Today was 8 miles and 1,200′ of climbing. Our total so far is: 55 miles walked in our 5 days of hiking.
Like the prior days, this was again a beautiful journey through the Tuscan hills. 
(San Gimignano in the background).
Rhythms: The walks. Like France, many of the villages are built in hilltops for protection during earlier times from the invading hordes. The agriculture was located in the valleys, for access to water, and the roads connected the two. For us travelers, going from village to village, our path is a rhythm of: climb to the hilltop for the village, then down to the valleys, then back up to the villages, etc.. Today’s profile shows this up-down-up-down rhythm. 
Rhythms, departure and arrival. When we leave a town and when we arrive are functions of the day’s distance, the day’s temperatures, when we can check in and when we have to check out. So, hotter days mean we leave early to avoid the heat. Likewise, longer distances require earlier starts. However, on shorter stages, we can be limited by check in time. If we get to the town at 11:00am, but can’t check in until 3:00, it can be challenging to figure out what to do for 4 hours with our backpacks in tow. We are finding that early departures are better in these hot August days, so we often hit the trail by 7:00 am.
Rhythms, people: We are becoming pretty familiar with “our class” of pilgrims. Notably, there is the Belgian, who walked out his door in Belgium in June and has been going ever since. He is about 1,200 miles into his journey and will stop at Rome in a couple of weeks.
Rhythms, mosquitos: Okay, August in Tuscany is hot and humid. The little nippers love this weather. If you are a natural attractant, like Bill, then you need to make good friends with a bottle of DEET spray; don’t leave home without it! Once applied, you can go about the business of enjoying Italy!
Rhythms, food: Okay, you don’t come all the way to Italy and not enjoy the food! It is excellent! Here’s a brief glimpse of our dining:
(Press the image to see the gif)
Speaking of Rhythms, it is time for showers, laundry and exploring!