woke up an hour earlier than I would have liked.. my window was facing the main square, and I was accosted with early morning deliveries at shops as things were opened and unloaded loudly.. I went to breakfast and then packed. I got on the road a bit earlier too.. again I prob hoped to walk more than I did today..but got to listen to body... the entire walk was along car roads today...but just within my tolerance... the first three kms wound past the long old town and up hill then off to flatter terrain..every time so far that I thought I would prob take less photos since the landscape could not really be that much different and the next old town I go through will prob be more of the same... I am mistaken... the landscape got more and more interesting..sure still farms..but rolling hills greater panorama... it was muggy humid then cooler and breezier... I started seeing glimpses of San Gimignano prob three hours before I got there... from what I could tell it looked surreal, it could be the perfect setting for sci-fi fantasy novel or film... it had these long slender towers ...so, from a distance I would almost say it was mideaval sky scrapers... I really noticed a shift in car drivers. It occurred to me, it was saturday so these were people out for pleasure... also I saw an increase in foreign plates, mostly french, some german, a few swiss and a few eastern european which I cant distinguish as well. Also not just road racing bicycles but also some who were packing gear..so, also doing longer trips...and gangs of sporty euro-gangs on motorcycles.. I got to San Gimignano close to two, I was enthrawled... it was horribly touristy ...that it was saturday...intensified this... italian teens seem to like going in groups to these places, too, on weekends... so little romantic couples everywhere... I heard americans too... everyone shopping!! ceramics, leather goods, wine... etc... again I side stepped the museums … I was gawking at the strange probably military towers, when someone approached me chatting... it was my Australian friend again.. we were both delighted to see each other ... he is traveling with wife by car... they had seen Voltaire and Sienna in the time that it took me to say goodbye to them yesterday morning and walk here... kind of ironic. He wanted to know my next destination..so I pulled out my tuscanny map which I marked for prob at least a week or more of walking.. .he was very pleased... again we said our farewells and I went to check out the main church. There was a cover... but also they were able to stamp my credentials. The one girl seemed impressed I had walked from Assisi... I guess the more distance I cover the more impressive it seems... even if it is tiny little baby steps... the church itself was wonderful ..muted and dark... old frescos... I feel I should know the artist..but I dont.. it had the stages of the cross on one wall with some of the jesus miracles on top.. the other wall had old testament stuff. ..i felt the tone more mideaval since it had a slightly more fire and brimestone feel to it. But the faces of figures were soft and sweet... then out again I found another two churches one was totally simple...hardly any decor at all so it felt more like a meditation hall... the other more grand, again no photos ... I knew I was looking at historically valuable art but I drew a blank, it was however, pretty...
I had what would be lunch and dinner... penne pomadoro, and a mixed salad that included corn olives, endive, cheese...so filling..
. then I tried to make some more time so that I would get a few more km's under my belt before the end of the day.. it was a little after three when I left town... the road was very windy here... I walked for a while.. and the landscape still beautiful... there had been clouds all day and sun breaks... now I notice a darker mass forming behind my back...i thought I heard very distant thunder... then something else occurred to me..again thankfully not too busy a car road..but something had shifted...then I realized that after a day in the tuscanny countryside what does one do here other than sight see? Drink wine! I was dealing with drivers who might not be too sober.. I just saw a couple of hair-brain moves that made me suspect so... it was only a little after four...but the cloud stalking me and potential drunk drivers was all I needed to start looking for accommodations.. I turned in at the first sign of one of those Agritourismo places... and got an okay priced room... I took a shower and just as I got out... it started pouring hard rain outside... it lasted for less than an hour and then the sun came out again...but I felt I had made a good call. Hoping again to plug a lot of good sleep hours... it is quiet here and only italian on tv...two good reasons I will sleep long and well!
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