An article on the website of The Guardian - new walking routes in the south of Italy commemorating the life of a local saint, Francesco di Paola. The article contains a link to the website of the new Cammino association promoting the routes.
A new series of long-distance hikes in Calabria take in captivating scenery and the legacy and legends of eco-conscious Saint Francis of Paola, the first recorded vegan
www.theguardian.com
This looks very interesting. I haven't had time to read the website in detail yet, as I am travelling.
it seems to be a trend in Italy perhaps - to develop smaller local "pilgrim-style" walking routes?
Last year I walked from Matera to Brindisi on the
Cammino Materano developed and promoted by very enthusiastic local volunteers. On my stretch there were just three ostello-type accommodation options and the remainder was B&B. But the organisation has negotiated very generous discounts with the B&Bs on listed in their information (all online) if you book directly - a Whatsapp call usually suffices - and you can pay when you get there. If you book with "a well known online site" it will cost significantly more.
Most of the stopovers have a local contact person/responsabile who will be happy to be contacted for advice or often to meet for a coffee. It is nice to see people with a passion for their local environment. It is a rather different model from the traditional Camino/Via Francigena, but very complementary I thought.
I continued from Brindisi to Santa Maria di Leuca and at Lecce I connected with the
Cammino del Salento which is just from Lecce to
finibus terrae. This was a smaller enterprise but lots of information from the organisers. It diverts a little from the "official" VF del Sud, and there are different options.
it was very much off season when I walked and many places were closed. But again the organisation have linked up with local accommodation and restaurants to offer discounts, notably at the Terminus Hotel in Santa Maria. I had no real contact with the organisers on this second leg, but this was really because it was November and very much off season. The people I met in lodgings were welcoming and enthusiastic.
Both of those routes I mention have been developed just in the past few years.
Some people worry about cost if using B&Bs. I think is is true to say that prices are low in inland southern Italy away from the main tourist areas. And the discount with the partners/supporters makes a real difference.