Via Francigena

[Chignecto]

I am beginning to do some planning to walk the last 900km of the Via Francigena. I have walked the Camino Frances and the Camino Portuguese so I have some idea of what to expect. However, there is much about the Via Francegina that I do not know. To that end I would like to know if there is a pilgrims forum like this one for the Via Francegina. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SYates]

The German pilgerforum.de has some very knowledgeable people that know the VF well, but that would be only of help to you if you speak some German ... SY

 

[unadara]

http://caminoist.org/
Sandy Brown is writing a new guide but it only covers one particular route, however he has written a lot about it on his blog and there are many blogs/entries on Internet under Canterbury to Rome?

 

[AJ]

Have a look at the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome website:

www.pilgrimstorome.org.uk

My "as walked" itinerary is in the member's section

 

[Caminobd]

I have hopes of doing this pilgrimage in my future as well. Pilgrimage Publications sells the Lightfoot Guide to the Via Francigina and it comes in ebooks. I have the first part of the guide that starts in Cantebury. I believe the books are in three parts. I am very pleased with the guide so far. The website URCamino gives advice on the VF, including an on line planner that covers the Italian portion and if you fill in the blanks on the planner, ie how far you are going to go a day and how much you are willing to pay for accommodation, it will give you names of places to stay in as well as an itinerary. Yahoo has a VF forum which is also very informative.

 

[petro]

Thank you for all this information! I am planning to walk Vercelli - Rome in 2016.

 

[Torrione]

There is no forum for the Via Francigena similar to this one, although I know many of the VF walkers visit this forum for the excellent practical information on gear etc. (I'm one of them). However, there is a friendly Facebook group that you might find useful. It has loads of good advice and discussions by people walking the VF in 2015. It also has a list of blogs.

The Lightfoot guide to the VF is, in my humble opinion, the best, if not the latest. It has routes for walkers, bikers and horses. Paul Chinn, the author covers the route regularly (he was out checking the San Bernard Pass bike route this month) and provides updates on his website. These include temporary closures, short-term route problems, etc, - the kind of current info you won't find in the guides. The latest Lightfoot guide is, I think, in its 6th edition, so it is well tried and tested. His guide includes GPS info and you can download the GPS waypoints from his website.

The newest English guide to the VF is the Cicerone one. It provides some cultural information - the Lightfoot cultural info is in a guide separate from the actual route guide. However, the Cicerone guide is not nearly as detailed as the Lightfoot one and often excludes stretches of the official route without a mention. You need to know that what is thought to be the original route in Italy is not necessarily the official route as promoted by the ViaFrancigene.org, which also has very useful info and up-todate info on accommodation on its website. The Cicerone guide is in its first edition and judging by comments in blogs, it is a good guide but some of the route details are inadequate. Also, the maps in the Cicerone guide are schematic and do not provide any information on the surrounding areas, making it tricky if you get lost.

For maps, look for Monica D'Atti's Via Francigena Cartography and GPS, which covers the Italian section. The map is made up of perforated sections so you just tear off the map for the next section you are walking, making it really easy to use. Somewhere I have info on maps of France and Switzerland, which I can dig out if you're interested.

I'm sure you already know that the VF is very different to the Camino. It is not nearly as well developed or signposted and accommodation can be difficult. There are no official figures, but I believe that while close on a quarter of a million people walked the Camino in 2014, estimates for the VF are under 10,000.

Good luck with the planning!

 

[sjagger]

I am beginning to do some planning to walk the last 900km of the Via Francigena. I have walked the Camino Frances and the Camino Portuguese so I have some idea of what to expect. However, there is much about the Via Francegina that I do not know. To that end I would like to know if there is a pilgrims forum like this one for the Via Francegina. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

We walked the VF from Martigny to Rome last spring and it was wonderful. The sign posting was pretty good for much of it and we never had any difficulty finding accommodation. Would be happy to send you our plans and answer specific questions.

 

[laurap]

I've walked the Via Francigena a few times, and have been very happy with the Lightfoot Guides. They are frequently updated and very detailed. I walked the route this past summer (2014), and the waymarking on the route was much improved--it is now very good for the majority of the route. There are also many places for accommodations. Like sjagger, I'd also be happy to provide you plans or answer any specific questions.

It's a great route--enjoy!

 

[petro]

I am pleased to hear that the waymarking has improved, that was a concern for me as I will probably walk solo.

 

[newfydog]

There is a superb website in Italian here:

http://www.movimentolento.it/it/

In particular, the blog of Christina Menghini

http://www.movimentolento.it/it/resource/trip/cristina-menghi-francigena-high-tech/

Google translate is your friend!

 

[EllenZimmer]

We walked the VF from Martigny to Rome last spring and it was wonderful. The sign posting was pretty good for much of it and we never had any difficulty finding accommodation. Would be happy to send you our plans and answer specific questions.

I am very interested in your experience last spring. I hope to walk the italian portion spring 2016. I have a few basic questions:
1. How expensive are the pilgrim accomodations? From what i've read i plan to take a tent and camp quite alot... Due to fewer accommodations and $$ they cost. What was your experience.

2. How easy was it to get food? On the camino Frances we carried only that days food and often could replenish either in the morning or in the evening at a market or bar.

3. How populated is the pilgrimage at this point? Did you go days without seeing another pilgrim?

Thanks so much for any experiences you can share!

Also, by the way, there is a new via francigena forum at

https://www.viafrancigena.me

Thanks,
Ellen