Padua, North Italy to Le Puy-en-Valley ?

[Fint71]

Hello,
I'm in early day dreaming stage of my plan to walk from the tomb of St Anthony, Padua, North Italy to the tomb of St James in Santiago.
My question is in regards a route to Le Puy from Padua. Do I follow the E7 long distance path and cut across country to Le Puy at some stage of it ?
I really want to join up with Le Puy as I started my 2011 Camino from there.
Anyone with knowledge of North Italy walking paths or has done this route please advise.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[MendiWalker]

That sounds like an awesome adventure. Do keep us all up to date on you walk.

Buen Camino!

 

[JabbaPapa]

You'll find very few who have walked this route, but I did once advise a pilgrim I met in Taizé who was off in the opposite direction to Rome, and I have hitch-hiked in the same general area.

It is not an "official" route, but it is a traditional one.

From Padova you head to Milan, via Vicenza, Verona, Brescia, Bergamo ; then down from Milan to Torino ; from there you follow the Francigena as far as Briançon in France ; where you leave it to head up to Grenoble ; from there it's an easy walk on the secondary route to Le Puy via Valence.

 

[Fint71]

You'll find very few who have walked this route, but I did once advise a pilgrim I met in Taizé who was off in the opposite direction to Rome, and I have hitch-hiked in the same general area.

It is not an "official" route, but it is a traditional one.

From Padova you head to Milan, via Vicenza, Verona, Brescia, Bergamo ; then down from Milan to Torino ; from there you follow the Francigena as far as Briançon in France ; where you leave it to head up to Grenoble ; from there it's an easy walk on the secondary route to Le Puy via Valence.

Many Thanks JabbaPapa,

I'll mark your route on a map and it should become much clearer to me. I know it would'nt be considered an "official" route but I always seem to find myself on 'the road less travelled'. I'll be camping every night of Camino, so I don't require much and I know what I need to do.
What would you consider a good month to start, regarding weather ? and how much of the route you mention is road walking ? Thanks.

 

[SYates]

... I know it would'nt be considered an "official" route but I always seem to find myself on 'the road less travelled'. I'll be camping every night of Camino, so I don't require much and I know what I need to do. What would you consider a good month to start, regarding weather ? ...

Isn't that great? Making your own Camino, the one YOU walk? The one thing you want to consider is when you want to hit Spain and that wouldn't be in July / August because of the masses of pilgrims! Are you better with hot or cold weather? From that you can count back to when to start. Buen Camino! SY

 

[Fint71]

Isn't that great? Making your own Camino, the one YOU walk? The one thing you want to consider is when you want to hit Spain and that wouldn't be in July / August because of the masses of pilgrims! Are you better with hot or cold weather? From that you can count back to when to start. Buen Camino! SY

I understand what you mean SY, I don't think i'll take the main route through Spain again. I'll branch off to the Northern route this time but I would like to walk through Italy at the end of winter/start of spring time. I just need to know when the temperatures rise above the 'freezing to death in a tent' stage and then i'll be set. I know that its getting harder and harder to predict seasons but hopefully some local knowledge will help.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Many Thanks JabbaPapa,

I'll mark your route on a map and it should become much clearer to me. I know it would'nt be considered an "official" route but I always seem to find myself on 'the road less travelled'. I'll be camping every night of Camino, so I don't require much and I know what I need to do.
What would you consider a good month to start, regarding weather ? and how much of the route you mention is road walking ? Thanks.

I really don't know about how much tarmac, though the whole area between Padova and the other side of the suburbs of Milan is liable to be mostly so ; though you will easily be able to follow smaller country roads from village to village. Torino and its suburbs are also heavily developed, but you may have an easier time locating a hiking path between the two cities.

From Torino onwards to Briançon you're on the Francigena, so you will definitely find hiking paths, as that whole section is AFAIK marked all the way from there to Compostela (via Arles). You could possibly even bump into some other pilgrims there ...

A little research on the French side from Briançon to Le Puy should turn up some decent routes to follow.

As for the weather, expect rain in most of that part of Italy, especially around Milan, until you're past Torino ; but don't be surprised if none arrives ; I would seriously advise you to start walking in the late Spring at the earliest ; Winter and early Spring are just freezing in that part of Italy. Either April or May would be good, you just need to time your arrival at Torino and over the Alps to be well outside of Winter, so I suppose that it depends mainly on your typical daily walking distance. The fresh food produce should be plentiful during that period too, which is of great importance when on pilgrimage in Italy (don't expect that you'll be losing any weight til you cross the Alps LOL)

 

[SYates]

... I'll branch off to the Northern route this time but I would like to walk through Italy at the end of winter/start of spring time. I just need to know when the temperatures rise above the 'freezing to death in a tent' stage and then i'll be set. ...

I second what JabbaPapa wrote above, especially as the time of your arrival doesn't matter too much if you take the northern route. The 'freezing to death in a tent' stage depends also on how hardy you are and how good your equipment is. I slept a January night in the Pyrenees once and didn't feel cold, but in the morning I realized I had forgotten my water bottle outside the tent and the had solid frozen over night! Also getting out of a, relatively warm, tent in the mornings into the cold takes some getting used to ;-) I personally would consider starting around Easter, Easter Sunday is the 20th April in 2014. And yes, take good rain gear, I remember one week of continuous rain in the Piedmont area that I will never forget ...

Buen Camino! SY

 

[Fint71]

Again, A big thanks JabbaPapa & SY,

Great info and sound advice.

My soul can block out 'the call' no longer !

 

[giorgio]

Have a look to this one
http://venicetosantiago.com/index.php#
looks like it will keep you away from tarmac. From Fidenza north you'll be on the Francigena for which there is plenty of guides and documentation.

 

[Fint71]

Have a look to this one
http://venicetosantiago.com/index.php#
looks like it will keep you away from tarmac. From Fidenza north you'll be on the Francigena for which there is plenty of guides and documentation.

Thanks for the link, that looks fantastic.
I will look deeper into this.