Tom`s travels: Via Francigena from Altopascio to Siena (29/05-01/06/2021)

After the night in Lucca, our day to finally start the pilgrimage hike has arrived. We left the city and after a short drive reached the nearby town of Altopascio. We parked the two cars next to the soccer field as they would need to come back here to drive back home to Vicenza once we reached Siena. From there we then headed on to visit the city center before starting our hike. We stopped in front of the nice church, Chiesa di San Jacopo Maggiore, with its beautiful Romanesque facade and bell tower. It was still closed as it was rather early, but the interior was nonetheless remade during the 19th century so not particularly worth visiting. Right next to the church was a small courtyard with a loggia which now belongs partly to the town hall and partly to the city library. The complex used to belong to the Spedale di Altopascio, a medieval hospital that served the pilgrims by providing food and shelter on their pilgrimage to Rome. In fact, the area around the city was once covered in marshland and lakes and thus dangerous and unhealthy so the hospital was a welcome sight for those traveling in these lands. The hospital grew in importance and power since its founding during the 11th century and then became the basis of the later Order of Saint James of Altopascio. It was one of the first of the Military Orders and existed for four hundred years before being terminated by Pope Pius II. Heading up to the library we then met the workers there who were happing to put the stamp on our pilgrim passports and telling us a little about their town and asking about us and hour upcoming hike. After taking a group picture we were ready to head out and start our exciting journey as early as 8:30am. We walked along the main road passing by some small villages until we stopped in the small town of Galleno, among the hills, as Tiziana knew the owner of the pharmacy there. After the short break we continued on and from a vantage point, through the thick foliage of the trees were able to spot our destination for the day, the town of San Miniato. First, though we had a large flat plain to cover so we headed downhill and reached the nearby town of Ponte a Cappiano. The place is known for featuring a beautiful bridge over the Usciana Canal. It is known to have been here since medieval times as it was previously managed by the Order of Altopascio so that pilgrims could easily cross on their way to Rome. Its current form dates from the first half of the sixteenth century when Cosimo I de 'Medici had it rebuilt. It was in that period that the covered bridge seen today was constructed, along with the tavern, the ironworks, and the house of the superintendent who presided over the administration of the farm next to it. After crossing the bridge we then walked away from the main road and through a nice tranquil countryside with the first hay bales dotting the landscape. We decided to jump on one and take a group picture and then continued on along our way. Not long after we then reached the town of Fucecchio where we met the first group of pilgrims, three older women, who were planning to reach San Miniato as well that day. After heading uphill we finally reached the city center; here we visited the Montanelli-Bassi foundation where a kind old man showed us the collection left by the famous journalist Indro Montanelli who was born here. He then also showed us a room dedicated to the costume and banners of the Palio of the city, the local parade, and horse race. We then also saw the cellars where some old wines are kept and have been used since remote times for such a reason. After the visit it was time for lunch, the others chose a bar where they took some small snacks. I wished to have something more filling and tasty so headed down through the town to grab a piadina with tomato and mozzarella at the Giangusto Piadineria. I took it with me to go and then headed back uphill to sit on a bench right in front of the church of San Salvatore. From up there I had a beautiful view of the flat plains down below and some hills in the distance. After eating I then visited the nearby collegiate church of San Giovanni Battista which was the only one open, as it was lunch break, but which had a rather plain and boring neoclassical interior. I then met up with the others who were also done eating and walked through the city center, passing by the nice medieval towers on the highest part of town which once made up the defensive system of Fucecchio. We finally left town and headed in the direction of San Miniato which was now getting closer. We walked through a bit of countryside and at one point the trail deviated to make a large circular way around some fields, I told Giacomo that if he wished to walk less he should follow me and cut through the suburbs. He agreed so we finally reached San Miniato Basso, the part of the town located on the plain, right below the old town at the top of the hill. Here we stopped at the Coop supermarket to grab some fruit and nuts to snack on and then sat on a bench to wait for the others to arrive. They still had long to go so Giacomo and I decided to tackle the walk up to San Miniato by ourselves. It was rather steep but made better by the now complete cover of clouds that had arrived. We then finally reached the town and headed on directly to our Airbnb in order to shower and change. We reached the place, the Casa di Pablo, where the owner, Pablo greeted us and showed us to our room: I was staying in a