To - Chiusi
Distance - 63km
Time - 4 hours
Total - 4556km
Nice easy cycling today mainly along Eurovelo 7. I got to the place on the map where I was joining the route and found nothing but overgrown trees and grass with no sign of a path! I worked my way around it about 50 feet further on and to my surprise found a track. Even more astounding was the cycle path sign I found about 1km further on. The path was pretty clear and properly signed all the way to Chiusi. It followed a canal that helps to irrigate the land that was previously marsh area. The route was called Sentiero Della Bonifica which I through might be something to do with Saint Boniface but it means the Path of the Reclaimed Land.
The sun was pleasant and there were a few clouds around, so all in all, it was perfect for cycling. I arrived at Chiusi at lunchtime and of course the old town is at the top of a hill which was the only hill of the day for me. The views are lovely. The old town is compact with a few churches and museums to fill my time. The whole place seemed to be closed with no-one around. I got into my accommodation which is an old college building and offers rooms with no food. My room is pleasant and spacious. I had a shower and then ventured out to see what there was to see.
It didn't take too long to walk around the whole town. The shops were closed, a few cafes remained open but hardly anyone around. At 2pm I spotted a man unlocking the door to the tourist information which was due to open at 3pm and I told him I would come back in an hour but he said I could come in now. I think he was delighted to have someone in his office because I don't think he would get many customers today. He told me the weather has been poor and tourists are not coming like they used to a few years ago. He told me the opening times for a couple of museums I was interested in. One opened at 3.15pm and the other at 4pm. I went to the 3.15pm Civic Museum and I couldn't believe there was a queue and the tour was full. I hadn't seen enough people in the whole town to make such a queue, where had they come from?
Chiusi was an old Etruscan City that had prosperity in the reign of King Porsenna in the 6th century BC. In his reign there were some tunnels dug under the city for water supply and the tunnels are still available to be seen today. The city then came under the Roman Empire and later controlled by the Lombards who allowed the city to decline.
The Cathedral of San Secondiano is fantastic inside. The ceiling is wooden but all the walls and are covered by mosaic pictures using tiny coloured stone pieces. There are old Roman columns separating the side aisles from the centre, they came from various sites and they are all different with different style capitals at the top.
I did the tour of Porsenna's Labyrinth and then climbed the bell tower. I was the only visitor and the guide didn't speak English but she gave me the tour in French instead! i understood most of what she said and later read a guide book which confirmed my understanding. The underground passages are connected to the tower and climbed to the top for panoramic views. Later I went back to the Civic Museum tour which had been booked up earlier (I found out it was a large party of German tourists). The tour took us down some different underground passages and we saw over 300 Etruscan cremation urns. If you want to know how much does an Etruscan Urn, well it's about 10 Euros an hour!! I can still hear Morecambe and Wise doing that gag.
It's been raining again. I really will have to send a strongly worded letter to the Italian Prime Minister about the weather! I don't mind because it helps to keep the temperature down and it's usually sunny in the morning and good for riding.
The song of the day is 'Distance' by a band called Cake. It's good, take my word for it, and its about 'going the distance' which I am doing.
To Orvieto tomorrow, its not far and I will have to try the white wine that it is famous for.
Photo 1, Start of Eurovelo 7!
Photo 2, A sign at last!
Photo 3, A bit early for a sunflower field.
Photo 4, Nearly there. FDJ are a French cycling team, just in case you were wondering?
Photo 5, Lago di Chiusi.
Photo 6, First view of Chiusi, why do they build towns on hills?
Photo 7, San Secundiano Cathedral outside.
Photo 8, San Secundiano on the inside.
Photo 9, View from the top of the Bell Tower.
Photo 10, Etruscan Cremation Urns from approx 3-2 century BC in underground passages.
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