Day 11

Another huge thunderstorm last night. By the time I set off across the Luccan plain the sun is pushing the last of the dark clouds away. Our favourite vegetable is Cavallo Nero aka Tuscan Cale; it is therefore very fitting to see someone growing a fine crop in their garden.
The road gets a bit more accidentée and ahead I can see another glorious Tuscan hilltop town - San Miliato. The clue is in the name "hilltop". They are glorious but they are on top of steep salient hills that have steep twisting roads up them. At the top I get some great Scottish pancake type mini-pizzas that prove to be delicious. I ride on quiet hilltop roads with views back to the mountains around Lucca and across the Tuscan hills around me. I see a few walkers and discover that there is a long distance path, The Via Francigena, which runs from Canterbury to Rome. It looks great on this section. Just another thing to think about doing some time!
I take the old main road into Siena and it proves very quiet. When I first visited Siena in 1995 it seemed a fantastic place, with the Piazza del Campo definitely one of the most serene places I have ever been to. This time it did not disappoint, if anything I am finding it more amazing still.
I have a B&B right in the centre, they kindly let me keep my bike in their travel agency shop, and they own a restaurant round the corner which is great too!