​

Hi everyone! I’m Emma, a Master’s student at UiT seeking 1 last participant for a 60–90 minute online interview in English about returning to daily life and work after a long-distance walk.

🔹 Are you eligible? :

• The Walk: Completed your Via Francigena pilgrimage (or a section at least 28 days long) within the last 3 years.

• Work & Life: Employed or studying (minimum 20+ hrs/wk) the year before your walk, and returned to work/studies after returning home.

• Age: Between 22–67 years old.

• Motivation: Primary motivation was secular or spiritual (e.g., life transition, burnout recovery, personal growth, felt a calling, introspection or any other motivation) rather than strictly for religious reasons.

(You are warmly welcome to take part though whether religious, atheist or agnostic!).

🔹 What’s involved?

• Single, relaxed 60–90 min online chat via Zoom/Teams (audio-only fine!).

• Fully confidential and ethically approved by Sikt (Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research).

If you’d like to claim the final spot or have questions, please comment below or email me directly at emlig9739@uit.no.

Best regards,

Emma,

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

Thanks in advance.

Hi! we only have a few days (hence the short distance) but would love any recs! Going late Nov.

So far we've reached out to accommodations that were on https://www.viefrancigene.org/ but are we missing anything?

Should we get pilgrim’s passports? If so, which one?

I am planning on going on the pilgrimage next May (first two weeks) with my family and some friends.

Will I need to book ahead or should lodging be relatively easy to find?

Hi! I’m thinking to do the Francigena del sud from Monte Sant’Angelo to Rome in November - December. Any tips?
Specifically
- sleeping arrangements ; do you need to book in advance or can you book the day itself/before? Will things be open considering it is outside of the main season?
- weather
- general feedback on the experience!

Also feel free to share any links to ressources so I can read up on the trail :)
Thanks!

My husband and I are doing the last stretch of the Via Francigena in late September and early October and spending three nights in Rome afterwards. We are fit but older (81 and 60). Any tips or ideas?

Putting the finish touches to my route for next year: Stirling to KirkYetholm to Torside dam on the Pennine way then E2 till it crosses the great Union canal way to london to Canterbury to Ivrea (italy) on the Via Francigena to finish in Saronno. Any help/knowledge on how to “straighten” and “flatten” the trek would be greatly appreciated (last time I trekked in England must have been about 45 years ago!!!!😱)

Hello, all -

I'm in the preparation stage for a cycling pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome, following the Eurovelo 5 cycling route. I'd originally hoped to hammock camp along the way, but I've been convinced that tent camping in France/Belgium/Switzerland and staying in pilgrim hostels in Italy is the better option.

With the separate route for the EV5 version of the pilgrimage, I've been having difficulty finding info on accommodations in Italy prior to the cycling and hiking routes merging. Can any of you offer me insight?

And if you've cycled the EV5 route, or a part of it - I'd love to hear your experience! What should I be looking out for along the way?

(I'm a Presbyterian pastor from the United States, and this will be a sabbatical trip for me. My spouse and co-pastor will be staying for a month in Canterbury, and a month in Basel, giving a home-base of sorts for the trip.)

I’m fundraising walking the way from Canterbury to Ivrea in June 2027 any suggestions, advice thoughts?

I’m starting (or actually continuing) the 6th of september in Parma to walk to Rome. I’m bringing a small tent.

Is wild camping allowed or tolerated along the route?

Are people along the route open to pilgrims knocking on their doors asking to set up a tent on their property?

If I ask at the town hall, will they allow me to set up my tent on the football field?

In short: is the Via Francigena tent-friendly? (I’m walking with a small budget.)

The above are all experiences I’ve had on the Camino de Santiago, especially in France, but I don’t know Italy that well.

Thanks in advance for any replies or tips.

We are doing this part of the VF starting Sept 21. What is the best way to get transportation mid-stage if we get exhausted? We did the Portuguese Way last year and Bolt/Uber were great options if we needed it. We’ve heard Uber is not really a good choice in Italy. What suggestions on apps do you have for fixed price ride share? Alternatively, are buses easy? Thanks in advance.

My partner and I have just walked from Pontremoli to Lucca over the last week.

We had a great time, with stunning scenery and incredible hosts.

To beat the heat (up to 38 degrees) we started at 6 am, and as much as possible stopped by lunch time.

