We walked as though we were nearly 7 not 70 – a day off and cool, we were renewed. Along a highway for a short distance past early bar openers, a couple of locals, lots of cars, cats on every corner free to do as they wish with their barking friends disallowed the same freedom, penned up with their wishes confined. Mountains all around, the marble-mined ones obvious in the background with their grey starkness, as we passed through village after village, crossed their tiny streams, greeted their inhabitants, taking in scene after scene, fit for our next hill climb.
This long gradual climb showed us scenes of the sea, seaside towns and far away hills and coastal mountains, the cool breeze keeping us comfortably climbing. Not long at the top and the same gradual – this time descent – allowed us more easy viewing as we neared sea level once more. Along the side of a river we could see the mountain marble slabs being cut, carved, washed and processed for park benches, footpaths, statues and household uses.
Through a large town, and heading to a village curiously not in our guidebook; dangerous! We must have missed a crucial turn though we were still following major signs. Passers by kept telling us our trajectory was good – but it was probably difficult for them to guess that we wanted the more direct route. We ended up in a mountaintop village, even further away than we were an hour earlier and sat down to feel sorry for ourselves. Then round the corner came a big black 4 wheel drive, its driver seeing our sorrow, said: “Can I give you a lift?”
Michele informed he had mastered the Italian driver survival technique – we noted – as he adeptly manoeuvred multiple hairpin bends with impressive skill. A South African with Swiss parents, he has been working in Italy, looking after holiday apartments, while back in Cape Town he turned his wits to whatever crossed his path. As he let us off right outside our lodgings we were so glad we also crossed his.
Comfy in our chic Tuscan bedroom, we puzzled why the Via Francigena had led us half way up the mountain and suddenly deserted us, taking us to the top of another mountain instead of down. Mr Google informed us that there had been a landslide and the way was not to be taken till clearing could be done. Let’s hope no more landslides for a while.
