Planning a 14 Day Walking Trip from Lucca to Rome: Accommodation Tips Needed

[Bunclody1]

Hi all, happy new year
I have flights booked to Rome on March 28th returning to Dublin on March 12th. That will give me 14 days walking. My question is regarding how plentiful is accommodation on that stretch of the Via Francigena ? If I walk 30k ish each day I’ll reach Rome on day 14 but 30k days do not align with standard stages so I’m not sure if it’s possible. Or is it like the popular Camino’s in Spain where random accommodation is available everywhere. I’m a little nervous about this trip and would welcome any advice/tips.
All the best , John from Ireland

 

[sgbmom]

John, As long as you do not mind walking without seeing many other pilgrims, your quest to find suitable accommodation will not be a problem. Of course, our experience was pre-coronavirus in spring of 2019, and we made up our own stages since we are retired and had allowed 6 weeks to cover what you plan to do in 14 days We made a lot of side trips to visit places that are not on the VF. In fact, before we started walking from Lucca, we took a day to visit Cinque Terre. Lots of side trips plus spending extra days as tourists in places we wanted to explore made this an amazing, unforgettable adventure! We found that advanced reservations (at least a day ahead & mostly booked online), particularly in monesteries, was an obligatory.

 

[Bunclody1]

John, As long as you do not mind walking without seeing many other pilgrims, your quest to find suitable accommodation will not be a problem. Of course, our experience was pre-coronavirus in spring of 2019, and we made up our own stages since we are retired and had allowed 6 weeks to cover what you plan to do in 14 days We made a lot of side trips to visit places that are not on the VF. In fact, before we started walking from Lucca, we took a day to visit Cinque Terre. Lots of side trips plus spending extra days as tourists in places we wanted to explore made this an amazing, unforgettable adventure! We found that advanced reservations (at least a day ahead & mostly booked online), particularly in monesteries, was an obligatory.

Hey, thank you for your advice. I agree with your points but unfortunately I need to work for another few years and am only allows take 2 weeks off at any one time I am afraid I’ll miss some of the beautiful sights, I may decide to walk recognises stages and use public transport to return to Rome, play it by ear . .

 

[andycohn]

Hi John: We walked the VF, including that stretch, this fall. It is definitely doable in 14 days, if you're willing to walk 30 k stages. As sgbmom says above, there is plenty of accommodations between stages, because this is a heavily-touristed area of Italy. The official VF app lays out the possibilities, and I would also recommend Sandy Brown's guidebook, published by Cicerone. There are 18 standard stages in this stretch, but some of them are short and can be combined. (There's a useful Stage Planning Table in Sandy Brown's guidebook). I'd also strongly suggest skipping the first stage from Lucca to Altopascio, which is an entirely semi-urban stretch on asphalt. The following stage, to San Miniato, is somewhat better, but hardly memorable, and if you skip this stage, too, you'd only be looking at 16 stages in 14 days. San Miniato is easily reached by frequent trains from Florence or Pisa.

 

[Corned Beef]

Agree you should miss out the bits between Lucca and San Miniato but not the towns. You might also want to consider missing walking into Rome through the suburbs. Or try coming in along the banks of the Tiber.

As regards accommodation look out for Agriturismo places in the less populated areas.

On balance it may be better to take longer as you will be racing through some of the most beautiful countryside you’ll see and populated with major historical sites. Sienna is worth a full day in itself

 

[Henry B]

Is it the luck of the Irish to walk back in time? Starting 28th March and finishing 12th March!
Happy Days.
I appreciate time constraints. Limit your daily walk distances and accept that so doing on the downside you'll be taking some transport and rejoice on the upside that your camino experience will be richly rewarding for you and those you meet. Buen Camino Francigena

 

[teaccam]

With Father Murphy by your side you can accomplish anything !!

Looks like a nice trip.

 

[Adrian Metcalf]

Hi all, happy new year
I have flights booked to Rome on March 28th returning to Dublin on March 12th. That will give me 14 days walking. My question is regarding how plentiful is accommodation on that stretch of the Via Francigena ? If I walk 30k ish each day I’ll reach Rome on day 14 but 30k days do not align with standard stages so I’m not sure if it’s possible. Or is it like the popular Camino’s in Spain where random accommodation is available everywhere. I’m a little nervous about this trip and would welcome any advice/tips.
All the best , John from Ireland

Hi John
I suggest you visit the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome, website/ Facebook.. This organisation has details on accommodation and lots more. Lucca to Rome is a great section to do and you will miss a lot if you just walk all day.
Adrian

 

[Former member 62607]

In 2019 we walked Lucca To Rome in 18 days late october but had come from Vercelli on this third leg so were slowing down towards the end. I agree the final day walking in to Rome could be missed, i didnt enjoy it at all through the park. i wouldnt want to have missed Sutri though. I dont recall any issues with accom, Airbnb was very useful but consult guidebooks too (we used terremezzo for italy) and also blogs you find online to see where others stopped. We didnt always follow the exact path as by then, coming from canterbury, we had got used to making our own way through France and Switzerland and Northern Italy. Check ahead in small places where you might be outside of a big town that there will be food available (ie. shops are open) or somewhere to eat (airbnb places are sometimes not near shops or restaurants so youll need to take food with you which you can buy enroute during the day. Plan ahead) and the same for stopping during the day. Carry plenty of water with you, and snacks. You will have a great time, enjoy.

