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The Way of St. Francis ~ La Via di Francesco: An Essential Guide to the Italian Pilgrimage
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The Way of St. Francis, or the Via di Francesco, invites you to walk in the footsteps of the beloved Italian patron saint and discover the profound beauty and spiritual resonance of this inspiring pilgrimage.
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We've trekked Pilgrimage Routes Across Europe since 2014!
💬 We’ve:
- Gotten lost so you don’t have to. 😉
- Followed waymarks in the glowing sunlight, the pouring rain and by moonlight. ☀️🌧️🌙
- Slept in albergues, hostels & casa rurals. Ate and drank in cafés along the way. 🛌 😴
- Created comprehensive and downloadable GPS maps and eBook Guides, full of must-have information based on real pilgrimage travels. 🧭 🗺️
- Shared our complete journeys, step by step to help YOU plan your ultimate pilgrimage and walk with your own Heart and Soul. 💙✨
Every detail is from our own experiences. Just fellow pilgrims sharing the Way. We have added a touch of spirituality, heartfelt insights and practical guidance from the road ~ offering a genuine connection to the spirit of pilgrimage. Tap into the wisdom of seasoned pilgrims!
Ultreia and Safe Pilgrimage Travels, Caminante! 💫 💚 🤍
Who Was St. Francis? ~ The Man and His Mission
St. Francis, best known as St. Francis of Assisi, was a man who lived over 800 years ago and was the son of a wealthy merchant in the city of Assisi. From a life of luxury, he renounced worldly possessions and began his radical call to poverty and evangelism. He eventually became the founder of the Franciscan order of monks.
This humble man was a lover of animals and nature. He used "Sister Mother Earth" as his monastery, and lived the simplest and most dedicated of lives.
For a full biography of St. Francis, the reference I recommend to assist you in understanding his life and mission is The Complete Francis of Assisi. In addition to the story of his life this work also contains his complete writings.
Also included in this reference is "The Little Flowers," a somewhat controversial collection of tales of St. Francis that circulated among his followers after his death. This oral tradition was most likely written, according to scholars, by multiple hands eager to write down the tales.
This recommended volume is 416 pages and I was unable to read in its entirety prior to my pilgrimage. I did, however, purchase the digital copy and dedicated myself to reading as much of it as I could on my journey through the lands where his life touched so deeply. I continue to read it now, as I write.
What is the Way of St. Francis of Assisi?
The Way of St. Francis, or Via di Francesco, as it is called in Italian, is a modern pilgrimage route. It was created to celebrate the life and legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, connecting the most significant towns where he lived, worked and became a major influence, and where he founded early monasteries.
This inspiring path links places like Assisi, his birth and resting place, La Verna, where he received the stigmata and other key sites tied to his spiritual journey and the Franciscan movement.
Almost from the moment that I first heard about the Way of St. Francis pilgrimage, I was very drawn to it. When I learned that it was not an actual ancient pilgrimage trodden by many feet over the centuries, like many others (most notably the Camino de Santiago), it did not matter to me.
I was hoping to experience the same phenomenon as I did walking the Camino Teresiano, some years before, which celebrates the life of St. Teresa of Ávila.
Walking the Camino Teresiano, also a modern day creation, helped me understand her and her teachings. In a similar manner, I hoped the Way of St. Francis would bring me closer to understanding this saint's teachings.
St. Francis of Assisi, perhaps the most venerated of Christian saints, has touched so many Italian villages in north central Italy, that creating a pilgrimage route to connect the places where his life has left his mark, seemed to me to be a natural thing.
And walking through the Italian countryside was also a plus! I had always wanted to go to Italy and this seemed like the perfect combination for me.
When I initially designed this website, I had no intention of singling out and focusing on a particular pilgrimage, however, I got caught up in the Camino de Santiago phenomenon, and kept returning to it, many, many times. Only once did I stray, with the Camino Teresiano as noted.
