When I woke, and during breakfast, rain was hammering down.
I reluctantly got togged up in my wet weather gear only to find that it stopped within a minute of setting off.
The route took me back over the Arbia towards Bibbiano.
Beyond the village the road becomes a strada bianca - or literally a white road.
Many of the minor routes in Tuscany are surfaced in fine gravel - and they make ideal tracks for walking or cycling.
After Bibbiano I crossed the railway track used by the treno natura. This service, often drawn by vintage steam engines, runs in a loop southward from Siena almost as far south as Monte Amiata
To the south-east Montalcino appears on the skyline - the target for today.
Starting this section I read with some concern about the wild boar which is native to Tuscany - as it happens the only wild boar I came across was on restaurant menus.
The strada bianca winds its way to the base of the climb up to Montalcino.
From the base the road climbs for over 8 kilometres gaining about 350 metres in height.
The road is well graded and snakes its way up the flank of the hill ...
and finally delivers you to the southern entrance to the town.
There is a great satisfaction in climbing to the top of a hill that you've been able to see ahead of you from the start of your journey.
In Montalcino the first priority was finding a café.
In the central Piazza del Popolo, under the shadow of the tower of the Palazzo dei Priori, sits a nineteenth century café - the Faschetteria Italiana.
As the Piazza del Popolo is the centre of the town the café is ideally sited for watching both locals and visitors wander past.
After a prolonged break and several drinks - the café is renowned for its slow service - it was time to explore the town.
Montalcino was one of the poorest areas in Tuscany in the 1960s - but tourism and the astute marketing of its brunello wine have turned its fortunes around.
There are numerous outlets offering wine tasting and many of the visitors were leaving with crates under their arms.
Kirby James
