- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023: Via Francigena, Lucca to Rome
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Hope to walk this route soon.Well this just looks wonderful: This past June a pilgrim's association in Sicily inaugurated the Magna Via Francigena between Palermo and Agrigento.
The English version of the website is still in Italian ... but here are the basics:
And here's the video that caught my attention: Il cammino di Sicilia
- It was one of the four great roads in Sicily under the Normans
- It's 180 km, divided into nine stages of 20 to 26 km.
- They have a credenziali that allows you access to pilgrim services
- They have a testimonium for those who walk 100 km, or bike 150 km
- Signs are 'in the process of being put up.'
- There's no baggage service yet.
- The via is more 'spiritual' and historical-cultural than religious. (Their words, not mine!)
... well I'm just falling right down the rabbit hole with this one. It looks like this is part of a larger project, the Cammini Francigeni di Sicilia, that has documented more historic routes on the island. My Italian isn't the best, but I get the impression that most of these aren't organized or developed.
And don't think official Italian would help - Sicilian is a very strong dialect that is barely understood by Northern Italians!Just when I have the hang of Spanish
I spent a month in Sicily once - I agree Palermo is outstanding and no Mafia or problems at all. Just lovely people. And Vesuvius., oh my!I spent three weeks in Sicily last fall and my husband, who is not prone to hyperbole (unlike his wife) pronounced it our best trip in 38 years of marriage. This camino goes from Palermo (which is a not to be missed city, don't think slums and mafia, think romanesque, great food, markets and museums!) to Agrigento (temple after temple after temple, amazing). But in summer it would be worse than Andalucia I think. And many of the most beautiful parts of Sicily are not on this route, though I imagine that there will be extensions.
Hi, a friend and I plan to hike the Magna via Francigena from Palermo to Agrigento in Mid-May. I am reading that there are some dangers to doing this. Do you have any comments me as to how safe it was to do this hike when you did it?. One issue I have read is that owners are letting their dogs run wild. Any information that can be provided will be appreciated. I am also interested in hearing your overall experiences df doing this trek, Thanks.I spent three weeks in Sicily last fall and my husband, who is not prone to hyperbole (unlike his wife) pronounced it our best trip in 38 years of marriage. This camino goes from Palermo (which is a not to be missed city, don't think slums and mafia, think romanesque, great food, markets and museums!) to Agrigento (temple after temple after temple, amazing). But in summer it would be worse than Andalucia I think. And many of the most beautiful parts of Sicily are not on this route, though I imagine that there will be extensions.
Sorry if I gave the impression that I have walked this route. My time in Sicily has been strictly as a car tourist. But it was a fabulous trip, so I imagine it is a great walk. What dangers are you reading about?Hi, a friend and I plan to hike the Magna via Francigena from Palermo to Agrigento in Mid-May. I am reading that there are some dangers to doing this. Do you have any comments me as to how safe it was to do this hike when you did it?. One issue I have read is that owners are letting their dogs run wild. Any information that can be provided will be appreciated. I am also interested in hearing your overall experiences df doing this trek, Thanks.
You should be fine with standard Italian - certainly that's going to be more useful than English! I haven't walked in Sicily in really remote areas but just traveling around some cities and towns, I had no problem with Italian.I'm thinking of doing this in May. It Iooks great! I speak very passable Italian, but am worried that won't work in Sicily. How do the hikers get by? Is there enough English spoken, or will they be tolerant in understanding my northern Italian?
It's true the Sicilian dialect is really dense, but the schools and national media are in standard Italian (actually the Florence dialect because that's the one Dante wrote in, I've heard), so almost everybody can understand and speak it. Sorry for the confusion, I was being flippant. I speak just a little Italian, and I couldn't understand the dialect, but simple questions and negotiations were fine. Lots of people speak English as well.I'm thinking of doing this in May. It Iooks great! I speak very passable Italian, but am worried that won't work in Sicily. How do the hikers get by? Is there enough English spoken, or will they be tolerant in understanding my northern Italian?
The Magna Via Francigena. There are 3 gpx different trails and an app "Magna Via Francigena" for Android.
If, post surgery, I cannot do a longer route to Santiago I am thinking of this route.
I had to cancel my trip last Spring but am due to start this on September 29. Anything special I should look out for? Wish me luck!!Well this just looks wonderful: This past June a pilgrim's association in Sicily inaugurated the Magna Via Francigena between Palermo and Agrigento.