During the pandemic of 2020-2022, and a synchronous commitment to caring for my ailing mother-in-law, I was faced with much more time for personal life examinations. It was during this time of reflection that I decided it was time to explore other pilgrimage dimensions.
It is no coincidence that in a time where I felt trapped within my life's responsibilities, that the simple, pure message of St. Francis would speak to my heart. And being a life-long pilgrim, the Way of St. Francis' pilgrimage grew in my heart as well.
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How Long is the Via di Francesco?
The Way of St. Francis is traditionally divided into two sections. The first, the Northern Way or the Via del Nord, from the sanctuary in La Verna to Assisi is roughly 186 kilometers (116 miles) and 8-10 stages, and the Southern Way or the Via del Sud, from Assisi to Rome is roughly 281 kilometers (175 miles) and 12-14 stages, for a grand total of about 467 kilometers (290 miles).
Santuario della Verna - The Dramatic Start of the Via di Francesco, Nord, where San Francesco Received the StigmataThe Southern Way is often walked in reverse, from Rome to Assisi. It all depends on which city you choose to end your pilgrimage.
In my experience, walking the Southern Way in reverse, from Rome to Assisi, may be more difficult to follow the signage, mostly in the initial stages from Rome. These signs have not been updated like in the later stages, which show both directions of travel.
In fact, the Northern Way is walked in reverse as well, especially by the locals. The Sanctuary in La Verna, where St. Francis received the stigmata is a most holy place, and is indeed worthy to end a pilgrimage here!
Many pilgrims start the Northern Way in La Verna, walking south to Assisi. Then they start the Southern Way in Rome, walking north, to once again finish in Assisi. This does seem to make sense, given that this is a tribute to St. Francis whose main geographical location during his life was Assisi and it is there in the basilica where he is buried.
The fact that many pilgrims walk these routes, from either direction, is a unique feature of the Via di Francesco. (For a downloadable map and our GPS tracks of the entire Way of St. Francis, and all its features, click here.)
How Many Days Does it Take to Walk the Via di Francesco?
As noted above, the Northern Route takes about 8-10 days and the Southern Route about 12-14 days. It all depends on how long you plan to walk each day. In all my individual stage descriptions, I give suggestions for shorter days, if there is available accommodation.
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How Difficult is the Way of St. Francis?
As for the Way of St. Francis pilgrimage itself, it is not easy! This is the most difficult and mountainous of pilgrimages. Almost all the stages on this route contain many ups and downs! Plus, to make it more difficult, the end of so many stages consists of climbing up a hill into the fortified town! What you put out in effort is rewarded with sheer beauty! As you may expect, the most beautiful stages are also the hardest.
Do not be put off by the difficulty of this pilgrimage. Go slowly, enjoy, find your pace, adjusting it for the elevation changes. Your "new" normal pace may be a third or more slower than your normal, especially if there is weather and slippery ascents and steep descents to deal with!
St. Francis of Assisi Prayer
It seems only proper before walking this route, to get to know the saint, through his works and his writing. The quote below, most commonly known as the St. Francis of Assisi Prayer, or the Prayer for Peace is perhaps one of St. Francis' most famous writings, and for sure one of the few that I was familiar with, from many years ago.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
~ St. Francis of Assisi
As it turns out, these words above were not actually penned by St. Francis, but a 20th century unknown French poet, according to scholars.
These words first appeared around 1912 in a small spiritual magazine in Paris, so it is believed that the editor himself may have written the prayer. Because of the Great War, the prayer caught on and stuck to St. Francis when the words were printed on a card with a St. Francis icon (perhaps intentionally, but who knows?).
Over the coming years as more wars materialized in the 20th century, various political and spiritual figures continued the tradition of giving credit for these words to St. Francis.
The words are beautiful, regardless of who wrote it, and for the most part, almost every spiritual organization continues the tradition of attributing the prayer to St. Francis.
