TheVia Francigena (Italian:[ˈviːafranˈtʃiːdʒena]), also known asFrancisca orRomea, is an ancient road andpilgrimage route running from thecathedral city ofCanterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, toRome[1] and then toApulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for theHoly Land.[2] It was known in Italy as the Via Francigena ("the road that comes from France") or the Via Romea Francigena ("the road to Rome that comes from France").[3] Inmedieval times it was an important road andpilgrimage route for those wishing to visit theHoly See and the tombs of theapostlesPeter andPaul.
In theMiddle Ages, Via Francigena was the major pilgrimage route to Rome from the north. The route was first documented as the "Lombard Way", and was first called theIter Francorum (the "Frankish Route") in theItinerarium sancti Willibaldi of 725, a record of the travels ofWillibald,bishop of Eichstätt inBavaria. It wasVia Francigena-Francisca in Italy and Burgundy, theChemin des Anglois in the Frankish Kingdom (after the evangelisation of England in 607) and also theChemin Romieu, the road to Rome. The name "Via Francigena" is first mentioned in theActum Clusio, a parchment of 876 in theAbbazia di San Salvatore atMonte Amiata (Tuscany).[4]
At the end of the 10th centurySigeric, theArchbishop of Canterbury, used the Via Francigena to and from Rome in order to receive hispallium;[5] he recorded his route and his stops on the return journey,[6] but nothing in the document suggests that the route was then new, nor if he made the journey by foot or on horseback.
Later itineraries to Rome include theLeiðarvísir og borgarskipan of the Icelandic traveller Nikolás Bergsson (in 1154) and the one fromPhilip Augustus of France (in 1191).[7] Two somewhat differing maps of the route appear in manuscripts ofMatthew Paris,Historia Anglorum, from the 13th century.
The Welsh kingRhodri Mawr in 880 and his grandsonHywel Dda 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 sea via theStraits of Gibraltar. The BenedictineWilliam 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, buttacking down to the Mediterranean would have made a very long journey indeed.
The Via Francigena was not a single road, like aRoman 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 waxed and waned. Depending on the time of year, the political situation, and the relative popularity of the shrines of the saints situated along the route, travellers may have used any of three or four crossings of theAlps and theApennine Mountains. TheLombards financed the maintenance and security of the section of road through their territories as a trading route to the north from Rome, avoiding enemy-held cities such asFlorence. Unlike Roman roads, the Via Francigena did not connect cities but relied more onabbeys.
In around 990, ArchbishopSigeric journeyed from Canterbury to Rome and back, but only documented his itinerary on the return journey,[8] taken in 80 stages averaging about 20 km (12 mi) a day, for a total of some 1,700 km (1,100 mi).[9]
Modern pilgrims from England would follow Sigeric's route in the reverse order, and so would set off from the zero milestone in the South Porch of Canterbury Cathedral. Pilgrim passports are available from The Beaney Museum in Canterbury or from the information office of the Cathedral. Canons based at Canterbury Cathedral can also be arranged to offer blessings to pilgrims setting off on the journey.[10] Modern pilgrims would then follow the route, walking out of Canterbury viaSt Martin's Church, Canterbury, which is the oldest church in England still in use as a Church. Heading onwards, pilgrims pick up the first stamp in their pilgrim passport at the village church of St. Mary's inPatrixbourne. It is possible to "Champ" and stay by arrangement at St. Mary's.[citation needed] Heading on towards the English coast, pilgrims would travel through the Kentish villages ofWomenswold andWoolage Green before arriving inShepherdswell which is the end of the first stage (of 79 stages). The second stage continues toDover through the Waldershare Park Estate and then joins the old Roman Road atStuddal outside Dover, to walk into the town. Pilgrims then cross theChannel toSumeran (now called Sombres), landing at the village ofWissant. The route continues throughGuînes (Sigeric's Gisne),Thérouanne (Teranburh),Bruay (Bruaei) andArras (Atherats), before continuing on toReims,Châlons-sur-Marne,Bar-sur-Aube,Langres,Champlitte,Besançon,Pontarlier,Lausanne andSaint-Maurice. From Saint-Maurice, the route traverses theGreat St. Bernard Pass toAosta and then toIvrea,Vercelli,Pavia,Fidenza,Pontremoli,Filattiera,Aulla,Luni,Lucca,San Gimignano,Poggibonsi,Siena,San Quirico d'Orcia,Bolsena,Viterbo,Sutri and finally Rome.