double room with Giacomo on the first floor, while the others, who finally arrived later, got the rooms at the second floor. After showering, washing our clothes, and changing into fresh ones I then headed into town to visit the nice historic center; the others following at their own pace. I passed by the Piazza Buonaparte, named after the large Buonaparte Palace, where a distant cousin of Napoleon, Filippo Buonaparte, used to reside. In fact, the Corsican General came twice to visit, once as a young boy before starting his unimaginable career, and later as the general of the French army. Not far from there I then visited the church of St Francis, with a gothic exterior and baroque interior and nice small cloister. Continuing onwards I then reached the core of the old town, the Piazza Duomo, where the Cathedral, Bishop's Palace, and palace of the Imperial Vicars, are located. The latter features a nice medieval tower while the Bishop's palace features a mix of 17th century with pre-existing 12th and 13th-century details. The cathedral, dating to the 15th century in a Gothic style, features a remade baroque interior and a Romanesque bell tower known as the Torre di Matilde. The church is tragically known for an event that took place on July 22, 1944, when a U.S. artillery shell, directed against a nest of German machine guns, penetrated the church and exploded causing the death of 55 people. The church was crowded with citizens who had been gathered in the churchyard by the Germans. Until 2004 the responsibility of the massacre was erroneously attributed to the German troops of the 3rd Armored Grenadier Division, then in retreat from the town but a final historical record proved otherwise. From the square, we then reached the highest point in town where the remains of the castle are located. Known as the Rocca di Federico II, it now consists of just a single medieval tower 37m high located at about 192m above sea level. From there we had a beautiful view of the old town below and the surrounding hilly landscape. Once back down, we passed by the Chiesa del SS Crocifisso and the Seminario Vescovile, a large 17th and 18th-century palace bordering the Piazza Della Republica. We then reached the central Piazza del Popolo, where we took a seat on the outdoor area of a place called Essenza where we had an aperitivo with cold cuts and spritz and to that, I then had gnocchi with zucchini sauce and shrimp. It was tasty but quite expensive. After a nice dinner, we then headed to bed after a decent first day walking for about 25km.

The next day we woke up at 7am and after breakfast on the terrace of the accommodation admiring the view of the old town we then left about a half-hour later. The sun was shining and a light breeze made the hike really pleasant. We walked through hilly terrain with a wonderful panorama all around us. To the east the central Apennines, while to the north we could easily spot the Apuan Alps in the distance. At one point, turning back towards where we came from we could spot San Miniato in the distance with the clear shape of the tower of the castle. While looking ahead in the direction we were heading to, we could just make out the silhouette of our destination, the town of San Gimignano and its many medieval towers jutting out to the sky like ancient skyscrapers. At one point along the way, we decided to stop at the Pieve dei Santi Pietro e Paolo a Coiano, to have a break and eat some snacks. The church, nowadays partly in ruins and fenced off, was once an important "mansio" or stop, along the pilgrimage way to Rome. Mentioned by Sigeric between 990 and 994 on his way to Rome, the building is a beautiful example of Romanesque architecture in the area. After the short break, we went back to following the path which now meandered through an even more spectacular hilly landscape. All around were verdant green hills with the occasional cypress trees and vineyards: a classic Tuscan landscape. Giacomo's foot was hurting due to a blister so I decided to slow down and walk with him while the others just headed onwards. We continued along this beautiful landscape, spotting here and there some hilltop towns in the distance, and passing then by a nice pathway lined by cypress trees where we had to stop and obviously take a picture. Not long after we then walked by the Pieve Santa Maria Assunta a Chianni, another mansio along the Francigena Way, which Sigeric used as a stopping point. This Romanesque church now features a pilgrim hostel and is a highly suggested stopping point for pilgrims. We decided to head on though so we just passed by and shortly after an uphill climb reached the town of Gambassi Terme. Here the others decided to have lunch at a restaurant while I had taken some stuff from the previous day at the supermarket so found a bench and ate my two sandwiches, a cucumber, and some fruit. We still had several kilometers to walk so I thought that sitting at a restaurant and eating would take too much time and fill up too much. When I was done I decided to visit the small old town with its typical brick architecture and then head on along the way alone while the others were still waiting for their food. I passed through yet more beautiful hilly landscapes and stopped at the Santuario di Maria Santissima Madre Della Divina Provvidenza in the small village of Piancole. This baroque-styled sanctuary was built around the 17th century to hold the miraculous 15th-century fresco of the Virgin Mary nursing the Child. At one point, a few hundred meters further, a