JAL
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances 2014
Le Puy-St. Jean 2015
Via Francigena 2016
Norte/Primitivo 2016
Via de la Plata 2017
Hi All,
My wife and I just returned from walking the final 6 stages into Rome on the Via Francigena. (They say FranCHEEjayna).I have walked the CF and Le-Puy to SJPdP solo in past years and wanted to share some observations while it is still fresh in my mind.
The Trail. Wow, is it pretty and historic. We walked through the most stunning ancient hill towns and all alone through hazelnut orchards and olive trees. The surface is mixed, from a barely visible track through grass between fields to long stretches of perfectly preserved Roman roads. It has a fair amount of climbing, but nothing singularly challenging like Roncesvalles. Parts are rough and rocky trail surfaces, and there is a fair amount of gravel and pavement as well.
Walking the last day into Rome had the most objectionable side-of-the-highway walking than I ever saw in 1500 km of Spain and France, but having said that, it is very cool to see the dome of St. Peters off in the distance and know you are going to walk to it.
Wayfinding. Mixed. Really well-marked for the most part, but with occasional frustrating gaps of no signs or contradictory signs. A guide is essential, and a map and compass and GPS are very helpful.
Lodging/Amenities. We went deluxe and stayed in hotels on this trip but I saw very few hostel-type places along the trail. The towns on this stretch are typically a short day's hike apart, often with zero opportunities for cafes or restaurants in between. You need to research each day and plan for providing your own food and water. Italian shops are closed midday like in France and Spain. The food and wine are, predictably, very good.
People. The local people we met were great, friendly and helpful, but be aware there are very, very few pilgrims on this trail. Outside of a single group of 20 retirement age Italians walking the same route as us ( a hiking club) we saw precisely zero other pilgrims going south toward Rome, which seemed really odd as the weather was cool and pleasant and you'd think the final week into Rome would be packed. Walking from Montefiascone earns you a very official-looking parchment Testimonium from the Vatican, in Latin and with nifty gold seal.
Overall impression. The Francigena has the feel of a camino that is about to hit a tipping point where more albergue-style lodging is opened and more pilgrims come and more albergues open, etc. For now, it is just incredibly picturesque, historic, and has a do-it-yourself feeling that I suspect might be like the Frances circa 1989 or so. Maybe our experience was anomalous, but despite the beauty, history, pretty towns and great food, this would be a lonely camino traveling solo. A little Italian helps a lot, and Spanish actually works pretty well for certain things.
Tour Company. I did my other two caminos self-booked and carried all my stuff, but wanted to ease my spouse into this whole camino thing so we used Camino Ways on this trip. They were awesome, all our hotel reservations, many of our meals and all of our luggage transfer went off perfectly. I highly recommend them.
Buon Cammino!
John
My wife and I just returned from walking the final 6 stages into Rome on the Via Francigena. (They say FranCHEEjayna).I have walked the CF and Le-Puy to SJPdP solo in past years and wanted to share some observations while it is still fresh in my mind.
The Trail. Wow, is it pretty and historic. We walked through the most stunning ancient hill towns and all alone through hazelnut orchards and olive trees. The surface is mixed, from a barely visible track through grass between fields to long stretches of perfectly preserved Roman roads. It has a fair amount of climbing, but nothing singularly challenging like Roncesvalles. Parts are rough and rocky trail surfaces, and there is a fair amount of gravel and pavement as well.
Walking the last day into Rome had the most objectionable side-of-the-highway walking than I ever saw in 1500 km of Spain and France, but having said that, it is very cool to see the dome of St. Peters off in the distance and know you are going to walk to it.
Wayfinding. Mixed. Really well-marked for the most part, but with occasional frustrating gaps of no signs or contradictory signs. A guide is essential, and a map and compass and GPS are very helpful.
Lodging/Amenities. We went deluxe and stayed in hotels on this trip but I saw very few hostel-type places along the trail. The towns on this stretch are typically a short day's hike apart, often with zero opportunities for cafes or restaurants in between. You need to research each day and plan for providing your own food and water. Italian shops are closed midday like in France and Spain. The food and wine are, predictably, very good.
People. The local people we met were great, friendly and helpful, but be aware there are very, very few pilgrims on this trail. Outside of a single group of 20 retirement age Italians walking the same route as us ( a hiking club) we saw precisely zero other pilgrims going south toward Rome, which seemed really odd as the weather was cool and pleasant and you'd think the final week into Rome would be packed. Walking from Montefiascone earns you a very official-looking parchment Testimonium from the Vatican, in Latin and with nifty gold seal.
Overall impression. The Francigena has the feel of a camino that is about to hit a tipping point where more albergue-style lodging is opened and more pilgrims come and more albergues open, etc. For now, it is just incredibly picturesque, historic, and has a do-it-yourself feeling that I suspect might be like the Frances circa 1989 or so. Maybe our experience was anomalous, but despite the beauty, history, pretty towns and great food, this would be a lonely camino traveling solo. A little Italian helps a lot, and Spanish actually works pretty well for certain things.
Tour Company. I did my other two caminos self-booked and carried all my stuff, but wanted to ease my spouse into this whole camino thing so we used Camino Ways on this trip. They were awesome, all our hotel reservations, many of our meals and all of our luggage transfer went off perfectly. I highly recommend them.
Buon Cammino!
John