Tuesday 20 May 2025 – And off we go again!  We set the alarm for 0530 in order to get a prompt breakfast at 0700, which was a bit of a shame, as the hotel breakfast service didn’t start until 0730. Never mind; we could usefully catch up with the woes of the world while we waited.

We walked through the streets of Siena, with their amusingly-modified tables on the steep bits,

to the Campo, where the swallows were feasting exuberantly.

It was clear that today was Bin Day in Siena.

We exited the city through the Roman Gate

and carried on along a tarmac road for some 6km, past scenery that was, as before, pleasant and rural but otherwise unremarkable.

Eventually, we left the tarmac for the “white road” (i.e. a dirt road) that would be the underfoot surface for much of the rest of the walk.

It took us through an industrial estate

and on to a section of sheltered path which led beside the road

to another industrial estate, though one of a different sort.

In the distance, we could see a Mystery Object

which the track would take us nearer, to give us a chance to understand what it was. We also passed evidence that a major road once passed overhead.

The second industrial estate was just outside a village called Isola d’Arbia, which offered two items of keen interest, given that we had by this stage walked over 10km – a “sosta del pellegrino” and a bar. The “sosta del pellegrino” looked uncannily like a coffee bar, so we stopped to intrude on the privacy of the barman for a swift coffee. We debated stopping at the second bar for another coffee but decided to soldier on. Generally speaking, the going was a lot less arduous than we had been used to in the first week – much less up and down. The temperature was fine – around 20°C – but it was quite humid, and indeed we had a small sprinkling of rain occasionally as we walked. The day felt more similar to those that we had experienced when we walked the Camino de Francés in Spain, only with fewer convenient bars and cafés.

We got really quite close to the Mystery Object

but close examination gave scant clues as to what it was beyond a bleedin’ great tower. We could make out the letters IDIT at the base, and the S-cape map, being on this occasion more useful than Google Maps, told us that it was a “Torre di Essicazione”, which only helped a little, but when I plugged that nugget and the letters IDIT into ChatGPT, we got not just some kind of general information, but a specific run-down of exactly what it was. I quote:

Constructed between 1959 and 1961, the tower was part of the IDIT (Industria di Disidratazione Isola Tressa) facility, designed to dehydrate fruits and vegetables—primarily tomatoes—using a German-engineered process. The method involved drying produce at 33°C within a 70-meter-high silo, aiming to transform fresh produce into shelf-stable powders. Despite the initial enthusiasm, the facility faced operational challenges and ceased production by 1966, having never reached full-scale operation.

Today, the tower stands as a prominent, albeit decaying, landmark in the Tuscan landscape. While the concrete structure remains intact, other parts of the facility have deteriorated significantly, leading to its designation as an “ecomostro” (eco-monster) by environmental and heritage organizations.

While the structure is not open to the public due to safety concerns, it remains a poignant symbol of a bygone industrial era amidst the rolling Tuscan hills.

It certainly dominated the landscape as we walked on.

The white road carried on rolling

and we were a little worried that the few drops of rain we’d had might develop into something more sustained – the sky looked quite strange at times.

but any showers that were around didn’t affect us.

We saw a couple more Mystery Objects.

We guessed that the first one was some kind of water storage facility. From the number of man-made and natural ponds, we reckon that water supply for irrigation must be an issue at some times of the year, although right now the countryside was very green. And (I’ll be honest here) the second one wasn’t a mystery at all; it was the Grancia di Cuna, one of the best preserved medieval fortified farms in the Siena area, and clearly a construction of significant size.

The S-cape app suggested a path that deviated slightly from the official Via to take us close by it.

It’s very chunky indeed; of course, once you get really close you can no longer see it properly.

So I took the opportunity to whizz the drone up to see if an aerial shot looked good.

It was built in the 14th century as a collection centre for the grain and other agricultural production necessary for the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. It developed into a small independent village surrounded by walls, gates and towers, with the farm-fortress at the centre. Like the tower, the Grancia dominates the landscape around it.

There was some lovely scenery, really typical of Tuscany, to be appreciated.

Our route took us up into the hills overlooking Monteroni d’Arbia

and past some curious artworks – these turn out to be part of the “Museum of Widespread Art” whose works adorn this Siena stretch of the Via Francigena.

We caught our first sight of our destination

but the app led us to it via a very winding route, through a tiny but tidy hamlet called Greppo

with what we guessed was a disused well of some sort outside it,

and then via quite a significant diversion through another industrial area, to the road leading to Lucignano d’Arbia. The Powers That Be of Monteroni (who run the commune of which Lucignano forms a part) had obviously tried to ease the path round a roundabout, to help pilgrims on their way, so we walked along it until

it rather suddenly ended.

With no escape route, we had to retrace our footsteps, which, after 22km, was a little irritating. But soon we arrived in Lucignano, which is a small fortified village;

like Monteriggioni, you can see quite easily pretty much from one end to the other. Unlike Monteriggion, though, it doesn’t have coffee or gelato bars; just the one hotel, the Borgo Antico, whose entrance we found after stumbling around a little bit.

A friendly receptionist checked us in to our room which was on the ground floor (hurrah!) and so we refreshed ourselves and, given there was a forecast for rain, went out for a look round Lucignano. This doesn’t take long. It’s pretty, and small.

There being just the one restaurant there (in the hotel), I was glad we were on half board. Dinner was taken in the vaulted dining room

and was very good. It was a little bit of a shame that they ran out of gin before I could have a second glass, but never mind. By the time we’d had dinner, the threatened thunderstorm had arrived, and so we retired for the night and to prepare for the morrow.

Tomorrow is a light day; we have to walk just 14km to Buonconvento and there’s a coffee stop on offer at Ponte d’Arbia, so we can both get a rest and take a look at the river which gives its name to so many places. Like today, I’m expecting the going to be relatively easy, but you’ll have to check back on these pages to see how things really went, won’t you?