Day 3 in Tuscany

April 16, 2024

On our third day, we drove to Pienza which we had visited quickly on a day trip/bus tour to Tuscany back in 2019. This view was one of the things that drew us back to Tuscany, and as it turns out, you can hike out there in that view! We found a parking spot and the start of the trail, which includes "the gladiator road," or the road seen at the end of the movie Gladiator when he walks through the wheat fields.

We did the circular trail backwards which meant that we had a very steep descent into the valley right at the beginning, but when returning, rather than an intense climb over a short distance, a more gradual climb over a longer distance. I'm not sure which would have been easier, but that's what we did. Again, I needed my Merrell hiking shoes for this, and I'm glad I took them.

At the start of the trail, we stopped in to the little church of Corsignano, which has been there since at least the 12th century. Two popes were baptized here.

Then we set out down the steep descent into the valley. Excitement was propelling me along, but I had to take it slowly as the rocky path was so steep that my toes were crunched up into the front of my shoes. Yellow wildflowers were blooming everywhere, the wheat was neon green, and the sky was vivid blue. Temps were in the 70s, and at noon, the bells of Pienza rang out over the valley. Soon, we reached the Gladiator road, walked up toward the house, then the trail turned right. At this point, we were walking through someone's farmland even though the app said we were on the trail. It's a UNESCO heritage site, so I guess the landowners are accustomed to having people traipsing through their fields. The last mile was tough for me as it was all uphill, but I took my time and eventually made it.

After a short walk through Pienza (it's very small), we refueled with some pizza at Pummaro. When you ask for a beer in Tuscany, the only thing the server wants to know is "big or small?" You get what you get!

Pienza is beautiful.

Next, we set out to find the hot springs at Bagni San Filippo. As you approach the little town, you'll know you've reached the springs area when you start to see cars parked on the shoulder of the road. The entrance to the springs is at the bottom of the hill, across from a little coffee shop. You'll smell the sulfur spring as soon as you open your car door! If it's a nice day, there will be lots of people there soaking. There are no bath houses, so you have two choices: arrive with your bathing suit under your clothes, or do what I did. Rip off your top and put your bathing suit top on really quick, counting on people to be more interested in looking at the spring than at you, then wrap the towel you brought around your waist and change into your bottoms underneath it. But by all means, don't pass up the opportunity to soak your sore muscles in the mineralized water!

We drove back to Fonterutoli and freshened up before heading out to our best meal of the whole trip at Taverna Squarcialupi. If the weather's nice and you're lucky to arrive at just the right time, you can sit on the terrace with these gorgeous views! Besides their vineyards, they grow their own wheat and use it in their pasta and bread. I could have eaten all the bread they brought just by myself. We had a starter of marinated Chianina beef with a pecorina fondue, olive pate, and hazelnut brioche. Then we chose the pasta with a wild boar ragu. It was absolutely delicious. One thing about eating in Italy that's good to know is that servings are not huge like they are in the states. You could order a starter, a pasta course, then a meat course and a side dish if you wanted a large meal. However, it's perfectly acceptable to just order a couple of courses, and they are big enough to be satisfying but not huge.