The English version of the website is still in Italian ... but here are the basics:
And here's the video that caught my attention: Il cammino di Sicilia
- It was one of the four great roads in Sicily under the Normans
- It's 180 km, divided into nine stages of 20 to 26 km.
- They have a credenziali that allows you access to pilgrim services
- They have a testimonium for those who walk 100 km, or bike 150 km
- Signs are 'in the process of being put up.'
- There's no baggage service yet.
- The via is more 'spiritual' and historical-cultural than religious. (Their words, not mine!)
... well I'm just falling right down the rabbit hole with this one. It looks like this is part of a larger project, the Cammini Francigeni di Sicilia, that has documented more historic routes on the island. My Italian isn't the best, but I get the impression that most of these aren't organized or developed.
Hi Carole, Sorry, I can’t help you with your question, but I encourage you to post about your experiences after or during. It’s a route I’m very interested in, having spent some time in wonderful Sicily. Have a great time!I had to cancel my trip last Spring but am due to start this on September 29. Anything special I should look out for? Wish me luck!!
Thanks for the suggestion! Next on my list is the Via Francigena starting at St. Bernard's Pass.@carol0454 If you are interested walk in Italy, take a look to "Cammino del Salento" (I completed it last week) from Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca or "Cammino Materano" from Bari to Matera. Ciao
Thanks so much for all this information!Hi, my name's Roberto, I'm Italian and live in the north of Italy (Milano). I'm also interested about MVF, but all I found abuout this way is in italian language.
I try to help you with my poor english.
@Stephan the Painter: Etna is in Sicily, Vesuvio is near Napoli. Is not the true "Lots of people speak English as well". Is hard find Italians speacks english out touristic places, but they are generally kindly and try to help you even if they don't understand your language.
@Annetom You see 3 gpx because one is for hike, one is for bike, one is for horse.
Here some useful information
Credenzial (Credenziale)
http://www.viefrancigenedisicilia.it/credenziale.php (some information are in english, Google translate is ok)
Stamps (timbro) (be careful with Google translate, Corleone become Lionheart)
Compostela (Testimonium in latin) (Google translate is ok)
Request gpx (Google translate is ok)
Accomodation (PDF file)
And now the big problem: last November the MVF was declared NOT SAFE because the dogs
(Google translate maybe ok but "sure" mean "safe")
They are guard dogs not farm dogs. Some are barky but chained. Others are roaming free (the gate is inexistent or open).
In March the MVF organization said the way is safe, but some pilgrims was attacked by dogs.
(Google translate maybe ok but sure mean safe)
So Carol, please please please, don't go alone and take spray pepper with you. If you can, change "Camino".
Ciaoby myself
Thanks for letting people know here. Since it was guard dogs, that are guarding a specific place, It would be interesting to know where the attacks happened? So a walker can be extra careful at those areas.And now the big problem: last November the MVF was declared NOT SAFE because the dogs
(Google translate maybe ok but "sure" mean "safe")
They are guard dogs not farm dogs. Some are barky but chained. Others are roaming free (the gate is inexistent or open).
In March the MVF organization said the way is safe, but some pilgrims was attacked by dogs.
(Google translate maybe ok but sure mean safe)
So Carol, please please please, don't go alone and take spray pepper with you. If you can, change "Camino".
Ciao
LOL... when I was in Sicily this summer - I flew into Palermo and then thought - I will just walk the coast towards Catania and see how far I get. Well - not only was it too hot (July) - but trying to walk in Palermo with their crazy traffic took that idea right out of my mind! Walking in Palermo was insane and stressful. And having crossing lights for pedestrians didn't help at all.
Still - I would love to do this hike someday - but I need to make sure it is a cooler month and I still don't think I will want to walk IN Palermo! I mean - by the time I left the city I was doing better at stepping into traffic that was coming at me while praying they actually stop lol - but I still didn't love it. Catania was much easier/safer to walk in though. And I am sure it isn't so bad on the country roads in between Agrigento/Palermo - Palermo is just the worst city I have ever tried walking in. And I have walked in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, etc... never was I as stressed about attempting to cross a busy street as Palermo!
Off topic…nothing to do with SicilyHi, my name's Roberto, I'm Italian and live in the north of Italy (Milano). I'm also interested about MVF, but all I found abuout this way is in italian language.
I try to help you with my poor english.
