How does the Francigena differ?

[J.Patrick]

I've had the chance to do the Portugues, Northern and Primitivo (never did the Frances), so I have a strong sense of the Spanish experience of pilgrimage. Could I ask those who have done any of the Spanish pilgrimages and the Francigena to share how they differ, how they are similar, etc., beyond the numbers are a lot smaller. I'm thinking of cultural differences, meal times, sense of pilgrimage community, contact with local parishes, food, awareness of the local populace of the pilgrims in their midst, etc. I would be very grateful for your thoughts.

 

[Bradypus]

I have walked the Frances, the Portugues and the Primitivo (amongst others) but not the Norte. I have also walked from Canterbury to Rome - mostly on the Via Francigena. The UK, French and Swiss sections bear very little similarity to the Spanish Caminos in most respects. It is not possible to describe the route in simple terms because the character changes between different sections are immense. In France and Switzerland there are very few pilgrims, dedicated pilgrim infrastructure is scarce, and it is generally very expensive - especially in Switzerland. Travelling through France it can be very difficult to find food and drink for long periods. Once into Italy numbers walking increase markedly and so do pilgrim facilities. Generally more expensive than in Spain and numbers are likely to be quite small in comparison - far more similar to the Primitivo than to the Portugues. The route is better known, better marked and better supported in Italy than in the northern sections but still comparatively unknown outside church circles and long-distance enthusiasts. Your best source of up to date information would probably be to join the Via Francigena Facebook group which is very active with past, present and prospective pilgrims. It would probably help if you could be a little more specific with your questions - with nearly 2,000km of path covering four countries and going from the North Sea to the Mediterranean via the Alps summing it up in a few short sentences will be a tricky task

https://www.facebook.com/groups/19899007360/

 

[J.Patrick]

Thank you Bradypus! I hope to walk 3 weeks, from Lucca to Rome, which I should have said the first time around! So, while I have a general interest in the whole route, the portions through Tuscany and south to Rome are of particular interest.

 

[Former member 59618]

Thank you Bradypus! I hope to walk 3 weeks, from Lucca to Rome, which I should have said the first time around! So, while I have a general interest in the whole route, the portions through Tuscany and south to Rome are of particular interest.

Check out Efren Gonzales YouTube channel. He is doing the Francigena now and puts out excellent videos. His Camino Frances series was superb.

 

[Bradypus]

Thank you Bradypus! I hope to walk 3 weeks, from Lucca to Rome, which I should have said the first time around!

Well that narrows the field a lot Basically the closer you get to Rome the closer the similarity to the Spanish Caminos becomes. The terrain is not especially difficult though heat and a shortage of water points can be an issue. All the really hilly sections are behind you and you are dealing with fairly gentle country. For practical planning information and up-to-date news I do recommend the Facebook group - I will now be 3 years out of date and things are developing fairly fast on the VF as interest grows.

 

[lovingkindness]

Salve! @J.Patrick

Here's a little of what I experienced in Italy (summer-autumn, 2013):

Food :
*(pasta, pizza, bread, rice) x (breakfast, lunch, dinner) x (4 ½ months).
*frutti selvatici: an abundance of abandoned fig trees and walnuts underfoot.

Contact with local parishes: most days. I needed help finding somewhere to sleep.

Awareness of the local populace of the pilgrims in their midst:
As a pellegrina musicista della strada I wasn't ignored…

Sense of pilgrimage community : hiking from the Italian Alps to Bari I came across many pilgrimage communities, sanctuaries and grottos. It seemed as though every hamlet, village, town and city had a pilgrimage point somewhere with people attending.

