ARRIVEDERCI ROMA . Homeward Bound.

Final thoughts on the Via Francigena from Siena to Roma.

…” but as pilgrims no longer each of us for ourselves but walking alongside one another…”

The church adjacent to Domus Sessoriana .

The Via Francigena has been both enjoyable and challenging in equal measures. The scenery, the waymarking and conditions underfoot ( for the most part ), very good. The challenge was not so much the walking,although there were anticipated ups and downs; the heat at times, usually towards the end of a stage ,was strength sapping . We were informed that it was unusually high for this time of year,albeit for the second year on the trot – climate change?

“Pain is a part of life. Sometimes it’s a big part, and sometimes it isn’t, but either way, it’s part of the big puzzle, the deep music, the great game. Pain does two things: It teaches you, tells you that you’re alive. Then it passes away and leaves you changed. It leaves you wiser, sometimes. Sometimes it leaves you stronger. Either way, pain leaves its mark, and everything important that will ever happen to you in life is going to involve it in one degree or another.”
― Jim Butcher, White Night

Walking to somewhere, or walking away from something?

VIA FRANCIGENA

It is not a trail for beginners or the faint hearted. There are few facilities, Eg cafes, fountains , between towns and villages – this was the case in both Tuscany and Lazio. This makes it a different experience to Spanish Caminos. The guidance and advice is well informed – carry lots of water and snacks. This would seem to be an insurmountable problem for the Francigena as there are not enough pilgrims ,IE footfall ,to make a cafe/ bar feasible in predominant rural areas. There are not enough places to rest ,often not even a grassy bank. This could be achieved and would make a difference, plus more fountains.

LOGISTICS – it is possible to arrange the Via Francigena independently,however, luggage transfer would need to be arranged if you are no longer capable carrying 11 KG on your shoulders – it is not the bargain that the Spanish Correos provides. There are Apps.available and I found the pocket-Sized Cicerone guide to be very reliable when needed – signage was good except exiting from a couple of towns. We used a company called SLOWAYS for transfers, B/B accommodation and luggage transport.

There are stickers on posts along the way,too. We found the Italian people we met – hotels,bars,shops, asking the way – to be very gracious and helpful,often with a sense of humour. English is the lingua franca in Italy and it was only dinner menus that were sometimes perplexing! The food and drink was exceptionally good and it’ s worth spending a little more to escape continual pizza/pasta meals,delicious as they are.We found that regardless of what we paid for a meal or a panini,it was always delicious and good value.

Fish is not all that common so grab it when you can.

The underfoot conditions were good in the main, plenty of gravel roads in the countryside. The scenery was magnificent , especially in Tuscany

The villages and towns along the way were interesting with many medieval centres

Wild flowers everywhere except for the last couple days nearing Rome.

Information boards were presented in Italian & English

We were fortunate in having a couple of evenings where there was a festival taking place which added to the atmosphere- everyone enjoying themselves and no dorks in evidence.

NUMBERS – This is a very crowd free walk. We met one group of Australians a couple of times. A group of French pilgrims once,early on.We rubbed along with Karl from Oz on a few occasions, as he seemed to have the same accommodation as us. Otherwise, very few walkers- an occasional couple now and then. I would advise against walking solo simply because of the remoteness on some stretches and it’s not unknown for someone to have a fall, or some such calamity – have a companion . Pleased to say that our group of six came through unscathed, although one or two days were “ bussed” to relieve pains in the joints. Some longer stages were shortened if there was too challenging a descent. At this point it is worth remarking that especially in Tuscany, taxis were not that plentiful. On the plus side, local transport is good and extremely cheap – fares were €1.50 – 2.00 at most. You can obtain tickets at Tabacchis, although drivers seemed happy to allow you on board regardless,if you were a pilgrim,as it was not always possible to buy a ticket on board.

ROME It’s a two day trek into Rome,broken up in one of the outlying suburbs. There is an immediate change in both the environment and the traffic, which becomes noticeably more frantic as you near the capital. Rome is a wonderful city; it has it all:- Art,Culture,History ,Architecture and the Vatican. It would take days to really do justice to the sights,museums and its parks. We were quite overwhelmed at first, by the crowds,noticeably at St Peter’s and later by any famous monument,eg the Colosseum.Factor in the heat and instead of being enjoyable,it can become daunting so it is best to go in as early as possible and in retrospect June – September to be avoided.

FAVOURITE PHOTOS

I asked the group to send me some of their favourite photos, so what follows is a parade…and in no particular order!