deviation suggested heading uphill and visiting a nearby monastery, but the day had been long and still had some way to go plus the visit of San Gimignano itself, so I decided to just continue onwards along the main street. Not long after I was in fact in sight of the medieval towers jutting out among the countryside. As I entered San Gimignano through its northern gate, the Porta San Matteo I had a mix of feelings immediately hitting me. I was surprised, disappointed and disgusted at the number of people in the city center. The street was packed, and the main square which I would see later, even worse. I had not expected this, especially not during the pandemic, and after so many days of empty towns, desolate spaces, and open fields. I had never been able to visit the town due to one of the reasons being that it is always overcrowded, particularly during the summer, and thus a let down if I ever had the chance to come. I had thought it perfect to be able to visit it now right after the lockdown and with a pandemic still ongoing, like it happened the previous year when I had seen a completely deserted Venice in May. So I guess now with the tiredness of the long day and the expectancy of finding it quite empty led me to a fit of anger and disappointment. I pushed through the crowd and sought solace in a side street without the hustle and bustle. Here I entered the church of St Augustine, a 13th-century single-nave building with Romanesque and Gothic features. The interior features nice chapels and altars with 15th-century renaissance frescoes while next to the building is a lovely cloister from the 1400s. Outside of the church I then walked through the square and along the narrow medieval streets reaching the eastern end of town where the church of San Girolamo is located. It was closed so I headed back the way I came and back on the crowded main street. I followed it and eventually reached the central square, Piazza del Duomo. The square was extremely beautiful, probably one of the nicest I had ever seen, and despite the crowd, I still gazed in awe at the beautiful architecture. In fact, all around it were tall slender stone towers that make the city known worldwide as the medieval manhattan. San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, so much so as being inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage List, and for its unique preservation of about fourteen tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and surrounding walls, form an unforgettable skyline. The medieval towers were in fact a way for the noble families to show off their power and wealth, by competing in building the strongest and tallest ones in the city. They would then wage war with other families by attacking each other from their own towers. Of those 14 towers, about 7 were right on the main square. To the north, the two 40m high Salvucci towers, dating to the 13th century, and the 30m high Pettini tower, also from the 13th century. To the east the shorter Chigi tower, from 1280, and the 51m high Rognosa tower, dating to 1200 making it the oldest in town. To the south are the two smaller Ardinghelli towers, dating to the 13th century, and the 54m high Torre Grossa, dating to 1300 and the highest in town. Interestingly once, the Salvucci and Ardinghelli towers were double their current height, as they were owned by the most important and wealthy family of the town and in constant conflict. Thus they had built their towers to an excessive height despite a town statute of 1255 which forbade anyone to raise towers higher than the Rognosa. Eventually the four towers, due to the breach of the statute were torn down to their current height. Below the Torre Rognosa to the east is also the Palazzo Vecchio del Podestà, the 13th-century palace once used by the town's governing body. At the end of the 13th century, a new palace was constructed, right below the Torre Grossa, and renamed the Palazzo Nuovo del Podestà and which now holds the city's museum. Closing the square to the west with a scenic staircase is the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, once holding the title of Cathedral. Built during the 11th century in a Romanesque style it was later enlarged in 1460. Its exterior doesn't show much while its interior hides a beautiful selection of Gothic and Renaissance frescoes by famous artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo Memmi, and Bartolo di Fredi. The entrance in the church was paid but I asked if I could inside to pray as I was a pilgrim along the Via Francigena. They let me inside but basically had one of the custodians keep an eye on me while I was inside so I could not take any pictures. After a short prayer I then left the building and passed through the nearby square, Piazza Della Cisterna, named so for the nice wellhead from 1287 at its center. To the west of the square, the Ardinghelli towers, to the south the Becci arch, once a city gate before the town's expansion during the middle ages, the Becci tower, from the 13th century, and other townhouses, some of which were once evidently towers as well, and to the north the beautiful Torre del Diavolo, named so because the owner, returning from a trip, found the building inexplicably higher, and attributed it to the work of the Devil. From the square, I then headed up to reach the highest point in town where the castle is located, the Rocca di Montestaffoli. The view from the top was great with the old town below and the idyllic landscape made up of hills, vineyards, and olive trees all