This, and the Canticle of the Creatures, his second most popular piece, were to become my mottos for my personal, Way of St. Francis pilgrimage.
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St. Francis of Assisi Cross:
The Tau Cross
The cross most commonly associated with St. Francis and the Way of St. Francis, is the simple wooden cross, shaped like the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Tau, or "T." This is significant, because this symbol was used in the old testament as a mark of true believers (Ezekiel 9:4).
Again in 1215, and only five years after approving Francis' community of brothers, Pope Innocent III, in his reform of the Roman Catholic Church, solidified the use of the Tau. Like in Ezekiel's time, it was used as a mark to signify a commitment to faithfulness and compassion, which St. Francis readily adapted. He eventually used the Tau to sign documents instead of his name.
We would see this emblem everywhere on the Via di Francesco! The Tau cross is a simple thing, made from the cheapest of materials, that is reflective of the saint's philosophy and life. You can click on the photo or here for a link to Amazon to purchase this cross for your pilgrimage. We purchased one at the Sanctuary in La Verna, the start of this pilgrimage, and attached it to our backpacks, much like the Camino de Santiago shell.
What is the Official Starting Point of the Via di Francesco?
La Verna, is the official starting point of the Way of St. Francis, according to the official Italian Via di Franceso website.
Since this pilgrimage is young and not as well established, you will see other starting points for the Way of St. Francis. A popular alternative is to start in Florence, walking eastward through more secluded mountainous regions, including a small portion through the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, an Italian national park, and seeing the 11th Century Eremo Camaldoli hermitage along the way, eventually connecting with Il Santuario della Verna. This choice adds six more stages and another 95 kilometers.
It is also my understanding, from recent stories from other pilgrims, that finding waymarks on this nonofficial route may be tricky at times. This path is often overgrown and difficult, therefore I do not advise starting in Florence.
The rationale for the route starting in Florence is the difficulty in reaching La Verna by public transportation, so you may as well walk it.
We did not want to add more remote forest walking days, nor more mileage, so we chose the shorter, simpler, Official Italian route, called the Via di Francesco, that you can access, in English through the link here. However, I found that the GPS tracks on this site were outdated, as one might expect. For my GPS tracks and maps click here.
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How Does One Get to La Verna?
We did not find getting from Florence to La Verna all that difficult, utilizing mostly trains, which we prefer over buses. It just took us a bit of effort to figure out. But I have done it for you!
From Florence, Santa Maria Novella station (in the center of the city) to Arezzo, the Trenitalia (has an English version) runs every 30 minutes.
Once in Arezzo, you transfer to a local train from Arezzo to Bibbiena (the TFT Arezzo-P.Stia line, (also has an English version) and it is fairly easy to figure out, just click on the Stia line link. The trains run about every 30-40 minutes depending on the time of the day.
Once in Bibbiena, then you take the H11 bus from Bibbiena to La Beccia (be sure to tell the bus driver this is where you want off, pronounced "la Baycha"). The bus stop is right in front of the train station, so the transfer is easy.
Be sure to arrive in Bibbiena by just before 2 p.m., because the last practical bus to La Beccia leaves at 2:14! You have to buy the bus ticket at the Tabbachi shop just up the main street from the train station. Look for the big blue "T" that is on all the tobacco shops in Italy.
For your convenience, I placed the bus stop and the Tobacco shop on my google map, click here to get that map.
If the tobacco shop is closed when you arrive, the bus driver will not have tickets to sell, but most likely he will let you on the bus for the 35 minute ride to La Beccia. That is what happened with us. To be really safe, arrive in La Beccia before all the shops close down for siesta at 1:30-2:00, so you can buy your ticket.
Do not fret about buying your train tickets beforehand (which I did). We found it is easiest to get them on the day of travel, because there are vending machines at the stations, and they have the ability to select English as your language.
