Six things you need to know about the Via Francigena

[Anna&Michael]

We stepped out of Canterbury in May last year and walked our way towards Rome, arriving 83 days and 2,000 km later. We're both in our 60's, have only a little French, no Italian and, live on the other side of the world (Australia).
We not only managed to get to Rome, we enjoyed the entire journey. So we put together some learnings from our trip in the hope that they may be of assistance to you e.g. Why? When? Where to stay and how much will it cost? Will you cope without fluent French and Italian? And, how to plan for such a journey

If you're considering this grand adventure, then we hope that these six things may be helpful:

Buon cammino a tutti!

 

[Richmond Gardner]

You are clearly a lovely couple leading a thoughtful and outgoing existence ! Congratulations on a great emergence from the pandemic.

 

[BillW]

I enjoyed the post. Thanks. I'm thinking of a 2024 Via Francigena pilgrimage (Lusanne to Rome).

Option #1: Plan to cross the pass in June (and walk through Italy in July).

Option #2: Plan to cross the pass in August (and walk through Italy in September).

Any thoughts people have on this would be appreciated.

 

[Levi]

Thank you. I'm planning to walk from Aosta to Rome this Autumn so soaking up all the information I can find!

 

[muddy-mama]

Thank you. I will be walking from Siena to Rome in April and will message you for your accommodation list.

 

[klimmo]

I enjoyed the post. Thanks. I'm thinking of a 2024 Via Francigena pilgrimage (Lusanne to Rome).

Option #1: Plan to cross the pass in June (and walk through Italy in July).

Option #2: Plan to cross the pass in August (and walk through Italy in September).

Any thoughts people have on this would be appreciated.

Hi,
I'd say go for option 2. Autumn is spectacular here, and summer has become hot the last couple of years. Option 3 go for september crossing could be bordering on perfect.

buon camino

 

[sillydoll]

Many people walk from Aosta or Pont St Martin to Rome in Spring, then fly to Switzerland and walk from Geneva or Lausanne to Aosta in June when the pass has opened. You can also walk it from Rome to Switzerland. This is the way Sigeric wrote his diary - From Rome to the Channel.

 

[Bradypus]

You can also walk it from Rome to Switzerland. This is the way Sigeric wrote his diary - From Rome to the Channel.

On the night I stayed in the monastery guest house at St Martin my host at dinner with the community was the recently-retired abbot. He told me that since his abbey is pretty much halfway along the VF he had made two journeys: from home to Rome and from home to Canterbury!

 

[grayland]

Thanks to @Anna&Michael for posting the link to their great site these six things may be helpful:
We found it to be inspiring and detailed enough to rekindle our interest in Canterbury to Rome. We have done many Spanish, French and Portugal caminos and even walked the start of the Way of St Frances from Florence to Assisi before havng to abort before reaching Rome.

 

[Canche]

I

I enjoyed the post. Thanks. I'm thinking of a 2024 Via Francigena pilgrimage (Lusanne to Rome).

Option #1: Plan to cross the pass in June (and walk through Italy in July).

Option #2: Plan to cross the pass in August (and walk through Italy in September).

Any thoughts people have on this would be appreciated.

I think weather would be better in the fall. No so hot. I always do my traveling in the fall. Better weather and not so crowded. Buen Camino

 

[Bowmanfamily36]

We stepped out of Canterbury in May last year and walked our way towards Rome, arriving 83 days and 2,000 km later. We're both in our 60's, have only a little French, no Italian and, live on the other side of the world (Australia).
We not only managed to get to Rome, we enjoyed the entire journey. So we put together some learnings from our trip in the hope that they may be of assistance to you e.g. Why? When? Where to stay and how much will it cost? Will you cope without fluent French and Italian? And, how to plan for such a journey

If you're considering this grand adventure, then we hope that these six things may be helpful:

Buon cammino a tutti!
View attachment 141075

Thank you for posting. Two questions if we may. How did the VF compare to your other walks and where is your next adventure?

 

[MichaelC]

I have devoured your journal - thanks for sharing it!

 

[Anna&Michael]

Thank you for posting. Two questions if we may. How did the VF compare to your other walks and where is your next adventure?

Apologies for the delay in responding.
it's a very different experience to the Camino Francis and degrees different from the Via de la Plata. Especially in France, it's quieter, with fewer pilgrims, and less infrastructure (albergues, even hotels and restaurants). We went days without seeing other pilgrims. It's also a less fixed route (especially in France) so there are options to choose from (or sometimes that have to be taken becasue of a lack of accommodation). So. it's a bit more of an adventure and if you're comfortable with your own company, it's to be enjoyed.
We're just finalising plans to return to Rome and walk the Via Francigena Sud, south to Saint Maria di Leuce, starting in April. It felt like the right time to return and continue the journey.
Buen Camino

 

[Anna&Michael]

I

I think weather would be better in the fall. No so hot. I always do my traveling in the fall. Better weather and not so crowded. Buen Camino

Personally, Option #1 looks like a better bet. While we crossed in June and then had some very hot weather, it's more likely to be very hot in August. August is also the Italian holiday season and we understand that some places are likely to be deserted becasue everyone's gone on holiday and other super crowded for the same reason.

 

[Anna&Michael]

On the night I stayed in the monastery guest house at St Martin my host at dinner with the community was the recently-retired abbot. He told me that since his abbey is pretty much halfway along the VF he had made two journeys: from home to Rome and from home to Canterbury!

The Abbott is correct, St Martin is (about) halfway. Although as we note in our `Six Things you need to know...', there are varying estimates of both the length of the route and its halfway point. For us, 2,000 km was a nice round number to explain to people how far we were walking and St Bernards Pass really felt like the physical and psychological halfway point.