The Via Francigena follows the footsteps of Sigeric the Serious, Archbishop of Canterbury, who walked the way to Rome and back to be consecrated by the Pope at the end of the 10th century.

History

The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route. To pilgrims headed south, it was the Via Romea; to those headed north, the Via Francigena.

The pilgrimage to Rome

The Via Francigena was the major medieval pilgrimage route to Rome from the north; even today pilgrims travel this route, but in far fewer numbers than the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago). The route was first documented as the “Lombard Way”, and was first called the “Frankish Route”, the Iter Francorum, in the Itinerarium sancti Willibaldi of 725, recording the travels of Willibald, bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria. The Via Francigena is first mentioned in the Actum Clusio, a parchment of 876 in the Abbey of San Salvatore al Monte Amiata (Tuscany). At the end of the 10th century Sigeric the Serious, the Archbishop of Canterbury, used the Via Francigena to and from Rome to be consecrated by the Pope; he recorded his route and his stops on the return journey, but nothing in the document suggests that the route was then new. Other itineraries include those of the Icelandic traveller Nikolás Bergsson (in 1154) and Philip Augustus of France (in 1191). Two somewhat differing maps of the route appear in manuscripts of Matthew Paris – Historia Anglorum – from the 13th century.

In 1985 the Italian archaeologist of roads, Giovanni Caselli, retraced the itinerary as described by Archbishop Sigeric. The Welshman Rhodri Mawr in AD 880 and his grandson Howell the Good in 945 are both known to have visited Rome towards the end of their lives, but it is not known whether they went by land or by the dangerous and pirate-infested sea route via Gibraltar. Reports of journeys before Sigeric can only be apocryphal. We may be quite certain that the Benedictine St Thierry, known as William of St Thierry, used the roads towards Rome on several occasions at the end of the 11th century. The return journey by sea was likely to be easier, thanks to the prevailing south-westerly winds, but tacking down to the Mediterranean would have made a very long journey indeed. A statement that a historical figure “died in Rome” may have been a historical falsity, but a metaphorical truth.

The Via Francigena was not a single road, like a Roman road, paved with stone blocks and provided at intervals with a change of horses for official travellers. Rather, it comprised several possible routes that changed over the centuries as trade and pilgrimage developed and waned. Depending on the time of year, political situation, and relative popularity of the shrines of saints along the route, travellers may have used any of three or four crossings of the Alps and the Apennines. The Lombards financed the maintenance and defence of the section of road through their territories as a trading route to the north from Rome, avoiding enemy-held cities such as Florence. Unlike Roman roads, the Via Francigena did not connect cities, but relied more on abbeys.

Today

Today some pilgrims still follow in Sigeric’s ancient footsteps to Rome on foot, on horseback or by bicycle. However, they are far fewer than on the Way of St. James pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Consequently there is far less in the way of accommodation and other facilities for pilgrims along the route. Pilgrims in Italy often camp out rather than staying in hotels (which would prove very expensive over the weeks of the journey) though stays in pensions are a mid-priced option.

Walkers could choose to walk along the Eurovelo EV5 cycling route (named the ‘Via Francigena’) when this is finished. However, it varies substantially from the route given by the VF Association.

Recent developments

In 1994 the Via Francigena was designated a European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe.

In November 2005, Italian politician Romano Prodi announced that he would revitalize the Via Francigena if elected Prime Minister in the 2006 election.

On 11 August 2007 a group of 27 cyclists, including several members of Canterbury City Council, set out from Canterbury Cathedral to ride the Via Francigena to Rome in 16 days. This was a charity ride to raise money for the restoration of the cathedral and for other causes.

In November 2009 the Italian government launched a project to recover the Italian leg of it. The object of the plan is to recover the entire route (disjointed parts of which are already signposted) “not only in spiritual and religious terms but also in terms of the environment, architecture, culture, history, wine and cuisine and sport.” The initiative was promoted by the Region of Tuscany, which hosts 400km of the Via, and which presented a plan detailing the low environmental impact infrastructures to be created. The plan[7] will be shared with other local authorities located along the route as an encouragement to carry out similar recovery work. Tuscany has also announced cooperation with the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (ORP), the Vatican’s organisation for encouriging pilgrimages.

Itinerary

The 80 stages in Sigeric’s itinerary averaged about 20 km a day, covering some 1700 km; they have helped to identify the route.