Cheers
Lovingkindness

 

[Harington]

I have walked the Frances, the Portugues and the Primitivo (amongst others) but not the Norte. I have also walked from Canterbury to Rome - mostly on the Via Francigena. The UK, French and Swiss sections bear very little similarity to the Spanish Caminos in most respects. It is not possible to describe the route in simple terms because the character changes between different sections are immense. In France and Switzerland there are very few pilgrims, dedicated pilgrim infrastructure is scarce, and it is generally very expensive - especially in Switzerland. Travelling through France it can be very difficult to find food and drink for long periods. Once into Italy numbers walking increase markedly and so do pilgrim facilities. Generally more expensive than in Spain and numbers are likely to be quite small in comparison - far more similar to the Primitivo than to the Portugues. The route is better known, better marked and better supported in Italy than in the northern sections but still comparatively unknown outside church circles and long-distance enthusiasts. Your best source of up to date information would probably be to join the Via Francigena Facebook group which is very active with past, present and prospective pilgrims. It would probably help if you could be a little more specific with your questions - with nearly 2,000km of path covering four countries and going from the North Sea to the Mediterranean via the Alps summing it up in a few short sentences will be a tricky task

https://www.facebook.com/groups/19899007360/

I endorse everything Bradypus has said. However, the EAVF and local associations are busy developing the route in France, and signage is improving. There is pilgrim accommodation, either run by the local mairie, with local residents, or sometimes in religious establishments. It would help enormously to be able to speak some French. I also found it helpful to be able to produce some albeit stumbling Italian in italy.

 

[domigee]

Thank you Bradypus! I hope to walk 3 weeks, from Lucca to Rome, which I should have said the first time around! So, while I have a general interest in the whole route, the portions through Tuscany and south to Rome are of particular interest.

Hi! The times of meals in Italy differ from Spain, it is more like France ie lunch from 12 to 1, maybe 1.30 if you’re lucky and evening meals starting at round 7, 7.30.
The albergue equivalents are called ostellos, price around €10/11. (In 2017).
I found this website very helpful for the Italian part https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/
They also have a free App available, well worth downloading if you have a smartphone.
I am useless at comparing caminos difficulty-wise so can’t help there, my experience is too subjective! Sometimes I find supposedly hard stretches easy-peasy and other days I struggle with very straightforward sections
Have fun planning!

 

[Jmmmpr]

My Camino’s are a bit different than most pilgrims. I usually walk alone and stay in private accommodations (B&B’s).
I booked all 37 nights of my accommodations in Italy through Booking.com prior to leaving the US.
This definitely limits my interaction with fellow pilgrims, but as a solo, 64 year old female, it works for me. This gives my husband more peace of mind.
I’ve walked Spain twice, Portuguese, Le Puy, and Francigena (Fidenza - Rome) June of this year.
I found the VF FB page helpful as well as the Sloways app that provides an off line GPS tracking system which helped me tremendously! I used the English version of the “Via Francigena” guidebook (Terre di Mezzo).
I tried Italian lessons before I left but obviously could have used a full year of practice rather than 3 months. I found that if I tried to speak Italian, then 90% of the Italian speaking people would try and meet me halfway.
There are far fewer pilgrims walking in Italy than Spain, France or Portugal. As I walked closer to Rome, the number of pilgrims increased, but no where near the numbers you see in Spain!!!
Because of my choices, I did feel more isolated and lonely at the beginning and had a lot of soul searching to do.
After a few days, I was able to turn this walk into a deeper spiritual experience for myself.
I learned to adapt and turned my days into more of a silent retreat.
I found myself more challenged internally than physically.
You will find a lot of tourists and pilgrims in towns and villages along the VF - Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena, Bolsena and of course Rome!
Some days I was able to meet fellow pilgrims as we walked. I only met a few English speaking women.
Whenever I did encounter pilgrims, I felt genuinely blessed to have others to walk, laugh and eat meals with.
This was very similar to all the other Camino’s.
There is a very strong bond between all of us who choose to walk long distances, along sacred paths. Pilgrims find each other along the way no matter what path or country!
There was more of a language barrier for me with older Italian pilgrims than with younger pilgrims who often spoke English.
From Lucca on, there seemed to be more awareness and encouragement of the VF from locals.
Mealtime is similar to Spain. Pilgrims eat breakfast early and the choices are usually sweets and coffee. Maybe fruit and protein will be offered.
It is wise to always have a little extra food in your backpack for lunch in case there is nothing available. Lunches end by 3:00.
The infrastructure can be nonexistent in some areas. This includes water, so look for the local cemetery.
European’s in general eat dinner later than Americans and this is true in Italy.
There are pilgrim menus (soup, pasta, dessert) available at some restaurants in some towns/villages.
All of this said, I found the landscape, culture and people to be incredible!
I will definitely go back again in the future.

