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In 2018 we traveled to Europe and completed four hikes in seven countries, totaling 500 miles. Our first trek was a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It exposed us to a wealth of historic and cultural sites. In 2023 we finished a similar trail closer to home when we trekked to all 21 California Missions, hiking 800 miles from San Diego to Sonoma. While reviewing trekking options for another European adventure this year, we discovered a lesser-known pilgrimage trek – the Via Francigena.
The Via Francigena (pronounced “Fran-CHEE-ge-na“) was an important route in medieval times for those who wanted to visit the Pope and see the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul. The trail today corresponds to the route of Sigeric the Serious, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who walked to Rome in around 990 AD and kept a journal of his travels.
Much less popular than the Camino de Santiago, the Via Francigena recorded about 50,000 trekkers in 2022, compared to over 400,000 who hiked one of the Camino routes that same year.
By Paulusburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The entire route, from Canterbury, England, to Rome, Italy, is a total of about 2,000 kilometers, or 1,240 miles long. Since we can only stay in Europe’s Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days, completing the entire route was not a possibility. So we decided to begin our trek from Montreux, Switzerland, where we ended our final Trekking Europe hike in 2018, and walk to Rome over 52 stages.
Our trek wil take us over Switzerland’s Great St Bernard Pass (8,100 feet) before descending to Italy’s Aosta Valley. From there, we will hike through a variety of historic areas, including several UNESCO World Heritage sites. After trekking through some farmland, we will traverse through the Apennines Mountains. As we near Rome, we will enter the famous Tuscany region, spending the night in medieval towns such as Lucca, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, and Siena.
To optimize our trekking weather for climbing over the Great St Bernard Pass in August and hiking most of Italy in the fall, we will also take a couple of extended hiking breaks. During one pause we will travel to the French Alps and Monaco for a few days. Our second break will take us to San Marino and the Balkan Peninsula to visit Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia over three-and-a-half weeks.
After about 700 miles of trekking from Montreux, we will complete the Via Francigena at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, adjacent to the city of Rome.
Before we begin our Via Francigena trek, we will hike another 100-mile path in England, called the Pilgrims’ Way. It is another historical route used by pilgrims from the cities of WInchester or London to reach the shrine of Thomas Becket in the Canterbury Cathedral. As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Becket was killed in the cathedral in 1170 by knights of King Henry II during a Church and Crown disagreement. Soon after, pilgrims began making the journey to Canterbury to view a Becket shrine.
The Pilgrims’ Way is also being integrated into the Via Francigena as an extension of the major Canterbury to Rome route. As there are many variants along the entire Via Francigena trail, we decided to incorporate the called “Francigena Britannica” extension path into our plans. We believe this trek will be a great warm-up for our longer hiking adventure.
As we hike in England, Switzerland, and Italy to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, we look forward to viewing diverse mountain, forest, lake, and stream scenery, as well as discovering the historic and cultural significance of this ancient path.
Read more about our journey below:
Learn about our Next Journey – Trekking on Europe’s Via Francigena
On the Trail (and Road) Again: Planning and Packing for the Via Francigena
During the past few years our travels have evolved into alternating between wilderness backpacking treks and long distance hikes between villages and towns. While they may seem like totally different trips, they require similar planning and preparation.
Walking in Chaucer’s Footsteps: Beginning the Pilgrims’ Way
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.
Opening our Eyes to Discovering Southeast England: Completing the Pilgrims’ Way
A Swiss Alp High: Beginning the Via Francigena
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.
From the Mountains to the Flatlands: the Via Francigena from the Great St Bernard Pass to the Po Valley
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.
Take the Long Way (to Rome): the Via Francigena through the Po Valley to the Po River
Hitting the Halfway Mark: the Via Francigena from the Po River to the Apennine Mountain Foothills
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.
A Balkans Journey by Ferry, Bus, and Train: Beginning Our Eastern European Break
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.
A Fond Farewell to the Balkans: Completing Our Eastern European Break
Trekking the Road Less Traveled: the Via Francigena through the Apennine Mountains to Lucca
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.
Under the Tuscan Rain and Sun: the Via Francigena from Lucca to Siena
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.
From Tuscany’s Hill Towns to Lazio’s Volcanic Lakes: the Via Francigena from Siena to Montefiascone
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.
All Roads Lead to Rome: Completing 700 Miles on the Via Francigena
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.