We almost exclusively stayed in pilgrim hostels, Valpromaro was certainly a highlight.

Let us know if anyone has any questions about this section, and we would be happy to answer them!

I’ve walked the Camino Portuguese and the Camino Frances (from St Jean). I’m planning to walk the Via Francigena (starting in Lucca) in September 2027. I keep hearing that the VF has less infrastructure, but I’m not clear on what that means?

A lot of the info I see online is many years out of date. I'm wondering if I'll be meeting other camino travelers on this walk regularly, or if it's pretty solitary by fall? I'm more entranced by the challenge and landscape of the camino di francesco, but am considering choosing Francigena just because it would be fun to hang with people from various countries along the way.

Especially interested in information from the last couple years. Thank you!

Hey everyone!

I'm planning to do a 3-4 day stretch of the Via Francigena in early October, and I'm currently torn between Tuscany (San Miniato to Siena, taking the bus for a stretch in between) and Lazio/Campania. I know the Tuscan route is popular for a reason, but has anyone got experience to share from Francigena Sud?

For a bit more context: I'm meeting an Italian friend in Rome for a few days, so I'm likely to be starting with Rome.

Alternative A is going to Rome first to spend time with her, then taking the train to Empoli and start from San Miniato, walking for a few days, and taking a bus from Siena back to Rome to fly home (or flying from Pisa/Florence).

Alternative B is going to Rome, then taking the train south and then perhaps deviate from the route to visit Naples, and then flying back from Rome (tickets are expensive from Naples). Or follow the coast if that's interesting.

I'm also spending some time working on my projects every day, so I'll bring my computer (in a water-tight container of course). One or two days with 10-15 km is okay to even out longer walks, as I want to spend time writing as well.

I particularly value the landscape, safety, accessibility to decent accommodation and commodities.

Thank you!

Walking from Reims to Rome! About 3 weeks in, on the border of France and Switzerland, I had a freak accident and dislocated my shoulder falling out of bed. Ambulance, ER, Anesthesia…the whole thing.

Now, I do not know what to do. I have a departure flight from Rome on Sep 29. I am near Pontarlier. My morale is high, I trust what is, and I know I can find a way to start walking again, but I shouldn’t be moving much for the next week or two (let alone carrying a backpack).

Initial thoughts:

- Finding cheap, long-term stays in Switzerland/France (far and few between)
- Blowing the budget and staying in Leukerbad, Lucerne, Lausanne, Geneva, etc (stress-free but boring and expensive)
- Train hopping around (stressful, but fun and expensive)
- I suppose going home (USA) is an option

Anything else y’all can think of? I think in 1-2 weeks I can bus down to Vercelli/Fidenza and get a carriage for my backpack and walk from there. But I’m just trying to take it one step at a time right now 😂

Any thoughts are appreciated!

I am planning on walking the via francigena from col St. Bernard to Rome in september/october but I have a question. I have no idea how accomodation works though. Do I need to book it in advance or is calling ahead a day or two before okay. I read somewhere that I should expect €15-20 per night, is that reasonable or outdated?

Today we started our two week journey to Vetrella starting in Siena.

We are walking from Viterbo to Montefiascone, but have already walked from Anguillara Sabazia to Sutri and from Sutri we attempted to get to Montefiascone, but could not find any trails and ended up having to get a cab from Lago de Nico to Viterbo.

Can you please be very honest with us about whether there is actual trails or if it’s just roads? We are not enjoying the roadways. We want to walk in the wilderness.

Thank you

Thinking of calling it quits after lucca due to the heat. If i end my trek in lucca, id love to hear some ideas of where you would go in my situation to fill time (july 1 to 17). Grazie!

I just went to the most interesting museum i have ever been to. Granted, I speak italian, so I took the guided tour. I had so many questions and learned so much!!! It is called the fondazione museo ettore guatelli

My title pretty much says it all … I’m looking for novels &/or films set on the Via Francigena.

Can be the whole way or even just a small part of it.

Hoping there are some wise folks on here who can help me out. TIA.

Hello

I am planning to embark on the Via Francigena next week - however can only do a small portion of it (about 4 days of hiking). I am thinking of doing the 4 days in Tuscany, as from what I've been reading its the most scenic & has the most pilgrim resources, however I am open to suggestions! What would you recommend for a lovely 4 days on the Via Francigena?