Can the Italian section of the VF be done on €35/day without camping?

[Madrood]

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

 

[SabsP]

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

Yes it is correct. Budget much more for this route in Italy than for any Spanish Camino.

 

[Marbe2]

These past two years have been a really hard time for workers and businesses on the camino. If you are able give more!

II would think in Spain maintaining a budget of €35 per night with indoor housing of any kind for an entire camino would be tough without camping! So I would think it would be substantially more in Italy, given the cost of living is around 10 percent higher.

 

[henrythedog]

On a thread a few weeks ago I suggested budgeting 3x per night what it might typically cost on a ‘no frills’ Camino Frances. A more knowledgable poster corrected me to 2x.

I restate my 3x given that on the CF there is a whole infrastructure which has grown up with peregrinos as the target market. On other routes in Spain (the CdMadrid and C Ingles in my experience) and most certainly in France and Italy, that isn’t the case and you are largely reliant on ‘not cheap’ and not specifically peregrino facilities.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

I walked the PWC London to Canterbury combined with the VF, Canterbury to Rome in 2019.
I can't comment on the costs of ostellos in Italy because, with the exception of the Pilgrim Hostel at Orio Litto (€10 donativo, no meals), I stayed in private accommodation. What I will say however, is to consider the following;
a/ is it known which ostellos are either open or operating at all? Donativo or pre-pandemic rates may no longer be viable.
The situation may have changed substantially & is no doubt still in flux. You may be 'forced' into private accom
&
b/ the Italian section of the VF passes through many locales very popular with tourists so you can expect prices to be higher across the board (food incl meals out & supermarket, accom, etc) in these areas.

I kept a record of my expenses during my 93 day journey. Without using a calculator to confirm, it seems I averaged €50 per day for the Italian section; more in touristy places, sometimes much less off the beaten path. This included simple private accomm, self-catering & some meals out.

Good luck with your plans & your budget...I would be very interested to know if €35 per day is realistic in the current climate!

 

[sgbmom]

In April and May 2019, a friend and I walked from Lucca to Rome, and we considered it a good (and rare) day to spend less than 50 euros for food and lodging. We stayed in several monasteries and other pilgrim friendly accommodations; it certainly helped to have some one with whom to split the cost. Seriously doubt it is less now. Spain definitely spoils you for having a variety of affordable albergues and pilgrim menus

 

[Tassie Kaz]

In April and May 2019, a friend and I walked from Lucca to Rome, and we considered it a good (and rare) day to spend less than 50 euros for food and lodging. We stayed in several monasteries and other pilgrim friendly accommodations; it certainly helped to have some one with whom to split the cost. Seriously doubt it is less now. Spain definitely spoils you for having a variety of affordable albergues and pilgrim menus

@sgbmom ...was that €50 per day for two people..ie €25 each?

 

[sgbmom]

@sgbmom ...was that €50 per day for two people..ie €25 each?

50 euros per person...we did not find many pilgrim menus, and often our food/beverage costs were equal to or greater than our lodging.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

50 euros per person...we did not find many pilgrim menus, and often our food/beverage costs were equal to or greater than our lodging.

Thanks for the clarification. That is in line with my spending (which makes sense considering we were on the trail at the same time!) although as a solo walker, mine was weighted more to accommodation evened out by being a majority self-caterer.

 

[roving_rufus]

Italy is the cheaper part of the VF compared to France/Switzerland. Camping isn't as feasible in Italy (laws and interpretation of them mean wild camping is illegal and campsites close to the route are rare) which means relying on accommodation. With covid it is still unclear if some pilgrim accommodation will operate this year again or what regulations may apply in those that do, and so it is likely that prices will be higher with need for private rooms etc. But food is the pricier compared to walking caminos in Spain as there isn't a tradition of pilgrim menus, though some places offer a small discount. To keep under€35 will mean making savings around food including buying groceries for breakfast, picnic lunch or making dinner, and eating at cheaper places (eg pizzerias). I have yet to complete the entire Italian section but solo and off-season - I managed under €40 (pre Covid) staying mainly in pilgrim accommodation, a few meals out and self catering more, but it is trickier and requires planning (and a bit of Italian) to get cheaper accommodation. But this year with still so many unknowns, extra in the budget would be needed!

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Go to YouTube and look for a channel under the name Efren Gonzalez. Efren is a Camino Vlogger and has done numerous Caminos, including the Via Francigena, only two years ago. He includes listings of purchases and costs on a daily basis.

Also, I see that there is a, “Via Francigena App,” in the App Store. Hope this helps.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

I just returned from walking the VF through Italy and I can tell you many of the ostellos are still closed due to Covid and the accommodations that are open have increased pricing.
I found this to be true the entire time through Italy.
The other item of note was the increase in pricing of food, both prepared and in grocery stores.

 

[Harington]

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

I think that was written four or five years ago now. To get a more up-to-date estimate email info@pilgrimstorome.org.uk. It's an information service. or ask @timr.

 

[Former member 62607]

We walkedfrom canterbury to rome in 2019. Personally I dont think 35 euros/day will be enough. We mostly stayed in small private accomodation so costs were more. Airbnb places tended to be cheaper and was often the only accomodation available where we wanted to stop. I think we roughly averaged aabout 50 euros per person perday. Some places less, some more - sienna and lucca for example as they are tourist draws. We stayed and ate very cheaply in some areas and often bought food in supermarkets as there was nowhere to eat at night so that reduced costs. We did spend quite a lot on coffees and cold drinks en route when we found places to rest as it was such a treat to find a bar and i liked interacting with locals and supporting their businesses. If they dont make money they will close and to us they were a vital resource for food and drink and not to mention they made it enjoyable and we had some great experiences and meetings with people and were enormously grateful to find them open for rest and refreshment to passing strangers, especially on very hot or very wet days. To me it seems important to be able to have enough that you can support small local businesses as you pass through , though i know its a long walk and takes financial resources - i had to wait a long time to have the funds to do it.
The Italian section is less expensive than France and Switzerland but not as cheap as Spain.

