Has anyone walked the camino of assisi

[Stefystar]

Hi ,
I have became interested in this camino for next year, and I wander if anyone has walked on the steps of St Francis. As he was a pilgrim to Santiago himself, I am looking for any advice, best time to go etc..
Thank you☺

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Yes - I walked from Florence to Assisi and Rome earlier in the year. There are many other routes to Assisi. You will get more details on my blog including the guidebook to this route by Sandy Brown available from Cicerone.

 

[SYates]

I walked from Santiago to Assisi, but that was back in 2000, not sure if my experience will be useful to you, but feel free to ask any questions you might have and I do my best.
Buen Camino, SY

 

[Stefystar]

Hi jonny walker,
Thank you for your information, glad you walked it!

 

[Stefystar]

I walked from Santiago to Assisi, but that was back in 2000, not sure if my experience will be useful to you, but feel free to ask any questions you might have and I do my best.
Buen Camino, SY

HI Syates,

My concern is main concern is mainly about altitude.
I can seek la verna is about 1.250 high, so any advice on the type of clothing? I am considering may ...

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I walked in February this year when the snow lay on the ground. It was not bitterly cold and normal layers were fine. If I was doing this route again I would start in La Verna. There is no historic authenticity to the route from Florence but it involves a huge amount of effort!

 

[lovingkindness]

it is a beautiful walk...

 

[Stefystar]

I walked in February this year when the snow lay on the ground. It was not bitterly cold and normal layers were fine. If I was doing this route again I would start in La Verna. There is no historic authenticity to the route from Florence but it involves a huge amount of effort!

Hi Johnnie Walker,
Wow, brave walking in February with the snow!
I was considering Camaldoli or La Verna as starting point.
Was there any ford you had to go across? Did you meet other pilgrims on your journey?

 

[DLJ]

Hi ,
I have became interested in this camino for next year, and I wander if anyone has walked on the steps of St Francis. As he was a pilgrim to Santiago himself, I am looking for any advice, best time to go etc..
Thank you☺

Last year 2015 Sept/Oct. my wife and I walked the "Way of St.Francis," starting from Dovadola, Italy (This is where you register for the hike.) We hiked from Dovadola to Assisi, and on to Rome. It was a strenuous hike for us as you are spending days crossing the Apennines mountains. In the first 10 days we only met one other Pilgrim, a Frenchman. By Sept. we were only the 509th & 510th people to register for the year. While signage is somewhat iffy, there are four different Assoc. marking the route, so it can get confusing and in several places the signage just ended in the middle of nowhere. We are experienced Pilgrims, and this was the only time we have ever gotten lost. Due to the confusing signage, we walked a lot farther several days than intended. Accomodations/Refuges were no problem; because it was only the Frenchman and us, at night he would have a dorm w/shower, and we would have a separate dorm w/shower. The Italian mountain towns along the way are wonderful. We arrived in Assisi on the Feast day of St. Francis (one of the biggest holidays in Italy.) If you registered in Dovadola, they have a certificate waiting for you at the Cathedral of St. Francis. A good guide in English is "On the Road with St. Francis," by Angela Seracchioli. The little guide they gave us when we registered was not much use. It is a great trek - Buon Camino!

 

[Stefystar]

Last year 2015 Sept/Oct. my wife and I walked the "Way of St.Francis," starting from Dovadola, Italy (This is where you register for the hike.) We hiked from Dovadola to Assisi, and on to Rome. It was a strenuous hike for us as you are spending days crossing the Apennines mountains. In the first 10 days we only met one other Pilgrim, a Frenchman. By Sept. we were only the 509th & 510th people to register for the year. While signage is somewhat iffy, there are four different Assoc. marking the route, so it can get confusing and in several places the signage just ended in the middle of nowhere. We are experienced Pilgrims, and this was the only time we have ever gotten lost. Due to the confusing signage, we walked a lot farther several days than intended. Accomodations/Refuges were no problem; because it was only the Frenchman and us, at night he would have a dorm w/shower, and we would have a separate dorm w/shower. The Italian mountain towns along the way are wonderful. We arrived in Assisi on the Feast day of St. Francis (one of the biggest holidays in Italy.) If you registered in Dovadola, they have a certificate waiting for you at the Cathedral of St. Francis. A good guide in English is "On the Road with St. Francis," by Angela Seracchioli. The little guide they gave us when we registered was not much use. It is a great trek - Buon Camino!

