Via Francigena Lucca to Rome in the winter

[Simperegrina]

Wondering whether anyone has experience of walking Lucca to Rome in Dec or Jan months?

Thanks.

 

[andycohn]

We walked the last sections, from Viterbo to Rome, from December 6-10, 2018. Pleasant walking weather. Daytime highs were in the '50's, sometimes touching 60 (fahrenheit). Much colder at night, of course, and it was pitch dark by 5PM, so you might want to shoot for shorter days to have time to tour some of the gorgeous towns en route -- Lucca itself, Siena, San Miniato, San Gimignano, Viterbo, etc. It will be colder in the Tuscany sections, which I walked a few years later in the fall. According to weatherspark.com, average December - January highs in Lucca are in the low '50's. Slightly cooler in Siena, which is more inland and a bit higher up. Less rain, also, than in fall. And a great thing about walking in the winter is that you'll have these places to yourself, free from the crowds. Don't expect to see many (any) walkers, though.

If you want more information -- a logistical / resource guide I put together, and an itinerary -- let me know.

 

[Simperegrina]

We walked the last sections, from Viterbo to Rome, from December 6-10, 2018. Pleasant walking weather. Daytime highs were in the '50's, sometimes touching 60 (fahrenheit). Much colder at night, of course, and it was pitch dark by 5PM, so you might want to shoot for shorter days to have time to tour some of the gorgeous towns en route -- Lucca itself, Siena, San Miniato, San Gimignano, Viterbo, etc. It will be colder in the Tuscany sections, which I walked a few years later in the fall. According to weatherspark.com, average December - January highs in Lucca are in the low '50's. Slightly cooler in Siena, which is more inland and a bit higher up. Less rain, also, than in fall. And a great thing about walking in the winter is that you'll have these places to yourself, free from the crowds. Don't expect to see many (any) walkers, though.

If you want more information -- a logistical / resource guide I put together, and an itinerary -- let me know.

Thank you! Just sent you a message

 

[andycohn]

Thank you! Just sent you a message

Got it. I'm attaching the resources guide and the itinerary. Btw, Gronze is, by far, the best source of information on accommodations, better than the guidebooks and the official app, though those are useful, too. The itinerary also includes some suggestions if you want to avoid some less attractive sections. Note that the itinerary is based on a walk we did in the fall of 2021 when many (if not most) of the hostels were still closed because of covid. The situation is better now.

 

[mickoconnor7]

We walked the last sections, from Viterbo to Rome, from December 6-10, 2018. Pleasant walking weather. Daytime highs were in the '50's, sometimes touching 60 (fahrenheit). Much colder at night, of course, and it was pitch dark by 5PM, so you might want to shoot for shorter days to have time to tour some of the gorgeous towns en route -- Lucca itself, Siena, San Miniato, San Gimignano, Viterbo, etc. It will be colder in the Tuscany sections, which I walked a few years later in the fall. According to weatherspark.com, average December - January highs in Lucca are in the low '50's. Slightly cooler in Siena, which is more inland and a bit higher up. Less rain, also, than in fall. And a great thing about walking in the winter is that you'll have these places to yourself, free from the crowds. Don't expect to see many (any) walkers, though.

If you want more information -- a logistical / resource guide I put together, and an itinerary -- let me know.

Thanks for the information - hoping to do that route in 24 having done Lucca to Sienna which was brilliant
Thanks again

 

[Simperegrina]

Got it. I'm attaching the resources guide and the itinerary. Btw, Gronze is, by far, the best source of information on accommodations, better than the guidebooks and the official app, though those are useful, too. The itinerary also includes some suggestions if you want to avoid some less attractive sections. Note that the itinerary is based on a walk we did in the fall of 2021 when many (if not most) of the hostels were still closed because of covid. The situation is better now.

Thank you.

 

[J Willhaus]

Got it. I'm attaching the resources guide and the itinerary. Btw, Gronze is, by far, the best source of information on accommodations, better than the guidebooks and the official app, though those are useful, too. The itinerary also includes some suggestions if you want to avoid some less attractive sections. Note that the itinerary is based on a walk we did in the fall of 2021 when many (if not most) of the hostels were still closed because of covid. The situation is better now.

Hi @andycohn ,
I am not able to download your pdf files from your previous post for some reason. My husband and I are thinking of doing some Italy travel time next winter prior to our Spain volunteering and walking. Can you possibly repost or send them to me in a pm? We are thinking of walking Lucca to Siena.

 

[J Willhaus]

Here you go! It's a great stretch of the trail. Iconic Tuscany. I'm attaching the documents as word files this time. If you still have problems, pm me with your real world email, and I'll forward them that way. Andy

Thank you, but there are no files attached.

 

[andycohn]

Thank you, but there are no files attached.

Weird. I'm trying again. Wouldn't let me add a word file, so attaching PDF files again. If you can't open these, pm me your email address.

 

[J Willhaus]

Weird. I'm trying again. Wouldn't let me add a word file, so attaching PDF files again. If you can't open these, pm me your email address.

Perfect! Worked fine this time!

 

[J Willhaus]

Ok, another question about winter. I received my Sandy Brown guide and will look into getting the more updated English language Italian published one that is not as easily available in the US.

Looks like quite a few winter lodging options even between the indicated stages. Was this your experience? The SB guide recommends calling ahead the day before and there are a few places where he recommends calling a few days ahead.

We'll need to break the Lucca to Siena stretch down into much shorter stages and do it over 10 days or so as Phil just can't do longer stages and I don't really want to. If bag transport is available in winter we can transport his bag and I can carry the 2 CPAP's, meds, and other essentials, but it wasn't clear that transfers are available year round. If I find out, I will post that here.

If we can do this stretch in February 2025, maybe we can come back and eventually walk on into Rome the next year.