5th July 2017

5th July 2017

Galleno to San Miniato Alto - 23kms

We set off at 5:10am hoping to have breakfast at a local bar which was due to open at 5:15am. We found it had not opened so we decided to carry on to the next available which turned out to be some 8kms away. Still breakfast at 7:30am is quite a reasonable hour!

This morning the path went gently uphill at first and then steeply uphill for a while all through very shaded and tranquil woods. It is nice to walk through those at that time of the morning when all you can hear are the birds singing and the breeze rustling among the trees. Sadly the woods eventually gave way to some minor roads and then fairly nice paths on top of a series of dykes, zig-zagging across the landscape. In the village of Fucecchio Ana Maria was stung by a wasp! We had just sat down to rest when the wasp got entangled between her boot and the trouser bottom and struck! How unlucky is this? 

After that little episode we carried on over the bridge that straddles the river Arno. This is down to barely a trickle nowadays but in the Middle Ages this was a navigable river as far as Pisa and Fucecchio was an important river port.

Eventually the path led us to San Miniato where we are spending the night in the Convento di San Francesco. Before entering town we came across a "watering point" for pilgrims. It is a small stall by the side of the path set up by volunteers, that offers free cold water and juices, cakes, biscuits and fruits. We have only ever come across this once before a couple of years ago when we were walking along the Camino Del Sureste, one of the Caminos de Santiago. At the end of a long dusty and hot day it is a very welcome sight. Thank you to those concerned for your generosity.

Tomorrow we continue to Gambassi Terme 24kms away. After that there are only about 280kms left to Rome........so near and yet so far!