around. The castle, built during the 14th century, when the city gave itself to the rule and protection of Florence, was then left to become a ruin and was only restored during the 20th century. It now consists of just the walls and a few towers while the main keep is mostly lost. As I descended back down into the old town I then headed back to the main square where I met with the others who had finally reached the city, we took a picture altogether in front of the Cathedral and then headed on to a cafè along the main street, Magnino to have a drink and enjoy ice cream while sitting down. In the shade, and after the walk it felt a little chilly so we had to wear a sweater. Will and Tiziana had decided to head back home, and Giacomo, who had walked all day with a blister wished to head back with them as well. This meant that Marco and I would be alone finishing the walk all the way to Siena, for another two full days. We said goodbye while they took a taxi back to Altopascio and the cars, while we headed out of the town to our accommodation. On the way out we passed by yet two more medieval towers, the Torre dei Cugnanesi and the smaller Torre Campatelli before finally exiting the old town through the southern gate, Porta San Giovanni. Outside of the city, in the middle of the countryside, we then reached our accommodation, the Casolar del Pellegrino, a pilgrim accommodation managed by a friendly south-American, Ancer. We checked in and talked a bit with him about the pilgrimage as he told us he had converted some of the rooms to host pilgrims and we were actually his first clients. We gave him some tips and feedback and then headed out to look for a place for dinner. We headed back into town and stopped at the first place, the Ricca Pizza, where we took a pizza and brought it back to the accommodation to eat, tired after a long 42km walking.

The next day, after an early rise, we left the place at around 6:30am and decided to head into town to grab some breakfast and finally admire it without tourists. The town was completely deserted, apart from a few random pilgrims who had probably slept in town, and who had decided to start the day early to avoid the hotter hours later in the day. We walked around the town seeing the main sights, including the view from the top of the castle, and with the sunrise partly hidden by low clouds. Then after a quick breakfast at a local bar, we then headed south outside of the city and through the nice gentle hilly landscape. Not long after we passed the rural monastery of Monte Oliveto and turning around towards San Gimignano admired the beautiful cityscape with the towers jutting out towards the sky. After a few ups and downs through fields and forests with beautiful views, encountering some pilgrims along the way, we eventually came in sight of the next town: Colle di Val d'Elsa. The town is divided into an upper old town and a lower town with a part old town and part modern. We took a short break next to a water fountain, to refill our water bottles and eat a snack while conversing with a local, and then entered from the west through the Porta Nuova, known as Porta Volterrana. This nice 15th-century city gate is the largest and nicest in town. Through that we then followed the main street, walking along the narrow old town streets and past nice palaces and other buildings. We passed under the beautiful Palazzo Campana built during the 16th century and function as a kind of city gate, and then reached the central square, Piazza Duomo, where the renaissance Palazzo Pretorio and the Cathedral are located. Despite featuring a Baroque exterior the Cathedral, was quite plain inside, with a rather empty and boring Neoclassical style. Further along the main street we then passed the small church of Santa Maria in Canonica and the nice Casa-torre di Arnolfo di Cambio, a medieval tower which is where the famous architect and sculptor, Arnolfo di Cambio was born in 1245. At the end of the upper town, we reached the Baluardo, a defensive bastion that now provides a beautiful view over the lower town and surrounding landscape. From there we headed down a ramp of stairs and reached the old part of the lower town, visiting then the church of St Augustine with a plain and rather empty renaissance interior. We then continued on walking through the large Piazza Arnolfo di Cambio, dedicated to the famous architect, created around the end of the 19th century by demolishing a part of the walls and some old buildings to erect modern ones and the train station, which since 2009 is not in function anymore. We then looked for a supermarket to grab some food and take with us to eat later along the way. After leaving the city heading southwards, we reached and stopped at the Parco fluviale dell'Alta Val d'Elsa, a city park that includes the upper Elsa river that forms a canyon and a series of waterfalls right next to the city. Here we stopped under the shade of a tree admiring the nice Cascata del Diborrato, formed by the full force of the river and eating our lunch, mostly veggies with mozzarella and bread and fruit. After eating and leaving the place we walked a bit through the flat countryside, stopping then at a place called Le Caldane, where we found some other pilgrims resting in the shade. The place features a series of thermal baths from the Etruscan-Roman period which was also used during the middle ages. However, once there we were quite disappointed in realizing the water was not warm at all. It was rather cold, which helped with the heat, but was