The two capitals of pilgrimage in Italy are Assisi, home to St. Francis and St. Clare, and Rome, home to the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul and a panoply of others. This itinerary on the Via di Francesco links Assisi to Rome in a green and beautiful walk of sixteen days through Umbria and Lazio and enters busy Rome along a scenic and quiet bicycle trail.
Hosted By Experienced Leader Sandy Brown
Expert European Hiking Guide
All (7) Overnight Accommodations
All Breakfast & Dinners (Wine Not Include)
Complete Van And Drivers Services
Baggage Transfer Each Day (Up To 40lbs/18kg)
City Guide In Le Puy And Conques
E-Guidebook From Cicerone Press
Pilgrim Credential
Double Rooms With Shared Baths
Transportation To And From The Journey
Lunches Each Day
Gratiuty For Your For Driver And Guide
check-in at the group hotel, relax and enjoy the city, then gather for orientation in the late afternoon. Have your first group dinner together and then head to bed to rest and relax for tomorrow’s walk.
We take the high road to Monte Subasio, enjoying fantastic views over the Spoleto Valley before descending to charming Spello. Delightful Spello and its 37 medieval churches await us.
Our first stop is Foligno, where Francis sold his father’s cloth to raise money for God’s purposes. We continue through Foligno to beautiful Trevi that sits high on a hilltop, its steeples pointing toward the heavens and its quiet streets welcoming our explorations.
Walk from the lovely town of Trevi along the mountainsides filled with convents and castles. Enjoy identifying herbs and watching ripening progress on the olives growing on these scenic hillsides above the vineyard covered Spoleto Valley. Transfer in the van or continue on foot to cosmopolitan Spoleto, home to the Due Mondi International Music Festival. We peek into the historic Duomo which houses an authentic, handwritten letter of St. Francis.
On our way up the hill we stop at the Franciscan Convent of Monteluco and soon afterward we gaze across the lofty gorge that begins our entry to the Nera River Valley. Our overnight is in a renovated 10-century monastery on the hillside above the Valnerina scenic area.
We’re in no rush today either, and our short walk culminates in the charming village of Arrone, at the foot of some of the highest peaks of the Central Apennine range.
The only climb of the day is alongside the might Marmore Waterfalls. Built by the Romans, who diverted the course of the Velino River, Marmore’s waters now flow through hydroelectric turbines by night and over the falls by day. The shores of Lake Piediluco, where St. Francis preached, await us for an afternoon and overnight.
St Francis loved the mountains, and legend tells us that a beech tree sheltered him atop a mountain in a terrible storm. We visit that beech tree 800 years later before making our way down to rustic Poggio Bustone. In a cave above the town, Francis had two visions that would change the course of his life and the course of history.
Midway through today’s forested walk is beautiful Cantalice, which, once it is discovered, will be widely recognized as one of the most lovely towns in Italy.
Either rest for the day or visit St. Francis’ sanctuaries in the nearby towns (price depending on number). Rieti is worth a visit in its own right, with its fascinating underground Salt Road tour. Dinner is not included this evening, so you are free to explore the restaurants of this regional capital.
Cross a 1600 year old Roman bridge before coming to Poggio San Lorenzo, itself built on foundations laid by the Romans. This is Sabina, Italy’s most famous olive-growing region, and these small mountains separated by quiet creeks each shelter their own charming village and people.
Here shepherds guard their flocks, which feed among the olive groves on these steep hillsides. Ancient churches stand in testimony to centuries of faith by families whose names are long forgotten.
The mountains spread out as the terrain begins its transition to the flat plains of the Tiber Valley. Hints of urban life are kept away from us as we make our way through nature preserves and quiet farms. Walk the entire route or take the van from Montelibretti to shorten your day
The Gattececa Nature Preserve is our morning, and by the afternoon we are on the streets of Rome’s suburbs. While we miss the quiet, the excitement of arriving as pilgrims in one of the world’s great cities is palpable.
Even urban Rome has quiet bicycle paths, and we use them to take us deep into the heart of the city. Once there, we follow the pilgrims’ path, ending in our triumphal entry at the gates of the Vatican City. We’ve done it. We’ve walked the pilgrim path to Rome. It’s time to receive our testimonium that confirms our pilgrimage, and it’s time for a final toast with new best friends who’ve shared this journey of discovery, accomplishment and joy.
Bella Roma. Bella Italia. With hearts full of joy we say goodbye and begin thinking about what great adventure awaits. Option: Tour of Rome and extra night in the Eternal City.
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