 

[PilgrimPillar]

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

35 a day is NOT enough….

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

I fully agree

 

[PaulG]

I found even before COVID some hostels that were operating 5 or 6 years ago had closed and on my second walk along part of the VF I had to pay around €35 a night fir accommodation. You’ll also need now a European COVID pass which is difficult to obtain in Italy but quite easy in France.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Everywhere I stayed I was asked for proof of vaccination

 

[kelleymac]

In April and May 2019, a friend and I walked from Lucca to Rome, and we considered it a good (and rare) day to spend less than 50 euros for food and lodging. We stayed in several monasteries and other pilgrim friendly accommodations; it certainly helped to have some one with whom to split the cost. Seriously doubt it is less now. Spain definitely spoils you for having a variety of affordable albergues and pilgrim menus

So 50 euros per day for two people sharing rooms and meals, etc
?

 

[Madrood]

Thanks for all the replies! So the take home points I'm seeing here are:

• The price of accommodation described in that resource is likely out of date, with covid elevating the price of ostellos
• Even if the prices had not changed, because of the proximity of the route to tourist sites and global inflation, the price of dining out (and self-catering?) are higher overall, notwithstanding some local variability
• A more reasonable budget would instead be €50/day, but it could very well be north of that depending on circumstances

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Thanks for all the replies! So the take home points I'm seeing here are:

• The price of accommodation described in that resource is likely out of date, with covid elevating the price of ostellos
• Even if the prices had not changed, because of the proximity of the route to tourist sites and global inflation, the price of dining out (and self-catering?) are higher overall, notwithstanding some local variability
• A more reasonable budget would instead be €50/day, but it could very well be north of that depending on circumstances

Yep...you nailed it!
Best wishes @Madrood ...I hope you'll consider posting of your actual experience once on the ground.
Sempre avanti.

 

[Madrood]

Yep...you nailed it!
Best wishes @Madrood ...I hope you'll consider posting of your actual experience once on the ground.
Sempre avanti.

Might be waiting a few years for that! I haven't properly considered doing this route; my local airport goes only to Malaga and Milan, and I had the VdlP as my #1 choice. But the cost of that flight is soaring and may well be booked out before I can properly plan my stages, so only this week I thought about this as an alternative. Lots of reading to do first! But thanks anyways for the encouragement, I hope whatever you have planned for 2022 works out

 

[trecile]

So 50 euros per day for two people sharing rooms and meals, etc
?

It seems that it was 50 euros per day per person.

50 euros per person...we did not find many pilgrim menus, and often our food/beverage costs were equal to or greater than our lodging.

 

[cbacino]

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

Expect to spend about 50 euro per day, some days less, some days more. I wouldn’t advise camping in Italy.

 

[Old Bamboo]

For me I found the VF in Italy much more costly. Typically a refugio you'd pay perhaps 5-6 Euros in Spain would be 12-15 in Italy. And definitely there is not the pilgrims' infrastructure as in Spain with often only one refugio in town. Nor do i recall any having wifi. But this was a few years ago.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

I had no issues with wifi connections, even in the smaller towns.

 

[Canche]

Does the VF have luggage transport services, even taxi is ok

 

[GerBear]

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

Hi all

I was browsing across the threads for this route and I came across this guide, linked to by @Harington:

Planning – Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome

PLANNING RESOURCES PDF The mission of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome is to inform, advise and support those wishing to undertake the journey from Canterbury to Rome, or any part of it, on foot or by bicycle. All the information contained in this resource booklet comes from our web pages...

pilgrimstorome.org.uk

Within the pdf, on the section about budgets, it contains the following:

Italy: In Italy, you can walk nearly the entire route (with a handful of exceptions)
sleeping in a donativo (donation) or specific pilgrim ostello each night.
There is a huge variety in the quality of this accommodation. It is typically fairly
spartan, always shared, but can often be charming. If it is priced, expect to pay
between €10-15. If it is a donativo, a donation of €10 a night should be
considered a minimum, €15 if food is offered. You will see a much discussion
about what is considered an appropriate donation. Consider what you can afford
and remember that the service cannot function without its expenses being
covered.

I was surprised by this since this would, for accommodation at least, be what I would expect to see in Spain for the VdlP or similar, but I had gotten the impression that costs on this route would be more like what you'd expect in France. Is the guide correct?

I have just returned mid November from walking the VF from Aosta to Rome effectively during pandemic times. Be aware that many municipal hostels and religious run Accomodations are closed because of Covid. There were only a handful of people walking but also essential to phone forward to ensure Accomodation availability. I spent between €45 and €60 per day mainly because I had to avail of private rooms or private hostels. Also a number of us (fellow pilgrims) had to take trains or buses back to a previous town e.g Pavia because there was no available Accomodation at our next destination - we then took the train back out the next day to restart. Trains are not expensive but it does add to the budget as we had to do this several times. For donativo I would budget €20 /25 especially where dinner is provided. But there were very few donativo hostels open. Best tip is plan ahead for every day and if you don’t speak Italian ask your host to make the call - the Italians are lovely and very gracious to the few pilgrims during what is an awful tourist season. Best of luck.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

As of August I saw no signs of luggage transfer services.

 

[Canche]

As of August I saw no signs of luggage transfer services.

Thank you

 

[Canche]

As of August I saw no signs of luggage transfer services.

I didn't on the San Salvador either but used taxis which worked just fine.