DAY 70 - RADICOFANI to ACQUAPENDENTE - 29 June 2026

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We made a scratch breakfast of tea. yoghurt and cantucci leftover from dinner last night. Cantucci are hard almond biscuits, delicious when dipped into Vin Santo and a great hiking food (even without the Vin Santo).

Today's start was all downhill, with sweeping views back to Radicofani and across the countryside. We noted a pilgrim rest area with bench but no water fountain. A large dog guarding sheep barked at us but we passed without incident. 

When we reached the valley floor, we had a rest outside a little church and ate some leftover biscuits. We continued on through fields until we reached Ponte a Rigo. Here we noticed the external murals on the church and subsequently learnt they had been painted in January 2026 to celebrate the Via Francigena. 

We refilled our water bottles and dowsed our hats ready for the next section, alongside the Via Cassia. We noted that Dave the Goblin had placed his sticker here - good to see that he was still going! Surprisingly the traffic was light, with just the occasional B-Double truck thundering past. Mostly the Via Francigena ran parallel to the road, often separated by plantings. A farm had signs beside the fields explaining the crops then offered a sit down and some of their products for sale. We can confirm the chocolate spelt bar was delicious. 

We rejoined the Via Cassia and had our nectarines on the Tuscany-Lazio border. As we were sitting on the guard-rail eating them, a column of Vespas streamed past, waving and tooting. Presumably they were returning from the 80 years of Vespa celebrations in Rome.

At Centeno we topped up at the water fountain then braced ourselves for 6km of road walking. A pleasant surprise awaited us - we found two workmen finishing off an off-road track of about 1.5km. We found more off-road sections along the route, only walking about 2km on the road. 

It was a steep uphill to get to Acquapendente. Despite our snacks, we were running out of energy! When we arrived, we took advantage of the Pilgrim's Menu: pasta with meatballs, followed by chocolate cake. 

Soon after, we checked into our accommodation for planning and rest time. 

Later in the day we visited the cathedral to see the atmospheric crypt and the flower petal pictures. These were made in May and are still bright and colourful! 

We had a fabulous 'spritz of the house' and dinner with local specialities before retiring.

Leaving Radicofani this morning 
Soon into the countryside
Following the Via Francigena signs
The fortress at Radicofani was visible for most of the way
Lovely views on the Via Francigena as it followed the old Via Cassia down to Ponte a Rigo 
The Via Francigena  - a long downhill from Radicofani 
Approaching Ponte a Rigo 
Ponte a Rigo with its newly painted church
The Via Francigena on from Ponte a Rigo 
This newly- laid track on from Centeno was a pleasant surprise - we had been expecting to walk this section on the road
We came across the workmen putting the track together, and thanked them for their efforts
This off-road section continued for a couple of kilometres
There were a couple of kilometres on the main road. Not a lot of traffic, just the odd car or two here and there, with a few trucks,  one bus, one tractor and a couple of Vespa convoys. 
Then another surprise - more off-road paths not mentioned in our guidebook
Large sunflower plantations as we approached Acquapendente 
There was a bit of a climb to get to Acquapendente. There's often a bit of a climb. 
Into Acquapendente in time for lunch
Acquapendente 
Acquapendente is famous for its pugnaloni (flower-petal artworks)
The crypt at Saint Sepolcro Cathedral 
A bit more of Acquapendente 
Bits and pieces 
Birds (including possibly a few sheep egrets?)
More birds
Other animals
Day 70 - Map
Day:                               70
Distance:                      25.64 km
Walking time:               5 hrs 19 mins
Elevation gain:             288 metres
Cumulative distance:  1447.97 km

Comments

  1. Anonymous30 June 2026 at 08:59

    Today’s birds: Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Cattle Egret, European Turtle Dove, European Stonechat, Western House Martin, Hooded Crow?, Grey Heron, ??

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barkers30 June 2026 at 16:31

    Thanks for your bird identification skills, Murray!

    ReplyDelete

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