Just be sure you validate your train ticket after you purchase it, before boarding the train. There are little stamp machines as you enter the boarding areas, where you slide in your ticket to get it stamped. You will be fined if you don't do this! They are very strict about it. If you can't find the machine, just ask! And carry your Italian translator app, just in case!
Also, the big train stations can be confusing. Make sure when you are looking at the departure boards that you know the line/final destination city/number of the train you want. You may not see "Arezzo" or "Bibbiena" if the train goes onward. Look at your ticket, you will see the line, and you will see the line on the departure board as well. Again, if you don't get it, just ask! The Italians are super helpful!
Once arriving in La Beccia at the foot of the hill of the sanctuary, there is a lovely and steep cobblestone walking path that takes you up the hill, 650 meters to the sanctuary. The way is clearly marked by signs, so you really can't get lost. Especially if you download my GPS tracks to guide you!
It is just as easy to get the train from the Rome Termini Station, in the center of the city, to Arezzo, and continue onward as above.
A final note: Do not confuse the Way of St. Francis with the Way of Assisi, or the Cammino di Assisi, yet another Franciscan route that starts in Dovadola, north of La Verna, and ends in Assisi, with six stages and 109 kilometers prior to La Verna. After La Verna, this cammino sometimes, but not always uses the Way of St. Francis route. Most significant is that after La Verna the Cammino di Assisi walks through Caprese Michelangelo, the birthplace of the famous man, where the Via di Francesco does not.
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The Uniqueness of the Way of St. Francis Pilgrimage, Compared to the Camino de Santiago, In Our Opinion
For various reasons, we have not walked this entire route all at once, from La Verna to Rome. Instead, we made decisions to split the pilgrimage into the two sections. This was mostly due to personal reasons involving our state of mind, perhaps due to differences from the Camino de Santiago, and to a lesser extent, due to the difficulty of the route.
(The stages covering the Southern portion are currently being written! Check back frequently for more!)
We were surprised by the humidity in the early Autumn months of September and October when we walked. There are absolutely no electric clothes dryers in Italy, unless you can find a commercial laundromat, so hand-washed clothes often did not dry overnight. We would have to put on damp clothes every morning in the crisp autumn mountain air. This wasn't horrible, but it did take some getting used to.
During the walk itself, just as the sun broke through the early morning chill, or the fog and mist and we warmed up and felt dry, we would start to sweat. And I mean sweat like I have never done before. Because of the humidity, the sweat would never dry either! It seemed like we were never dry! I don't remember feeling this way on other pilgrimages, even walking through the famously humid and rainy Galicia.
One of the personal reasons for splitting this pilgrimage, was the lack of a community experience. We longed for the pilgrim camaraderie and the community meals. It just isn't the Camino de Santiago! We felt this way, even though we were walking the Northern Route with a dear friend!
While I detest crowded Caminos, this one was super lonely! The few pilgrims we met were often going different Ways, walking in the opposite direction, or walking at a different pace and we'd never see them again.
We did finally connect with more pilgrims, the closer we got to Rome! I'm not sure why, but perhaps it had to do with more set stages, with less flexibility.
We quickly realized that this was a pilgrimage of endless, albeit beautiful, mountain gravel lanes and trails, with not much between stages and towns. No coffee stops on this pilgrimage! There are hermitages along the way on some days, but not a lot of variety otherwise! There are endless ups and downs, day after day, on both the Northern and Southern routes. This pilgrimage is a nature walk extraordinaire!
There are fewer services for pilgrims on this route, than the Camino de Santiago. You really must be self-sufficient to a large extent. You must absolutely carry an ample supply of food and water at all times.
There are pilgrim accommodations at parishes, and some towns support pilgrim accommodations, but there are no government-supported albergues like on the Camino de Santiago.
In some towns there are private, donation-based accommodations, with varying types of service provided. These will often supply you with linens, but the parochial-based accommodations usually do not. The beds in the dormitories are not always bunk beds, but actual individual single beds.