Hi DLJ,
thank you soo much for your very enlightening information. I walked the end part of francigena in may and found the signage there confusing at times.
I congratulate you for completing the trail and I am thinking ,maybe for this one , I should get a companion walker, as I have always gone solo. What was the weather like? You can tell I am ... still fairly new to camino experience... how long did it take to complete the trail?

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi Johnnie Walker,
Wow, brave walking in February with the snow!
I was considering Camaldoli or La Verna as starting point.
Was there any ford you had to go across? Did you meet other pilgrims on your journey?

Hola - I would only ever start in La Verna is I walked this route again. It is one of the most spiritual and special places. The route forward to Assisi is well signed and presents no difficulties.

Buen Camino

John

 

[Stefystar]

Hola - I would only ever start in La Verna is I walked this route again. It is one of the most spiritual and special places. The route forward to Assisi is well signed and presents no difficulties.

Buen Camino

John

Hi John,
Thank you for the reassuring reply. I am not yet good at reading maps, so if signage is ok its a relief. I am wandering if there are any pilgrims walking now, as I check the area of the earthquake. It is more or less the trail route, if I think about it!! I hope if any, they are OK. ...
Buen camino
Stefystar

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Yes - the earthquake was in the general area of the route but as far as I have heard the route was not disrupted.

 

[MichaelB10398]

Yes - I walked from Florence to Assisi and Rome earlier in the year. There are many other routes to Assisi. You will get more details on my blog including the guidebook to this route by Sandy Brown available from Cicerone.

John, a grazie mille for your wonderful blog and sharing your Florence to Rome pilgrimage. The joy I find in your writing is much appreciated and admired. May He bless you at every step of your life.

 

[Youren2010]

Hi ,
I have became interested in this camino for next year, and I wander if anyone has walked on the steps of St Francis. As he was a pilgrim to Santiago himself, I am looking for any advice, best time to go etc..
Thank you☺[

My Camino friend and I walk in June and July this year. I started from La Verna to Assisi and Rome, total 23 days with one extra day at Assisi and one extra day at Reiti for Grecio. We had not met through hike pilgrims, very few doing sections either. We were the only ones on the trails most of the time, very hot, but no rain. It was raining heavily a few days ago, so some parts were very slippery.

Road condition wise much harder than French road, much more mountain climbing, and longer distance we put in most days. It was absolutely beautiful, however, and understand where St Francis drew his love of nature.

It is a completly a different Camino. I did Santiago alone, but this time with a friend. Recommend hiking with a camino veteran. We followed Sandy's book and his GPS maps. There were a few variations.

Burn Camino!

 

[Freewalker]

Hola - I would only ever start in La Verna is I walked this route again. It is one of the most spiritual and special places. The route forward to Assisi is well signed and presents no difficulties.

Buen Camino

John

Hi John - wondering why you would start from La Verna as opposed to the official registration point at Dovadola ? Seems like a quiet route which really appeals to me however the confusing signage and walking DAYS out of your way is terribly disconcerting ! I would be soooo disappointed as I would be flying from Canada and indeed would want to make the finish point in a timely fashion without worry about missing flight etc.. Any more details would be greatly appreciated. I plan to walk it solo unless I can find a few pilgrimages on this site. Many thanks.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola - we are talking about two different routes. I was walking the Way of Saint Francis from Florence to Assisi to Rome. The first days are of no historic significance and are very difficult. Therefore on that route I'd start in La Verna.