Having crossed the English Channel to Calais, or, following Sigeric’s example to Wissant, still called Sumeran (Sombres) by Sigeric, a pilgrim bound for Rome might stay in Gisne (Guines), Teranburh Thérouanne, Bruaei (Bruay), Atherats (Arras), Reims, Châlons-sur-Marne, Bar-sur-Aube, Langres, Besançon, Pontarlier, Lausanne and Saint-Maurice, then travel over the Great St. Bernard Pass to Aosta, Ivrea, Vercelli, Pavia, Fidenza, Aulla, Luni, Lucca, Poggibonsi, Siena, San Quirico, Bolsena, Viterbo and Sutri before reaching Rome. One of the best-known places on the Via Francigena is the Passum Padi in the municipality of Senna Lodigiana, where Sigeric crossed the Po River.

Essential information (important notes)

The Via Francigena is in many aspects different from the well-known European pilgrim roads going to Santiago de Compostela. It consists of 3 main sections, which are diverse. For your information some important things to note:

Accommodation:

In general, the road is passing through smaller settlements. You will encounter bigger towns very rarely (especially on the French and Swiss section). You won’t find official albergues in France and Switzerland on Via Francigena. In Italy there are some pilgrims’ hostels, but not as frequently as in Spain on the Camino. Arrange and plan this part of your pilgrimage thoroughly beforehand.

Crossing the Alps

For passing through the Alps, planning and apropriate conditions are needed. For this important issue see: Crossing the Alps.

Signs:

The French and Swiss sections are not signed. You will need to use GPS, map or guidebook for orientation.The GPS data and Google Earth data of the complete road can be downloaded from our website. There are signs on the Italian section, but they are diverse and misleading sometimes.

Language knowledge:

There are only a few pilgrims on the French and Swiss sections of Via Francigena. In most cases pilgrims should arrange their own food, accommodation and find the way themselves. It is indispensable to speak the language of the given area. Sometimes it is enough to know a few sentences, but the better you speak French, the more possibilities you will find out.

Food

On the French and Swiss section of Via Francigena pilgrims’ menu is not known. It is rarely known in Italy also. This way you should prepare your own food.

In general Via Francigena is very different from all known pilgrim roads. You need to preplan your way very thoroughly before you start walking.

Crossing the Alps

You need to meet certain requirements in order to be able to cross the Alps. For safe passing, you need to know the following

The section between Martigny and Orsières

The road is steep and vaguely marked. There is no safety chain and no maintenance. In case of bad weather conditions, this section cannot be used.

Do not start in rainy weather. The road is muddy, slippery; it passes steep valleys and ravines. You often have to hold on with both hands.
Elderly persons or people with heart problems should consider skipping this section. Climbing here can be physically strenuous.
This section can only be completed by pilgrims in good physical condition.
Take walking poles with you. Continuous up and downhill climbing is strenuous for the legs.
Although the distance may seem short, do not plan walking further than Orsières.
Sending your backpack ahead may be a good idea. Balancing with a heavy pack having no security chain on a steep path is difficult.
The alternative road runs along a busy main road in the valley. It has no emergency lane and takes a long time.

The Great Saint Bernard Pass

Under good weather conditions, the Great Saint Bernard Pass hospice can be reached within a few hours of steep climb from Bourg-Saint-Pierre. But also note:

You can climb the pass from the end of May (sometimes the beginning of June) until the end of October.
Do not try passing under snowy weather conditions.
When it is foggy and rainy, keep an eye on the signs and walk very carefully.
As an alternative, there is a concrete road to climb the pass.
If the pass is impassable, take the train from Orsières. For more information, see the links.

Elevation map

Walking from Canterbury to Rome is an amazing and challenging venture. Those who decide to make it need information about the hills, mountains, plains and passes not just regarding the distances but the elevation factors as well. The PDF you can download from this page helps to get to know the elevation profile of the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome. The route has been split into 50-to-70-km-long chunks all the way to Rome.

What you can see in the maps:

start and end towns for each section, as well as the major towns between the two
distance and elevation values
under the elevation graph you can find the number of the map: e.g. on page 3. at the second map: “Altitude map:6”
under the elevation graph you can find which sections covers the actual map. (The whole route is divided by numbered sections as KML GPS data that you can download as KML from here.) For example, on page 3, on the second map: “Sections VF16-18” means that the graph above covers the KML sections named VF16, VF17 and VF18, which you can download and study as a KML file.
under the number of the map you can occasionally find advice for a detour. For example, on page 3, on the second map: “To bypass 290m elevation choose: VF10A alternate route” means that to bypassing an unnecessary climb you can choose an alternative route named VF10A, which you can download and study as a KML file.

IMPORTANT: the height of the elevation maps is fixed, meaning the spikes of 500m elevation in one of the maps are at the same height as spikes of a 2000m in the other. So first study carefully the elevation scaling on the left side of the map, and make your decisions bearing that in mind.

Check our Frequently Asked Questions Page.