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The Way of St Francis: Via di Francesco

From Florence to Assisi and Rome

ISBN

9781786311672

Availability

Published

15 Jan 2025

Edition

Second

Pages

264

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.60cm

Weight

300g

Delivery & Returns

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Guidebook to walking The Way of St Francis pilgrimage trail in Italy. This 518km route from Florence, through Assisi and then to Rome and the Vatican City explores Tuscany and Umbria. Described in 27 stages, the guide to the month-long route includes detailed maps, profiles and accommodation and facilities on route. The trail visits major sites and towns famous for their connection to Italy's patron saint.

Seasons

Spring, summer and fall. Winters are possible, too, except for higher elevations where snow is not uncommon.

Centres

Florence, Camaldoli, Santuario della Verna, Cittá di Castello, Gubbio, Assisi, Spello, Spoleto, Cascata delle Marmore, Rieti, Rome.

Difficulty

Some steep climbs and descents, but no special gear required. All stages are graded either "Easy", "Moderate", or "Hard".

Must See

Renaissance Florence, the dark and lovely Casentino National Forest, the active hermitage of Camaldoli, St Francis' beloved Santuario della Verna, historic Gubbio, beloved and beautiful Assisi, charming Spoleto, Marmore Falls. The walk is sprinkled with sacred sites from the life of St Francis and culminates in the Eternal City of Rome.

ISBN

9781786311672

Availability

Published

15 Jan 2025

Edition

Second

Pages

264

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.60cm

Weight

300g

Delivery & Returns

Overview

A guidebook to walking the Way of St Francis (Via di Francesco) between Florence and Rome. Covering 518km (322 miles), this pilgrimage route through Italy's Tuscany and Umbria takes around 1 month and is suitable for any reasonably fit walker.

The route is described from north to south in 27 stages, each between 11 and 29km (7-18 miles) in length. Alternate stages are given to allow you to visit Perugia and Farfa Abbey and 2 alternate sections are also included in outline providing a choice of routes from Florence to Santuario della Verna and between Assisi and Rieti.

1:100,000 mapping plus larger-scale urban maps for key locations
GPX files available to download
Handy stage planning tables and pilgrim lodging listings help you plan your itinerary
Detailed information about refreshments and facilities along the route
Advice on planning, preparation and pilgrim credentials

Table of Contents

Section 1 Florence to Santuario della Verna

Stage 1 Florence to Pontassieve

Stage 2 Pontassieve to Consuma

Stage 3 Consuma to Stia

Stage 4 Stia to Badia Prataglia

Stage 5 Badia Prataglia to Santuario della Verna

Section 1A Variant routes to Santuario della Verna

Variant 1.1 Florence to Santuario della Verna – southern route

Variant 1.2 Cortona and Arezzo to Santuario della Verna

Section 2 Santuario della Verna to Assisi

Stage 6 Santuario della Verna to Pieve Santo Stefano

Stage 7 Pieve Santo Stefano to Montagna

Stage 8 Montagna to Sansepolcro

Stage 9 Sansepolcro to Citerna

Stage 10 Citerna to Città di Castello

Stage 11 Città di Castello to Pietralunga

Stage 12 Pietralunga to Gubbio

Stage 13 Gubbio to Valdichiascio

Stage 14 Valdichiascio to Valfabbrica

Stage 15 Valfabbrica to Assisi

Section 2A Variant route to Assisi

Variant 2.1 Valfabbrica to Assisi via Perugia

Section 3 Assisi to Rieti

Stage 16 Assisi to Spello

Stage 17 Spello to Trevi

Stage 18 Trevi to Spoleto

Stage 19 Spoleto to Macenano

Stage 20 Macenano to Piediluco

Stage 21 Piediluco to Poggio Bustone

Stage 22 Poggio Bustone to Rieti

Section 3A Variant routes to Rieti

Variant 3.1 Arrone to Terni, Greccio, and Rieti

Section 4 Rieti to Rome

Stage 23 Rieti to Poggio San Lorenzo

Stage 24 Poggio San Lorenzo to Ponticelli Sabino

Stage 25 Ponticelli Sabino to Monterotondo

Stage 26 Monterotondo to Monte Sacro

Stage 27 Monte Sacro to Vatican City, Rome

Section 4A Variant route to Monterotondo

Variant 4.1 Poggio San Lorenzo to Monterotondo via Farfa Abbey

Appendix A Stage planning table

Appendix B Useful contacts

Appendix C Language tips

Appendix D Index of St Francis stories

Appendix E Further reading

Updates

We do not yet have any updates available for this book

We are always grateful to readers for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground. If you would like to send some information to us then please use our contact form. They will be published here following review by the author(s).

Downloads

The Way of St Francis: Via di Francesco - GPX File

The Reverend Sandy Brown Cicerone author SBROWN

By The Reverend Sandy Brown

Sanford 'Sandy' Brown is a long-distance walker and ordained minister who lives in Lucca, Italy. He was born in California and his great-grandparents migrated to San Juan Capistrano from Mexico in the 19th century. Inspired by The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, he trekked the Camino de Santiago in 2008 and since then has walked over 18,000km on pilgrim trails in Europe and the U.S. He records his pilgrim adventures in his popular blog at https://caminoist.org. In 2020, Sandy joined Cicerone Press as Associate Publisher for Caminos and Pilgrimages.

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