Buen Camino

John

 

[DLJ]

If I were going to do it again, I would still start from Dovadola. We rode the school bus from Bologna to Dovadola. It was mid-Sept. so most of the village, including the Refuge was closed or closing. We were the only Pilgrims in the village. We went to the elderly Parish priest, who registered us (we were 509 & 510 for the year), gave us a passport, a small guide, and a blessing. We weren't aware of it, but he sends the info to the Cathedral in Assisi, and they had a certificate waiting for us. I think it was a week to La Verna; and while we did get lost, we just walked longer and more miles each day, but didn't lose any days. In that week we met one French Pilgrim; he started early each day, but we would end up together having dinner and comparing notes each evening. It is a beautiful very rural, very hilly forested route. I agree that La Verna is a special place (especially when you had to spend the day climbing the mountain on it's backside to get there), a lot of Pilgrims were starting from there. The tour companies go and start from here because their level of accommodations and amenities are very limited from Dovadola. From La Verna there are more Pilgrims, the hill towns are larger and grander. In all we had 4 or 5 days of rain; we spent an extra day in Assisi (yes, they did have a certificate in our names waiting for us at the Cathedral of St. Francis), due to a spectacular electrical storm that lasted a day. Starting from little Dovadola just adds a great deal to the experience. Ultreya! Dave

 

[Freewalker]

Wonderful thank you DLJ / Dave for this !!! I am hoping to walk it at the end of April..... and fingers crossed that it is safe to walk the Assisi solo ? I have trekked solo and with friends in the wilderness for years and never had a problem... yet on my first camino I had 2 very scary encounters on the Caminho Central in Portugal from young Portuguese men enroute from Lisboa to Valenca and another from a young Spaniard just north of Pontevedra. Really quite shocking sexual behaviour !!

 

[Freewalker]

Hi ,
I have became interested in this camino for next year, and I wander if anyone has walked on the steps of St Francis. As he was a pilgrim to Santiago himself, I am looking for any advice, best time to go etc..
Thank you☺

Hello Stefystar - I am hoping to walk the Assisi Cammino from Dovadola to Assisi at the end of April....

 

[amblanz dave]

Hi Stefystar and Freewalker...I hiked the route from Dovadola to Assisi this past summer (July 2016) and absolutely loved it! Very easy to get to through Bologna. The way is a challenging one as you are up and down elevations everyday and sometimes several times in a section. We met 4 other pilgrims walking during our hike...I don't think its a very busy pilgrimage generally speaking. Accommodations were perfect and easy to find...do call ahead each day to let them know of your planned arrival. We were fortunate to have an italian pilgrim that would call ahead for us I found this pilgrimage to be a walk in nature/forest. Most stages had small towns at the start and end of the leg with nothing but nature in between unlike my experiences walking the VF or Camino de Santiago. As far as trail marking go...could be better. The painted arrows they used were in dark green! Walking through the woods looking for a dark green arrow on a rock or tree requires a lot of faith and luck...fortunately the route crosses and uses several EU "day hike" paths marked in red/white so you do use those to guide you as well. Several signs directing you to various towns also. July, of course, was very hot...even at altitude. The journey is packed full of important places in the life of St Francis.

Happy walking! Let me know if there is anything else I can help with
Dave

 

[Freewalker]

Hi Stefystar and Freewalker...I hiked the route from Dovadola to Assisi this past summer (July 2016) and absolutely loved it! Very easy to get to through Bologna. The way is a challenging one as you are up and down elevations everyday and sometimes several times in a section. We met 4 other pilgrims walking during our hike...I don't think its a very busy pilgrimage generally speaking. Accommodations were perfect and easy to find...do call ahead each day to let them know of your planned arrival. We were fortunate to have an italian pilgrim that would call ahead for us I found this pilgrimage to be a walk in nature/forest. Most stages had small towns at the start and end of the leg with nothing but nature in between unlike my experiences walking the VF or Camino de Santiago. As far as trail marking go...could be better. The painted arrows they used were in dark green! Walking through the woods looking for a dark green arrow on a rock or tree requires a lot of faith and luck...fortunately the route crosses and uses several EU "day hike" paths marked in red/white so you do use those to guide you as well. Several signs directing you to various towns also. July, of course, was very hot...even at altitude. The journey is packed full of important places in the life of St Francis.