@carol0454 If you are interested walk in Italy, take a look to "Cammino del Salento" (I completed it last week) from Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca or "Cammino Materano" from Bari to Matera. Ciao
Sounds amazing! I have travelled in Puglia (and Matera) but not as a pilgrim, which always adds an extra dimension or two. And having just walked the Via di Francesco, I’m all about walking in Italy at the moment, so this sounds like a great option for the future!At the half way point, I cannot recommend Cammino Materano highly enough.
Hi Carol,I completed the path yesterday. It was lovely! I saw plenty of dogs but absolutely no problem. Most were inside fences, a very few chained up, a handful watching over their sheep and a couple came to say hello. It was totally safe! I am very familiar with lots of dogs so that may have helped.
Regardless, I encourage others to do it!
Roberto,Hi, my name's Roberto, I'm Italian and live in the north of Italy (Milano). I'm also interested about MVF, but all I found abuout this way is in italian language.
I try to help you with my poor english.
@Stephan the Painter: Etna is in Sicily, Vesuvio is near Napoli. Is not the true "Lots of people speak English as well". Is hard find Italians speacks english out touristic places, but they are generally kindly and try to help you even if they don't understand your language.
@Annetom You see 3 gpx because one is for hike, one is for bike, one is for horse.
Here some useful information
Credenzial (Credenziale)
http://www.viefrancigenedisicilia.it/credenziale.php (some information are in english, Google translate is ok)
Stamps (timbro) (be careful with Google translate, Corleone become Lionheart)
Compostela (Testimonium in latin) (Google translate is ok)
Request gpx (Google translate is ok)
Accomodation (PDF file)
And now the big problem: last November the MVF was declared NOT SAFE because the dogs
(Google translate maybe ok but "sure" mean "safe")
They are guard dogs not farm dogs. Some are barky but chained. Others are roaming free (the gate is inexistent or open).
In March the MVF organization said the way is safe, but some pilgrims was attacked by dogs.
(Google translate maybe ok but sure mean safe)
So Carol, please please please, don't go alone and take spray pepper with you. If you can, change "Camino".
Ciao
The area around Agrigento is fascinating!We are walking it in late April. Also interested in tips about accommodations and “must sees”. I’ve heard The Valley of Temples outside Agrigento is not to be missed.
Sicily was conquered and ruled by the Normans for a couple hundred years in the Middle Ages, & I think the “Francigena” in this case refers to it being a Norman route.I keep on getting annoyed by this use of "Francigena" for some pilgrimage routes, maybe hiking ones, having nothing to do with any Via Romea routes and having nothing to do with France (Francigena meaning literally "from France"), though to be fair the southern Italian routes heading towards Greece, Jerusalem, etc through Rome do have a better claim to it.
It clearly derives from the mistaken, and modern notion that the Way to Rome is "the Francigena", whereas that name is proper only to those routes coming from France itself, whether "starting" in Canterbury or the mountain route from Arles, or variants thereof.Sicily was conquered and ruled by the Normans for a couple hundred years in the Middle Ages, & I think the “Francigena” in this case refers to it being a Norman route.
I keep on getting annoyed by this use of "Francigena" for some pilgrimage routes, maybe hiking ones, having nothing to do with any Via Romea routes and having nothing to do with France (Francigena meaning literally "from France"), though to be fair the southern Italian routes heading towards Greece, Jerusalem, etc through Rome do have a better claim to it.
What next, start calling the traditional Via Romea routes from Germany and Poland "Francigena" as well ?
The Via Magna Francigena is legitimately named: “… let us go back to Sicily and to the important rediscovery of an almost millenary itinerary, known by Christians and Muslims, Romans and Byzantines, Moors and Normans: the Magna Via Francigena. As its continental sister, the route gets its name by the fact it was officialised as an itinerary by the Normans (who were, alas, French). First attested in a Greek language document dating 1096, this 160 km-long route historically connected the Arab Balarm to the rock of Agrigentum, Palermo to Agrigento…”. A route to Rome and an important link from Northern Africa. Utilized by pilgrims, as well as traders, merchants etc.
Hi Dan,Hi Carol,
I'll be doing this walk in March, I'd love to know if you have any recommendations for future travellers such as myself. What were some the highlights of the trip? Are there any accommodation and food outlets that you would particularly recommend? How easy was it to find water along the route?
Thanks,
Dan
I should be there early May - So far I have zero maps/ accommodation ideas. If you have any thing of use it would be greatly appreciated.Hi Dan,
Hopefully you can see these photos. I've skipped including ones of Palermo & Agrigento. I enjoyed being in the heart of Sicily & it's very rural. I'm fascinated by the diverse history of invasion of the Island- Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Normans.
