22-day walk on the Via Francigena to Rome 2016

[sillydoll]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this? It is not a Camino Resource but it is a notice about an accompanied walk on the Via Francigena. So, here goes:

amaWalkers is offering a 22-day accompanied walk from 24th June to 18th July 2016 - three weeks on the Via Francigena.
We can't do the whole 1800 km from Canterbury to Rome but we can do about 450 km starting on Lake Lausanne, 4 days in the Swiss and Italian Alps, a night in Parma, and then 17 days in Tuscany and Lazio to the Eternal City. Numbers will be limited to 12 people.
More details about costs, travel etc to follow next month on our website.
http://www.amawalkerscamino.com/2016-la-via-francigena---pilgrimage-to-rome.html

Syl and Jenny

 

[Sheffield James]

I didn't know Parma was on the via francigena.

 

[jirit]

I didn't know Parma was on the via francigena.

Parma is technically not on the current official route

 

[jirit]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this? It is not a Camino Resource but it is a notice about an accompanied walk on the Via Francigena. So, here goes:

amaWalkers is offering a 22-day accompanied walk from 24th June to 18th July 2016 - three weeks on the Via Francigena.
We can't do the whole 1800 km from Canterbury to Rome but we can do about 450 km starting on Lake Lausanne, 4 days in the Swiss and Italian Alps, a night in Parma, and then 17 days in Tuscany and Lazio to the Eternal City. Numbers will be limited to 12 people.
More details about costs, travel etc to follow next month on our website.
http://www.amawalkerscamino.com/2016-la-via-francigena---pilgrimage-to-rome.html

Syl and Jenny

How many licensed italian guides will you have ?

 

[sillydoll]

How many licensed italian guides will you have ?

Hi there Neville. (You asked me this question about 5 years ago and I think I gave you the same answer!)
You know that we don't need to have licensed guides unless we are offering a 'Guided Tour' which amaWalkers is not about! We make this very clear on our website and people are attracted by the knowledge that they will not be 'guided' along the trails by someone carrying a flag or umbrella!
We offer accompanied walks on pilgrimage trails. In cities or towns, at monuments or other places of interest, we recommend official guided tours offered by local tour guides.

 

[sillydoll]

Parma is technically not on the current official route

Parma was on one of the many itineraries known as the Monte Bardone road, used from around the 8th century into the middle ages.
It is easy to get to by train and then on to Lucca from there.
Parma is on the official Via Francigena road route ( Touring Club Italiano publishes a good guide).
If one wanted to walk this variant you could follow the ancient Lombardy route known as the 'Via da Parma a Lucca' (read Maria Cristina Basteri's "The Via Francigena in the territory of Parma") using the Parma variant.
Our group will go by train from Aosta to Parma (as we did in 2006) and spend a night there . In 2006 we travelled from Parma to Fornovo and walked from there but this time - as we only have three weeks - we will travel to Lucca and will walk to Rome.

 

[jirit]

Hi Sil

Thank you for this information.

Best wishes on your continued success.

 

[jirit]

Parma is technically not on the current official route

One of the challenges of the Via Francigena is understanding what it is.

Apart from being named incorrectly (it was called the Via Roma if you were traveling to Rome and the Via Francigena if you were traveling back to ancient France or Francia), it was simply a network of paths, routes and roads cobbled together that changed over time and even today.

The so called official route that exists today, the one that most guidebooks support, the one that is "officially" signed is the route taken by Sigeric on his return trip back to England. Well again it is close approximation, since much of the route used by Sigeric has been paved over by modern highways.

There were and even today, many variants to this "official" route and you could spend a lifetime discovering them ( at least in name only) and trying them out.

As for Parma, supposedly it is possible to start in Parma and walk to Fornovo and on to the Cisa Pass but I can not comment on the exact route (or whether it is signed or even walkable). The attached JPEG gives you an idea of the possible route and just for some additional fun, another variant route further west of Fidenza, that starts in Florenzuola.

The signed official route goes from Fidenza to Fornovo.

 

[Torrione]

The Official versus the original VF route can be very confusing - some info on the route through Lunigiana.

 

[sillydoll]

If you check the route on Pilgrimage Publications website you'll see the red flags and the blue flags representing the modern and the original route.

The Camino had the same conundrum in the 1980's when it was being resurrected - take the high route or the original which is tarred road. The Liber Sancti Jacobe describes the route from France going through San Michel, Val Carlos and Roncesvalles and not St Jean Pied de Port - which was established about 80 years after the book was written - or the high level route Napoleon which is a GR hiking route. Many of the Roman Roads have been destroyed, removed, tarred over and endless Sendas established for pilgrims to walk on.