Walking the history

A nice walk in the area of the fascinating hamlet of Monteriggioni. We look for ancient paths on the Francigena route, used by pilgrims since the year 800 a.D. on their way to or from Rome, when going on a pilgrimage was the goal of a lifetime. We can walk on the same paths today, but with more comfortable shoes!

We meet in the little hamlet of Monteriggioni, on top of a hill, mentioned by Dante Alighieri in his Divina Commedia, when he compares the Giants at the entrance to the Ninth Circle to Monteriggioni towered profile.
After a tour of the tiny village (just 45 people live there!), we start our walk on a dirt road which was part of the very busy pilgrimage and communication road called "Via Francigena", used by many different categories of people traveling in the old times.
On our way we find one of the oldest churches in the province of Siena, the Romanesque abbey of San Salvatore and Cirino, that still displays a beautiful and rich 1400's painting on its main altar.