During the Roman Empire a vast network of routes to Rome were built. These roads totaled more than 250,000 miles and were said to be an origin of the phrase, “All Roads Lead to Rome.” After over 600 miles of trekking, we had six stages left until our own hiking “road” led us to Rome.
Our hiking through the heart of the Tuscany region was a highlight of the entire Via Francigena trek for us. But we still had another UNESCO World Heritage Site and several more hill towns to explore before arriving at Europe’s largest volcanic lake in the Lazio region.
The Tuscany region is one of the most famous places in Italy. Upon reaching the historic city of Lucca and taking a rest day, we set off to trek into the heart of Tuscany, with a series of charming and iconic hill towns awaiting us at the end of each of our stages.
The Apennine Mountains extend about 750 miles along the length of Italy. As we hiked in the rain and fog, we needed to continually consider whether we could trek on the mountain trails, skip ahead some stages, or take “the road less traveled” to make our way to Rome.
When we planned our Via Francigena hiking break, we hoped to use it as a time to rest and recover. While we relaxed, we were fascinated by the history and culture of each place, as well as the natural beauty that we saw. But after three weeks of travel, it was time to bid a fond farewell to the Balkans.
Throughout history, the Balkans have been at a crossroads of cultures, encompassing a mixture of ethnic groups, as well as the religions of Islam, Orthodox Christianity, and Catholic Christianity. To journey through the Balkans, we booked a series of buses and trains to take us from Albania to Croatia over three weeks.
After six stages and 93.6 miles of trekking to the Po River, we only had 72.4 miles to go before reaching the Apennine Mountains. Not only would we hit the halfway mark of our 700-mile trek at the mountain foothills, but we would also arrive at our second trail break.
While trekking in the rural Po Valley we would experience some of the hottest temperatures of our entire 700-mile trek. Some hikers skip these stages, either because of the combination of heat and humidity or because hiking through endless farmland is “too boring.” But we decided to “take the long way to Rome” and trek this section anyway.
One of the advantages of seeing the world by foot is experiencing the changes in scenery as you hike. After crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass from Switzerland to Italy, we trekked through another great scenery change from the high mountains of the Alps to the flatlands of the fertile Po Valley.
In 2018, we completed four treks in Europe, with our final hike taking us across the country of Switzerland. Almost exactly six years later, we returned to Montreux to begin another journey: a 700-mile trek on the Via Francigena to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, adjacent to Rome, Italy.
Whenever we prepare to travel, we research the cultural and natural significance of the locations that we plan to visit, in order to better appreciate the things we will see. However, we have also learned to open our eyes to new discoveries that may unfold around us. This is especially true when we are trekking at a slower pace.
Between 1387 and 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. The Pilgrims’ Way route traces the path that pilgrims, such as Chaucer’s fictional characters, historically took toward the Canterbury Cathedral to view the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. We crafted a 100-mile route from London, including a spur to the historic town of Rochester.
