After an unsettled night in the Pallazzo di Pellegrini, we set off under cloudy skies along a dirt road lined with cypresses. A brisk up and a down brings us to Vignoni Alto, a tiny fortified village. We are in the UNESCO world heritage site of the Val D’ Orca where every hill has a castle.
Coming down the hill we have stunning cypress clad views across to the hill top castle of Castiglione D’ Orca which we continue to look back at all day.
At the bottom of the hill is Bagno Vignoni with a large outdoor thermal pool, the piazza d’acgua. The adjoining cafe of the thermal hotel provides excellent coffee.
Cresting a hill we found Michael having a breather and walk with him for the next few kilometres.
We are clearly on a well preserved roman road, it is the Via Cassia. Confusingly the new road has been given this name, but we are on the real thing, an important road between Rome and across Tuscany to Florence and the north.
Leaving it’s excellent surface we flounder through muddy trails between wheat fields. The iconic volcanic cone of Radicofani, topped by a tower appears and disappears in the cloud, but we will not get there until tomorrow, instead we turn off and ascend to our B and B at another village with a thermal bath. Thoughtfully Betsy has booked one next to the bar.