Day 7: Siena to Volterra

The heat was turned up on Day 7 and the terrain was very similar to Day 6: rolling hills through vineyards with longer climbs to medieval towns. I took a small side trip just west of Siena to Monteriggioni, a 13th century castle which has weathered the centuries very well. The ride to Monteriggioni is all uphill, but well worth it. Leaving Monteriggioni, the route had many climbs and opportunities for side trips. San Gimignano, another medieval town, was a hard earned side trip, but well worth the effort. After lunch in San Gimignano, I blasted back down the hill to regain my route but realized at the bottom that I had left my helmet at my lunch spot! My mood could not have been better, so I wasn't bothered by repeating the climb to get my brain-bucket. As I climbed back to San Gimignano, I could tell the temperature had risen to near 38 C (100 F)!

Now back on track, the rolling vineyards changed to olive groves and ended with another big climb into Volterra. Just when I thought the trip couldn't get any better, the town of Volterra was really quaint with little tourists. I stayed in the Casa per Ferie Seminario (14 euro/night, no breakfast), an active seminary. Dinner was a large portion of spaghetti and vini at tratoria Don Beck, great food and low prices.

Summary: 70 km (43 miles); rolling hills with steep climbs into medieval towns and selected side trips