D37 Sienna to Lago do Bolsena

Siena  it turned out was building up for the Palio the twice annual horse race around the main square. I must see the training ride I was told the following day and having planned two nights in Siena I followed the advice of the really nice people at the Palazzo. The walk into this medieval hill town convinced me immediately that there was a buzz about the place and by th e evening training race I was determined to stay for the real thing. Here are a few images from Siena Palio in which my neighbourhood (the quarter of the owl) horse is shown after his church blessing but before the race, then we see the procession of all the neighbourhoods to be blessed in the cathedral and finally the full square (c 30 k people) awaiting race (televised live on national TV) on which bragging rights for years are settled amidst an atmosphere that makes the Merseyside derby feel tame and millions are bet on a race that certainly isn't run under English Jockey Club regulations. This winner feined an inability to join the starting line up, held up the whole show for 15 mins with interminable failed starts....Then got the start he'd planned a couple of metres behind the others this allowing him to find the gap  before the first corner, sneaked thro and then on the three laps which are lightening quick there was no catching him. The square exploded in uproar as the victorious neighbourhood snatched the Madonna of the race and charged out to party in their neighbourhood! Fantastic - I was introduced to t spritzers that night -prosecco, Aperol and a drop of tonic water - delicious. I was also told by Italian paratrooper s (the threat to mass events is taken very seriously and managed very efficiently by the Italian military everywhere I have been) that I was on a soul journey! I liked that.

Onwards that day on a beautiful Siennese rolling tuscan route that has me imagining in my head I and Hermes were crossing a Botticelli! Took my first tumble on a strada bianchi which can be treacherous on the down if there 's too much loose stuff on which to skid. Quite technical riding and I'm still learning - only grazes and soon enjoying it again on the flat anyway!

Came around a corner to meet Carol tending his horses and suggesting a route variant (views are better) on the ridge he walks his horses....our discussion ranged over the Palio, Greece the poetry of Chilean port Pablo needs set to a Greek musician 's accompaniment - Carols Belgian heritage, the local hunters and their dislike of people like us wandering disturbing their animals which they want to kill! In other words the sort of wayside chat one would wish for when dreaming of going on pilgrimage! This view looks back over Carols land (Cyprus avenues to die for) and the other North towards sienna.

I emerged from Carol's horse route into a lovely medieval little town called Buonconvento with its own own museo-art gallery and a nice atmosphere where I bought some supplies and then started out in the heat of the noon day sun as I couldn't justify hanging around a cafe with a picnic in my bag. As I set out I realised the Via Francigena was going to take me on a circuitous and hilly Strada bianchi which was going to be hard work ....my morning's session had taught me that whilst great to ride on the flat going uphill is twice as onerous whilst coming down is no fun so twice the pain with out much gain - it was the Sr2 for me - a blacktop regional route which follow the Via  Cassia one of the principal North-South Roman roads. And because most traffic takes the autostradas and it's August when all the Romans are at the  Med it was blissfully quiet.

I was pleased with my decision as the scale of the rolling landscape grew as we approached the volcanic country of the Val d'Orcia. Up a hard I started getting glimpses of another solo bike rider -unusual especially in the heat of the day. When I did feel him in it was of course a fellow Englishman James from Dulwich, we laughed as we quoted to each other 'only maddogs and Englishman to put in the noon day sun'. We teamed up and had a great afternoon with a succession of climbs building to the final ridge overlooking the sizeable volcanic lake of Lago De Bolsena. There we found a Gnocchi festival complete with the Madonna of the Gnocchi so that sorted dinner and we were glad of my lights as we crushed down the hill well after dark down to the lake and found somewhere to camp.