also filled with algae and so we just took a quick dip with just our legs. As we continued on we started seeing more pilgrims and especially a lot of people sprinting us by on their mountain bikes. We found out later they were part of an event called Tuscany Trail, apparently, the largest bike-packing event in the world, that lets people on bikes follow a 500km trail from the northwest of Tuscany to the southwest. Coincidentally it runs at the end of May, right on the days we were walking the pilgrimage way, and so for the most part of the next two days would constantly have speeding bicycles passing us by even in the narrowest and steepest parts of the trail, causing some annoyance particularly later in the afternoon when were tired and weary after the many kilometers walked. After a while through flat land covered in wheat fields, we came in sight of the small village of Strove where we decided to take a short break to fill up the bottles and stretch our legs. Then back along the trail we continued further and reached the Abbey of Saints Salvatore and Cirino, a known stop and hospice along the Francigena way. Built in 1001 in a Romanesque style it is composed of three naves and holds 15th-century frescoes and altarpiece. The monastery buildings now include a pilgrim accommodation, a restaurant, and halls for cultural events. After visiting the church we left the monastery behind us and soon came in sight of the fortified town of Monteriggioni, right up ahead of us on a hilltop. We reached it soon after with one last push uphill, entering the town through the western city gate, the Porta San Giovanni, or Porta Fiorentina, finally ending our day with about 35km of walking. Monteriggioni is known for its perfectly preserved medieval old town surrounded by walls and towers in a remote desolate location on top of a hill. The roughly circular walls, totaling about 570 meters follow the natural contours of the hill and were built between 1213 and 1219. There are 14 towers on square bases set at equal distance from each other and two gates at the western and eastern ends of town. It's the quintessential Tuscan town with lovely streets, stone houses, and views over the infinite countryside landscape around. Despite being so tiny, it was quite crowded but the visitors there were mostly day-trippers and the Tuscany trail bikers with some occasional pilgrims there as well. We met some when we headed to our accommodation, the Casa per Ferie Santa Maria, located right on the main square, the Piazza Roma. The town is in fact just a main street with the central square and a smaller side street. After checking in, washing and drying our clothes we decided to have dinner in the dining room of the accommodation where we had the food we had bought in the supermarket earlier. We had pasta with ragù and salad with tomato and beetroot and a few slices of salami. After sunset, the town got rather empty, apart from the few visitors who had stayed to enjoy a nice and peaceful dinner in town, and by the evening the place was deserted.

In the morning, after another early rise and breakfast in the accommodation, we set ourselves on track, exiting the town from the eastern gate and heading on to Siena on our last day of the pilgrimage hike. As we headed through the countryside we turned around to admire one last time the beautiful view of the walls and town of Monteriggioni on the hilltop, and then continued on through a slightly hilly landscape. We had been extremely lucky with the weather as when I had checked the forecast, a few days before starting the hike, I had seen it would have been mostly cloudy with rain but so far we had impeccable days with sunny clear skies and a light breeze which made the temperatures perfect for hiking. After a bit more hiking through verdant fields, we passed by the Castello della Chiocciola, a nice 14th-century castle with a central keep featuring a round tower, rather unique in these areas. Right next to the castle, in the small hamlet of La Villa, we then decided to take a short break at the Punto Sosta La Villa, where a certain older man, Marcello, provides some food and info to pilgrims passing by his house. Marco decided to have a second breakfast there and left the man a donation. The guy was really friendly and was chatting with every pilgrim passing by, us included. After the break, we then continued on along the path, and after a bit passed by a singular monument: a kind of obelisk in the shape of a pyramid. Located in the middle of the countryside, next to an open field, this monument was erected in 1770 when the Granduke of Tuscany Peter Leopold had a land reclamation be performed there to drain a lake and create a fertile ground. He then had a canal built, the Granduke's Canal, of about two kilometers long, perfectly preserved and still usable, which allowed the water to flow out; the obelisk marks its starting point. From the obelisk, after a series of tougher ups and downs, we finally came in sight of the city of Siena. We reached the suburbs and then stopped at a supermarket to grab some food for lunch. We then found a spot on a bench in Piazza Giovanni Amendola where we ate our food, I had a sandwich with salami and tomatoes, mozzarella, and carrots. As we then entered the city by passing through the northern gate, Porta Camollia, we noticed how the time had flown by so fast and Marco, who had soon to catch a train back home, would not make it in time to reach the Duomo nor the Piazza del Campo and then back to the station. So we just decided to