 

[Former member 62607]

Thinking more, i would begin higher up, Fidenzuorala d’arda perhaps and walk 14 days from there, on the other side of the Po. It was nicer, imho than the final stages.

 

[Old Bamboo]

There definitely is not the pilgrim infrastructure as on the CF in Spain so private lodging will be necessary. Sometimes you’ll need to ask around as small pensions are not always obvious. Also when I did it in 2017 there were very few pilgrims in Aug/Sept which should have been the high season so lots of lone hiking. Some take the train into Rome for the last stage but being a purist I wanted to do it properly so I hiked the old highway route. Not for the faint of heart in stretches. I've heard since then there's another safer route.

 

[Former member 62607]

The safer route is prob the one we took through the country park - horribly muddy in late oct and a very obvious prescence of many wild boar tho we didnt actually see any but had been warned to be careful of them. I did not enjoy that route at all but we took it because the main rd one, which you no doubt took, seemed too dodgy!
Ps. To Bunclody , i realised after posting that you are flying into and out of Rome so prob not a good logistical suggestion of mine to walk higher up in Italy!

 

[cbacino]

Hi all, happy new year
I have flights booked to Rome on March 28th returning to Dublin on March 12th. That will give me 14 days walking. My question is regarding how plentiful is accommodation on that stretch of the Via Francigena ? If I walk 30k ish each day I’ll reach Rome on day 14 but 30k days do not align with standard stages so I’m not sure if it’s possible. Or is it like the popular Camino’s in Spain where random accommodation is available everywhere. I’m a little nervous about this trip and would welcome any advice/tips.
All the best , John from Ireland

I walked the Via in 2017. On the stretch from Lucca to Rome, these were my stops: Lucca, San Miniato Alto, San Gimignano, Siena, Torrenieri , Radicofani, Acquapendente, Montefiascone, Vetralla, Monterosi, La Storta, and Rome. In addition to whatever list of accommodations you might use, also look for home-made signs along the way that advertise places to sleep. I liked staying in towns that weren’t official stages.

 

[PaulG]

It’s a bit out of date now but I wrote a blog on my walk in 2015 and in 2018 I did the last few stages again as they are common with the Via Romea Germanica. I took 14 days Lucca/ Rome plus one site seeing day in Siena

Via Francigena – Paul's Walks Through Europe

My walk along the Via Francigena

paulscamino.com

 

[Bunclody1]

With Father Murphy by your side you can accomplish anything !!

Looks like a nice trip.

That’s a fact

 

[Bunclody1]

Arrived in the post this morning

 

[Corned Beef]

Thought I recognised the pic. There’s a tourist spot there

 

[NavyBlue]

Hi,

In 2015 with my wife. Not on the fast track, but keeping some time for visiting attractive cities.
18 days.
Some religious accommodation in the area (San Miniato Alto, Viterbo, Vetralla, La Storta...) at that time.
Unless my notes on my guidebook are not clear :

Lucca - Altopascio
Altopascio - San Miniato Alto
San Miniato Alto - Gambassi Terme
Gambassi Terme - San Giminiano
San Giminiano - Abbadia da Isola
Abbadia da Isola - Sienna (steep to Monteriggioni)
Sienna - Isola d'Arbia
Isola d'Arbia - San Quirico d'Orcia (steep)
San Quirico d'Orcia - Radicofani (steep)
Radicofani - Acquapendente
Acquapendente - Bolsena
Bolsena - Montefiascone
Montefiascone - Viterbo
Viterbo - Vetralla
Vetralla - Sutri
Sutri - Compagnano
Compagnano - La Storta
La Storta - Roma (on the via Triumphale. A section without sidewalks. A 8.00 am, trafic jams, car speed close to zero. Be sure to have a high-viz-vest (or equivalent) on your backpack)

You can go further/faster every day. Just :
- have a look at the stage profile (altitudes, not all kilometers are born equal)
- avoid over-use wounds (too fast, too far, too loaded). I learned (the hard way) much about stress fractures some years before.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

In addition to whatever list of accommodations you might use, also look for home-made signs along the way that advertise places to sleep.

This is very true. I encountered this as well this last summer in Italy. I also encountered people along the route just before the towns handing out leaflets with advertisements for their accommodations. One can also just walk into a bar and ask the bartender for private room options. Bartenders seem to know the "goings-on" within their village or town.