Happy walking! Let me know if there is anything else I can help with
Dave

Hi Dave
Thank you very much for your kind offer ! I am interested in a list of monasteries, convents as will be walking on a strict budget and know that Italy is incredibly expensive although worth every cent for sure. I am happy to camp out but really don't want to be carrying a heavy pack like through my Caminho Portuguese Central. Walking with 20 kilos almost killed me lol but I managed and trained heavily for it...and actually arrived in Sanitago 2 days ahead of schedule...
Also there seems to be a few Assisi Camminos ie: From Dovadola to Assisi and then on to the Vatican.... quite confusing info out there.
Any info lists you are willing to share I would be very grateful for
Many thanks
Mary

 

[Sprintstuk]

Yes - I walked from Florence to Assisi and Rome earlier in the year. There are many other routes to Assisi. You will get more details on my blog including the guidebook to this route by Sandy Brown available from Cicerone.

I saw your blogs earlier. I'm am planning to walk from dovadola to Assisi to Rome in June/ July 2017. I just obtained permits from the camino di assisi to get to assisi. I planned to follow the sandy brown book from assisi to the Vatican in Rome. Will I need and how will I obtain a credential from assisi to Rome ? Will it be hard to get Refugio's and how long should I plan from assisi on which variation of the route. Thanks

 

[Sprintstuk]

Last year 2015 Sept/Oct. my wife and I walked the "Way of St.Francis," starting from Dovadola, Italy (This is where you register for the hike.) We hiked from Dovadola to Assisi, and on to Rome. It was a strenuous hike for us as you are spending days crossing the Apennines mountains. In the first 10 days we only met one other Pilgrim, a Frenchman. By Sept. we were only the 509th & 510th people to register for the year. While signage is somewhat iffy, there are four different Assoc. marking the route, so it can get confusing and in several places the signage just ended in the middle of nowhere. We are experienced Pilgrims, and this was the only time we have ever gotten lost. Due to the confusing signage, we walked a lot farther several days than intended. Accomodations/Refuges were no problem; because it was only the Frenchman and us, at night he would have a dorm w/shower, and we would have a separate dorm w/shower. The Italian mountain towns along the way are wonderful. We arrived in Assisi on the Feast day of St. Francis (one of the biggest holidays in Italy.) If you registered in Dovadola, they have a certificate waiting for you at the Cathedral of St. Francis. A good guide in English is "On the Road with St. Francis," by Angela Seracchioli. The little guide they gave us when we registered was not much use. It is a great trek - Buon Camino!

Did you continue on to Rome and how or which permits did you get. I am going from dovadola to assisi in June and want to continue to the vatican

 

[DLJ]

We just continued to use the original credential from Dovadola, and nobody questioned it at all. The route continues just the same from Assisi. We met a tour group at Fondo Columbo south of Rieti (the sanctuary where Francis wrote the rules for the Franciscan Order), so typically the route gets more popular as you get closer to Rome.

 

[Aussie jayne]

Hola - we are talking about two different routes. I was walking the Way of Saint Francis from Florence to Assisi to Rome. The first days are of no historic significance and are very difficult. Therefore on that route I'd start in La Verna.

Buen Camino

John

Hi Johnnie, I am looking to walk Florence to Rome starting mid September can you tell me quickest and easiest way to get credentials
Thanks
Aussie jayne

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi Johnnie, I am looking to walk Florence to Rome starting mid September can you tell me quickest and easiest way to get credentials
Thanks
Aussie jayne

I made my own! As far as I know the Vatican has no requirement regarding using an "approved" Credencial. But I stand to be corrected. William Marques one of the moderators will know the answer.

 

[William Marques]

Like Johnnie I am unaware that an "official" credential is required at the Vatican especially on the walk from Florence/Assisi. I am aware of a number printed by various groups for the Via Francigena but that is not the same pilgrimage though the destination is the same.