Wednesday was another long, hot day. It started off cool enough, but then the going got rough when the clouds burned off and the sun shined down on the verdant hills.

We left San Gimignano bright and early, with 19 miles ahead of us to Monteriggioni. The path was pleasant in the morning, and we made it about halfway, to Colle di Val d’Elsa, by lunch. We amused ourselves along the way by making silly videos and admiring the countryside.

We ate lunch in the shade on a beautiful pizza restaurant terrace, then geared up for the afternoon’s walk, which began along the Elsa River, a small river riddled with small waterfalls and impossibly blue pools and water.

The river trail was covered in deep shade, so the going was not hot, just slow, with many twists and steps and uneven river crossings.

We made it to Colle di Val d’Elsa about 3:00pm and realized that we still had eight miles to go. After doing a little math, and looking up the bright, hot sun, we decided to call it a day and took a cab the rest of the way to Monteriggioni, where we enjoyed the afternoon with a glass of wine and ate dinner outside in the piazza.