San Quirico - a walk to Pienza and a ride back

 It was overcast this morning and quite humid so walking conditions were different to previous days, pleasant to start but quite hot once we started the climbs.

The route to Pienza from San Quirico is an out and back, and the first part is a repeat of the walk we did on Friday to the  Vitaleta Chapel. For that reason we decided to catch the bus back from Pienza.

Being familiar with the first part of the walk allowed us to enjoy it more. Kel was busy using Google View to identify the many flowers blooming beside the track.

Iconic cypress trees dot the landscaoe of the Val d'Orcia.

A small area covered in tiny buttercups was so pretty, the signs indicated that it is a truffle area and truffle hunting was forbidden

Another iconic view.

Then after a stiff climb we reached the chapel once more. We were early so only a few people were about.

Reaching the point where we turned right last time, we turned left and followed the sign pointing to Pienza. Pienza was way in the distance behind the signpost.

We walked quite a long  way on the white (and dusty) road until the lack of signs made me look at the GPS. O-oh, we were heading away from the marked road. As we contemplated our options and had almost decided to retrace our steps, along came a man who asked where we were going. He told us to go back about 250 metres and turn down a pathway. We had seen that pathway but the name on the board did not match anything on our maps, and certainly no mention of Pienza.

It was a long steep drop down into the valley; the views were stunning ...

... and then the path started going up, very up!

The reward for all this challenging (for me, but not Kel) climbing is the view. The Val d'Orcia is one super huge panoramic view.

We finally reached the ancient Romanesque style Pieve di Corsignano, an old parish church outside of Pienza. It also has a long history with the Via Francigena with written mentions dating back to the 7th century. This building appears to be 12th century.

The font is a stunningly beautiful piece, in an ancient way. It is built into the wall therefore not free standing, the metal hinged lid is a treasure and a marble above tells that Pope Pius II and his nephew Pope Pius III were baptised here. 

The interior is bare but there is some Romanesque decoration carved into the entrance portal. The cylindrical bastion-like bell tower is unusual.

Some more climbing and we finally reached the Piazza Pio II, all beautifully covered in a floral display.

We were lucky to find a table at a little cafe where we enjoyed cold drinks and warm porchetta panini. Porchetta is a whole pig stuffed with herbs and spit roasted. It makes the most delicious panini and we both love porchetta.

After lunch we took Aldo for a photo on the belvedere wall overlooking the valley.

After a wander through the Ideal Town we had a perfect gelato (almond, passionfruit and cantucci with vin santo) before heading off to get our 2.54 pm  bus back to San Quirico. Traditionally bus tickets have been purchased at Tabacs or bars. We were directed by ths Tabac in the old town to one out of town. Failing to find it and running out of time, we decided to see if we could buy on the bus. 'Tip Tap' contactless, great, except that you each need to use a separate card. So one of us paid and one didn't, the driver didn't seem to care.

Today we walked almost 12 kms... and we enjoyed our ride home on the bus!