey, however was spectacular. In the heart of Montalcino country, the town up on a hill overseeing its Brunello producing domain laid out in neat rows below. We received innumerable invitations to visit wine sellers for a wine tasting but wisely restrained ourselves. We will leave that to another occasion. We drank lots of water instead.

San Quirico, like many towns in wine regions, is well managed and provisioned. Lots of restaurants, Cafe/Bars, an information office open till late, Churches open at all hours, and enough wine tasting cantinas to quench the thirst of invading Huns. It also exhibited imposing sculpture by an artist we first noticed in Siena, Emanuel Giannelli, of a giant bronze figure searching the skies with what look like virtual reality lenses, in both cases place just outside the Roman Porta. The modern equivalent of a Roman Centurion.