 

[Stripey Socks]

Hi there. I have been home a week after walking from Great Saint Bernard Pass to Rome. I blogged every day (short posts) and perhaps they may be of use. https://lifeonebigadventure.com/201...igena-great-saint-bernard-pass-to-aosta-31km/

I found the Via Francigena vastly different from a camino (I have done three) and much harder. The distances, terrain and isolation were much greater, even more challenging than the via de la Plata in Spain. Despite that, it was an amazing experience and I am glad I did it. I echo many of the comments above... Ciao, Mel

 

[Valarie Milazzo]

J. Patrick, I can provide some opinions which might be relevant, comparing last year’s Spanish pilgrimage (O Cebreiro to Santiago) to this year’s Italian pilgrimage (Assisi to Rome), below. We stayed in small family inns or B&Bs rather than albergue-type accommodations, and walked the Way of St. Francis versus the actual Francigena, but I think some of these general comments will apply:

• We found most Italians viewed our pilgrimage as a peculiar curiosity. In Spain, we were a continuing part of an age-old cultural expectation, and felt understood and often sincerely appreciated.
• The arrival in Rome did not create the feeling of awe, exultation and fulfillment that I had felt arriving in Santiago. It was actually disappointing. Partially this was because we found ourselves surrounded by tourists and souvenir hawkers, rather than by other pilgrims who had shared our journey experience. There was a small, somewhat shabby pilgrim office to visit to collect a testimonium, but no feeling of welcome, no special access to St. Peter’s to worship and celebrate. Arriving at the Vatican of all places, I missed the spiritual experience very much.
• In contrast to Rome, around the simple and serene Franciscan Sanctuaries near Rieti Italy, we did meet just a few other pilgrims, and had an opportunity to share the true meaning of the journey. That was the only area along the way where we met other pilgrims!
• In Italy, much more mental exertion was required from having to focus on navigation, rather than just follow a well-marked trail like in Spain. Some of our group found this stimulating, while for others this created a lot of stress. Also due to inaccurate or conflicting guides, we found some of the stages were actually much longer than we were told to expect. Exhausting. (Your specific route may be better.)
• Food was MUCH better Italy - both variety and quality. Inexpensive house wine was better in Spain, in my opinion.
• Everything is noticeably more expensive in Italy.
• We did expect there to be far fewer services available while hiking in Italy, so we were more prepared with snacks and water. A positive surprise was the availability of refreshingly pure drinking water fountains in many (sometimes obscure) places along the route. (This may be just an Umbria thing.)
• The towns we stopped at in Italy were fascinating. This made for even more exhausting days, because we could not resist exploring once we arrived at each destination. In Spain, we stayed in the countryside or villages where there wasn't much to see, so we just retired early and got more rest.

 

[frida1]

I agree with much of what Stripy and Valerie say. We are walking from San Bernard to

Rome and are in Siena now.

Better food, absolutely.
For those of us using hotel,bnb etc. much more expensive.
IMO physical difficulty is greater due to fewer stop points and rugged terrain, like the Cisa.

For me, it is a huge difference that you pass through so many beautiful and art-laden destinations. I have found this the first camino (I have 3 previous) where walking competes with sightseeing. It doesn’t make sense to me to pass through Aosta, Pavia, Piacenza, Pontremoli, Pietrasanta without making opportunity to enjoy them. And that’s before you hit the major destinations like a Lucca, San Gim and Siena. The conflict between tourist and pilgrim is difficult to balance.

I think that even if you are determined to focus on your pilgrimage, it is s less peaceful one, although filled with religious significance.