Column: to Rome on foot – part 18

Radicofani (with the emphasis on 'co') is a town at an altitude of 900 meters in the extreme south of Tuscany. The last 8 kilometers the road goes up steeply, so you should still have some energy left and it should not be too hot. Because I had already covered 18 kilometers, I decided to spend the night in a hotel at the foot of the mountain where Radicofani is located.

The hotel was next to a gas station and beyond that there was nothing but the impressive Tuscan landscape. But after all those atmospheric places like Lucignano d'Arbia, Buonconvento and San Quirico d'Orcia, I sometimes liked such a business place.

And what's business, the family that had taken over the hotel since two months, chatted my ears off. Father, a man in his fifties with a ponytail, mother the cook in the kitchen and a son who stood behind the bar with the laptop. Every time they came to ask if I had liked the food, they wanted to meet me in everything, I was lucky again.

Last night a huge thunderstorm broke out, it was light and it thundered like it can only here. This morning it was dry but still cloudy. I didn't feel comfortable about it. I knew I had to walk 8 kilometers up a mountain and I wouldn't come across anything until Radicofani. If it started to storm again, I would have a real problem. But hey, what can you do, it's hard to sit and watch the sky all day, so at 7 am I nervously stepped out of the hotel. I started my journey at an emergency pace.

Dogs and thunder

The sky was all colours, the wind was blowing hard, I listened with pricked ears to make sure I didn't hear any thunder. There was hardly any traffic on this road. Two thirds away I came across a flock of sheep, nice animals, only they are always accompanied by dogs and the shepherd was nowhere to be seen. The dogs started barking profusely and one started running after me. Whenever he got too close to me, I took a step toward him and put on an angry voice.

That helped, but as soon as I took 2 more steps, it came again. Ellen Kostelijk's dog-tracker sat far away in a side pocket and I waved my sticks vigorously to keep them at a distance. Suddenly a Fiat Panda pulled up, stopped and a man got out who started grumbling at the dogs. Apparently the shepherd, although I really didn't expect it in a Fiat Panda.

I reached Radicofani without a thunderstorm, but I was less than 5 minutes in my hotel when it erupted in full force. "Well, you got lucky," said the hotel owner. The hotel is on the edge of the town and my balcony room overlooks the countryside. But that didn't help me much during the storm. Huge blows, light that went out, I shouldn't have thought I'd been outside yet.

At about 11 o'clock, when only rumbling could be heard in the distance and the rain wasn't much anymore, I decided to two steps to do. Radicofani is a very beautiful medieval town, very different from any other town in Tuscany, and looks very well cared for. Flowers everywhere, small terraces, a jewel. After a round of the main street and a visit to the church (with another shroud) I soon ended up in a local pub, where some villagers and tourists were gathered under a low ceiling of heavy beams. There was a good atmosphere.

Italian clumsiness

I have now decided to stay here an extra day. I like the hotel, it has a typical Italian coziness, old-fashioned, full of embroidered cloths and cushions, grandmother enthroned in the dining room and all the family members who work in the company. At about 11 a.m., a smell of garlic was spreading through the dining room and as I expected a bit: the kitchen is fine, traditional Italian and the people are nice. After a lavish lunch, when I said I really didn't need dessert anymore, the owner kindly squeezed my arm and said: 'But you do tonight, tonight you really should try our pannacotta.'

Although I regularly eat too much and drink too much (every time an aperitif, twice a day a quarter liter of wine with your meal, etc.) I am fine. However, two strange bumps have formed on the instep of both my feet. It will come from walking.

I hope I don't have to have my shoes made for the rest of my life because my feet no longer fit in a nice pump. I also lead a very healthy life. I get up early, go for a walk, arrive somewhere at noon, eat, sleep and read in the afternoon, eat again and go to bed early. I think I kind of lead the life of a sportswoman.

Of course, that shouldn't take too long.

To be continued…