I did a self guided tour & was very glad I had the app with directions. The towns are small. They're excited about getting the trail on the map, but it's taking time.
The people are very friendly! Knowing Italian is valuable, but Google translate will help.
Feel free to reach out if you want more info!
Magna Via Francigena photos
Hi,I should be there early May - So far I have zero maps/ accommodation ideas. If you have anything to use it would be greatly appreciated.
I had the app with directions --- Hu - What was the app that you used.Hi Dan,
Hopefully you can see these photos. I've skipped including ones of Palermo & Agrigento. I enjoyed being in the heart of Sicily & it's very rural. I'm fascinated by the diverse history of invasion of the Island- Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Normans.
I did a self guided tour & was very glad I had the app with directions. The towns are small. They're excited about getting the trail on the map, but it's taking time.
The people are very friendly! Knowing Italian is valuable, but Google translate will help.
Feel free to reach out if you want more info!
Magna Via Francigena photos
It is on my “Bucket” list!Hi,
First of all, it's awesome, but not very well marked, although they're hard at work on it! I did a self guided trip so I wouldn't have to carry my bag. I think more & more maps are coming out. It's very rural, nothing like the Camino. I really preferred it this way. I do speak some Italian which was very helpful but I think google translate will work. The people are so friendly! I only saw 8 other piklgrims to whole way.
I got my first stamp at the hostel in Palermo.
I did it in a 7 day walking trip, after spending a couple of days in Palermo. I got a ride out to Santa Cristina & then walked to Corleone (19km) stayed at Leone D'Oro. Day 2 Corleone to Prizzi (19km) The House of Kokalo. Day 3 Prizzi to Cammarata (24km) Casale Margherita Day 4 Cammarata to Sutera (15km),A B&B -can't remember the name Day 5- Sutera to Racalmuto (23km)Hotel Regalpietra Day 7 Racamuto to Aragona (12km) then train to Agrigento, Colleverde Park Hotel - 1 night then to an airbnb for 4 nights.
I absolutely loved it, again partially because it didn't have so many people. Feel free to get in touch if you want more info
Have you tried to cross roads in Ho Chi Minh city, well the 90s in particular was really scary.LOL... when I was in Sicily this summer - I flew into Palermo and then thought - I will just walk the coast towards Catania and see how far I get. Well - not only was it too hot (July) - but trying to walk in Palermo with their crazy traffic took that idea right out of my mind! Walking in Palermo was insane and stressful. And having crossing lights for pedestrians didn't help at all.
Still - I would love to do this hike someday - but I need to make sure it is a cooler month and I still don't think I will want to walk IN Palermo! I mean - by the time I left the city I was doing better at stepping into traffic that was coming at me while praying they actually stop lol - but I still didn't love it. Catania was much easier/safer to walk in though. And I am sure it isn't so bad on the country roads in between Agrigento/Palermo - Palermo is just the worst city I have ever tried walking in. And I have walked in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, etc... never was I as stressed about attempting to cross a busy street as Palermo!
No... never been there, so I will take your word for it! So far for me - Palermo has been the scariest. I remember some of the very early video games... there was one called "leaper" where the frog had to try to cross the road avoiding all the oncoming traffic... I felt like I was that frog!Have you tried to cross roads in Ho Chi Minh city, well the 90s in particular was really scary.
I will be a couple of weeks behind you - I will look forward to your posts on any recommendations - Have a great walk.The area around Agrigento is fascinating!
I saw no aggressive dogs last fall. Some were tied up, some stayed close to their houses, and some came to say hello. All were friendly. Hope you enjoy the trek as much as I did!We start the MVF in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it, apart from reports of aggressive guard dogs on parts of the trail. Hoping the issue has been addressed by the time we start.
Am not walking at the moment, however I visited Agrigento years ago and loved it! No walking until my new hip has really settled andI will be a couple of weeks behind you - I will look forward to your posts on any recommendations - Have a great walk.
I spent three weeks in Sicily last fall and my husband, who is not prone to hyperbole (unlike his wife) pronounced it our best trip in 38 years of marriage. This camino goes from Palermo (which is a not to be missed city, don't think slums and mafia, think romanesque, great food, markets and museums!) to Agrigento (temple after temple after temple, amazing). But in summer it would be worse than Andalucia I think. And many of the most beautiful parts of Sicily are not on this route, though I imagine that there will be extensions.
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