On our first rest day at the agriturismo it was raining. We went into the village Palaia which was about two kilometers away. Actually, we wanted to buy some food at the local small stores but it was Sunday and the stores were closed. Also it started to rain again when we entered the village center, so we went to a pub to eat something and had some beers. When the rain stopped we took a walk around Palaia and enjoyed the view from a hill in the center of the village. Back at the apartment we did some stuff at our laptop and watched some shows.

On the second day a befriended couple, that was on holiday/ home visit in Siena, picked us up and we had a really nice lunch. When we came back heavy rain started. So it was too bad that we couldn’t enjoy the beautiful pool at our accommodation. Thus, also the second day we spent a lot of time in our big apartment with its antic interior. Of course we also planned our next stage before we went to bed.

Leaving Palaia and the hilly area of Tuscany

The weather was good and it didn’t rain anymore when we prepared the bicycles outside after breakfast. We still wanted to follow roughly the Eurovelo 5 and therefore we would cycle back to the sea one last time. The start of the stage was pretty relaxed. We left the hilly area of Tuscany via long downhill passage. We passed some small villages and often could enjoy beautiful views on the mountain ranges.

Finally we came to the town La Rotta where we had to turn onto a major road. Now the area was more urban and one town followed the next. Also a lot of traffic was going on but it was okay for cycling. From time to time there even was a bicycle path. But as sudden as they appear as sudden they disappear and we had to turn onto the main roads again.

Watching the Appennini

For many kilometers our path led us along the mountain range of the Appennini. From time to time we made a pause and stunned about the huge mountains. Also some historical buildings we came across which were built on smaller mountains. In the town San Guiliano Terme we crossed a farmers market and used the opportunity to buy some fruits and vegetables. We continued our stage on major roads in a very flat area. So we made fast progress but there wasn’t really much to see.

In Torre del Lago we went to a supermarket and wanted to buy something for lunch. There were also a lot of camping grounds around so we decided to stay on one of them. It was early afternoon when we built up the tent, so we went to the beach and had our lunch there and also enjoyed the sun for a bit. Afterwards we went back and chilled at the pool of the camping ground. In the evening Alina cooked a delicious vegan dinner. Before we went to bed we made a short trip to the beach for some photos and two beers. It was a really beautiful sundown scenery.

Route

The total distance can be viewed on the “Sabbatical 2021 – Europe” page.

Download file: Sabbatical2021_066_Palaia_to_Torre_del_Lago.gpx