There is no ubiquitous Menu de Peregrino, like on the Camino de Santiago. However, sometimes in the larger towns there will be a restaurant that recognizes pilgrims and will give you a special menu at a reduced price. It pays to ask at your accommodation for pilgrim recommendations.
You can do a lot of your own cooking, if there are kitchen facilities in the pilgrim accommodations, but many do not have kitchens. We found ourselves eating out a lot, or we tried to find inexpensive, apartment-type accommodations with kitchens to cook for ourselves.
In smaller towns, we had to write ahead to the accommodation, to see if there was a food store nearby. Otherwise we would carry groceries for many kilometers.
Often an Alimentari is near the center of a town, not always listed on Google, which is a deli-type place, but often carries groceries as well. This type of food store sufficed for many of our meals. We were too exhausted at the end of most days to walk long distances to a bigger supermarket.
Eating out in Italy is much more expensive than in Portugal or Spain. Navigating the customary multi-course meals is a cultural lesson. Fortunately, pizza places are ubiquitous and are usually your most economical choice. However, the quality of the pizza varies considerably, so look for reviews or get recommendations from the locals!
Cooking for ourselves not only saved us a lot of money (but often offset by the more expensive apartment accommodation), but allowed us to eat more independently. I just do not enjoy eating out meal after meal. Plus, cooking allowed us to have a substantial breakfast in the morning, much more than the typical Cornetto (croissant) and coffee! Since we often didn't know where lunch would be, this was of paramount importance.
We took a lot of turkey and cheese sandwiches (sliced turkey from the grocery store) for our lunches, and lots of energy-sustaining nuts and dried fruit. You can only get this type of food in the food stores! The bars along the way often had very little food, if there even was one on the day's journey!
Definitely plan on spending more money on a pilgrimage in Italy, than one in Portugal or Spain! I'd say at least by a third more or maybe even double!
I am happy that we divided the Way of St. Francis into two separate pilgrimages for all these reasons. It felt better to us this way, but it may not be true for you.
Conclusion to the Introduction of the Way of St. Francis
I do hope that you chose to do this most fabulous pilgrimage. Whether or not it is a personal tribute to St. Francis of Assisi, you will most certainly be enchanted by this Italian land.
To see my maps and stats of the Way of St. Francis, and more introductory information to help you on your pilgrimage, click on the link. For a quick download link for our GPS tracks of the entire route with all accommodations and other features on it for your planning, click here!
Salutation
And may you always be an instrument of Peace in this divided world, as you follow in the footsteps of St. Francis!
Way of St. Francis Stages
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We’re not a travel agency ~ we’re fellow pilgrims! (See About Us)
We've trekked Pilgrimage Routes Across Europe since 2014!
💬 We’ve:
- Gotten lost so you don’t have to. 😉
- Followed waymarks in the glowing sunlight, the pouring rain and by moonlight. ☀️🌧️🌙
- Slept in albergues, hostels & casa rurals. Ate and drank in cafés along the way. 🛌 😴
- Created comprehensive and downloadable GPS maps and eBook Guides, full of must-have information based on real pilgrimage travels. 🧭 🗺️
- Shared our complete journeys, step by step to help YOU plan your ultimate pilgrimage and walk with your own Heart and Soul. 💙✨
Every detail is from our own experiences. Just fellow pilgrims sharing the Way. We have added a touch of spirituality, heartfelt insights and practical guidance from the road ~ offering a genuine connection to the spirit of pilgrimage. Tap into the wisdom of seasoned pilgrims!
Ultreia and Safe Pilgrimage Travels, Caminante! 💫 💚 🤍
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Need suggestions on what to pack for your next pilgrimage? Click Here or on the photo below!
Carbon fiber construction (not aluminum) in a trekking pole makes them ultra lightweight. We like the Z-Pole style from Black Diamond so we can hide our poles in our pack from potential thieves before getting to our albergue! There are many to choose from! (See more of our gear recommendations! )
Gregory BackPack ~ My Favorite Brand
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