(For a woodland walk with ruins thrown in.)

About 13 km from Barontoli. Drive along the SS73 through Rosia. About 3km after leaving Rosia, the Ponte della Pia is on your left spanning the stream bed. Park the car on the road; there is a small space in which to park on your left just before the bridge or on your right just beyond the bridge.

Ponte della Pia is a hump-backed bridge over the Rosia 'torrente' (ie stream), a tributary of the Merse. It dates probably from Roman times. Cross the bridge and take the trail up the hill to the right. The paving stones of this ancient path are believed to be of Etruscan origin.

About 500 metres along the trail there a small tower on your left. Just before the tower make a sharp dog-leg turn to your left if you want to visit the ruins of the abbey or hermitage of Santa Lucia, which dates from the 12-13th centuries and retains traces of Gothic windows. The abbey was abandoned by the monks in the late eighteenth century and became a farmhouse, which doubtless accounts for the many fire-places in the building, untypical of the austere monastic life. The farmhouse was in its turn abandoned at the end of the 19th century. There is usually a wealth of wild flowers here, but be careful of the large potholes around the building; and also of broken floors if you venture within the building.

For a longer walk, without pot-holes, instead of turning left up towards Santa Lucia at the tower, simply continue along the original trail. It ascends gently and almost indefinitely (we have only explored a couple of miles along: it is said ultimately to lead to San Galgano) through the woods, following the course of the Rosia torrente.

1980s