take a picture in front of the city gate in memory of the first hike we did together with my brother from Siena to Rome, five years before, and end our current pilgrimage there. After a goodbye and a hug, I saw him leave and I decided to continue on and reach the famous Piazza del Campo. The square was surprisingly quite empty, having thought that since San Gimignano had looked so packed, so would Siena. That was really great and I thought to take the chance and visit some of the main places without the tourist crowd. Unfortunately, though the Torre del Mangia, on the piazza, was still closed due to covid, so I decided instead to head inside the Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall, and visit the beautiful museum inside. Built at the end of the 13th century in a Gothic style, it served as the seat of the Republic of Siena's government, and nowadays holds the city's administration and a museum. Entry to the museum was 9 euros, and I started out at the top floor where a nice terrace facing southwards granted an incredible view of the old town and the countryside behind. The whole palace features rooms filled with frescoes that are unusual as they depict secular subjects instead of the religious subjects which are overwhelmingly typical of Italian art of this era. They were in fact commissioned by the governing body of the city, rather than by the Church or by a religious fraternity which used to be more common then. From the terrace, I headed on to visit the oldest part of the palace starting out with a series of rooms, the first of which the Sala di Balia, featured a beautiful cycle of frescoes of the life of Pope Alexander III from 1407 and a fresco depicting the Venetian fleet defeating the german one in Istria. Then on to the next rooms, the Sala dei Cardinali, with a series of frescoes of saints and small stands showcasing a collection of relics and other objects pertaining to the city, and the palace's chapel, wonderfully covered in frescoes depicting scenes from the Life of the Virgin, Saints, Evangelists, Prophets, and Virtues from 1407. Then on came the largest of the rooms, the Sala del Mappamondo, where the Council of the Republic of Siena used to meet. One on wall is the beautiful Maestà by Simone Martini, dated 1315, featuring gilded Madonna Enthroned with Child surrounded by Angels and Saints. On the opposite end of the room is the fresco of Guidoriccio da Fogliano at the Siege of Montemassi, showing the commander of the Sienese troops, on horseback against the background of a landscape in which the siege of Montemassi takes place. Below the fresco, there was once a large revolving globe, bearing a canvas painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti and depicting the map of the world until then known, with particular reference to the possessions of the Republic of Siena. The work is now lost and only the prints on the wall of its revolving course remain. It was this feature that gave the name to the room. Finally, on the rest of the walls, are two large monochrome frescoes on the military glories of Siena: on the left the Victory of the Sienese in the Battle of Val di Chiana, by Lippo di Vanni (1363) and on the right the Victory of the Sienese over the Florentines at Poggio Imperiale near Poggibonsi by Giovanni di Cristofano and Francesco d'Andrea (1480). Right through the next door I then reached yet another amazing room, probably the most known of the palace, the Hall of the Nine, as it holds a series of three fresco panels painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti between February 1338 and May 1339, known as The Allegory of Good and Bad Government. The paintings have been designed to remind the Nine magistrates of the Republic of just how much was at stake as they made their decisions.The frescoes have a clear effect, comparing the allegory of Good Government (on the back wall) with that of Bad Government (on the left side wall), both populated by allegorical characters. These are followed by two landscapes of the same city, Siena, with the effects of Good Government where the citizens live in order and harmony in the city and countryside in one (right side wall), and the effects of Bad Government where we see the city and countryside in ruins on the other (left side wall). I stayed in the room for quite a while, all alone with no tourists around, to admire the beauty and importance of the frescoes and the tiniest detail of each scene. The next room up was the Sala del Concistoro, one of the last rooms to be painted as it dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Last but not least I then passed through the nice Sala del Risorgimento, a room dedicated to the Italian Unification of 1861, with frescoes and objects relating to that period. Once out of the museum I decided then to visit the Duomo, and as it is usually paid, entered through the side door, known as the pilgrim's gate, as the entrance is reserved for pilgrims or those wishing to pray only. After the stop there I then decided to have one last stroll around town, reaching the southeasternmost point in town where the Basilica of San Clemente in Santa Maria dei Servi is located and where there is a beautiful and peaceful view of the city center with no one to disturb you. It was then time for me to go, so along the way I stopped at a supermarket and grabbed some food for dinner and then reached the modern Piazzale Rosselli, down in the newer part of town, right in front of the train station where I eventually took the bus headed to Rome.