| No. | Stages as described by Sigeric | Today's stages of the Via Francigena | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place names per Sigeric | Current place names | Start – End | Distances in km | ||
| Across theEnglish Channel | |||||
| 1 | LXXX | Sumeran | Sombre (part ofWissant) | Calais –Wissant | 19.7 |
| 2 | LXXIX | stage missing | |||
| 3 | LXXVIII | Gisne | Guînes | Wissant –Guînes | 20.2 |
| 4 | LXXVII | Teranburh | Thérouanne | Guînes –Licques | 15.7 |
| Licques –Wisques | 23.9 | ||||
| Wisques –Thérouanne | 13.2 | ||||
| 5 | LXXVI | Bruwaei | Bruay-la-Buissière | Thérouanne –Auchy-au-Bois | 15.1 |
| Auchy-au-Bois –Bruay-la-Buissière | 19.0 | ||||
| 6 | LXXV | Atherats | Arras | Bruay-la-Buissière –Arras | 33.6 |
| 7 | LXXIV | Duin | Doingt | Arras –Bapaume | 26.2 |
| Bapaume –Péronne | 25.3 | ||||
| Peronne –Doingt | 3.0 | ||||
| 8 | LXXIII | Martinwaeth | Seraucourt-le-Grand | Doingt –Seraucourt-le-Grand | 29.2 |
| 9 | LXXII | Mundlothuin | Laon | Seraucourt-le-Grand –Tergnier | 17.0 |
| Tergnier –Laon | 33.0 | ||||
| 10 | LXXI | Corbunei | Corbeny | Laon –Bouconville-Vauclair | 18.6 |
| Bouconville-Vauclair –Corbeny | 4.5 | ||||
| 11 | LXX | Rems | Reims | Corbeny –Hermonville | 20.1 |
| Hermonville –Reims | 16.3 | ||||
| 12 | LXIX | Chateluns | Châlons-en-Champagne | Reims –Trépail | 28.1 |
| Trépail –Châlons-en-Champagne | 25.8 | ||||
| 13 | LXVIII | Funtaine | Fontaine sur Coole | Châlons-en-Champagne –Coole | 27.0 |
| 14 | LXVII | Domaniant | Donnement | Coole –Donnement | 25.7 |
| 15 | LXVI | Breone | Brienne-le-Château | Donnement –Brienne le Château | 17.8 |
| 16 | LXV | Bar | Bar-sur-Aube | Brienne-le-Château –Bar-sur-Aube | 26.9 |
| 17 | LXIV | Blaecuile | Blessonville | Bar-sur-Aube –Châteauvillain (nearBlessonville) | 32.9 |
| 18 | LXIII | Oisma | Humes-Jorquenay | Châteauvillain –Langres (nearHumes-Jorquenay) | 40.9 |
| 19 | LXII | Grenant | Grenant | Langres –Coublanc (nearGrenant) | 27.0 |
| 20 | LXI | Sefui | Seveux | Coublanc –Dampierre-sur-Salon | 27.7 |
| Dampierre-sur-Salon –Savoyeux (nearSeveux) | 5.5 | ||||
| 21 | LX | Cuscei | Cussey-sur-l'Ognon | Savoyeux –Gy | 20.6 |
| Gy –Cussey-sur-l'Ognon | 16.4 | ||||
| 22 | LIX | Bysiceon | Besançon | Cussey-sur-l'Ognon –Besançon | 17.0 |
| 23 | LVIII | Nos | Nods | Besançon –Étalans | 27.0 |
| Étalans –Chasnans (nearNods) | 9.8 | ||||
| 24 | LVII | Punterlin | Pontarlier | Chasnans –Ouhans | 18.0 |
| Ouhans –Pontarlier | 17.0 | ||||
| 25 | LVI | Antifern | Jougne | Pontarlier –Orbe | 40.2 |
| 26 | LV | Urba | Orbe | ||
| 27 | LIV | Losanna | Lausanne | Orbe –Lausanne | 32.0 |
| 28 | LIII | Vivaec | Vevey | Lausanne –Cully | 12.9[11] |
| Cully –Vevey | 11.3 | ||||
| 29 | LII | Burbulei | Aigle | Vevey –Montreux | 8.4 |
| Montreux –Villeneuve | 5.9 | ||||
| Villeneuve –Aigle | 12.7 | ||||
| 30 | LI | Sce Maurici | Saint-Maurice | Aigle –Saint-Maurice | 18.0 |
| 31 | L | Ursiores | Orsières | Saint-Maurice –Martigny | 17.0 |
| Martigny –Orsières | 18.5 | ||||
| 32 | XLIX | Petrecastel | Bourg-Saint-Pierre | Orsières –Bourg-Saint-Pierre | 15.4 |
| 33 | XLVIII | Sce Remei | Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses | Bourg-Saint-Pierre –Great St Bernard Hospice | 13.8 |
| Great St Bernard Hospice –Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses | 6.3 | ||||
| 34 | XLVII | Agusta | Aosta | Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses –Aosta | 25.6 |
| 35 | XLVI | Publei | (Pontey ?) Pont-Saint-Martin | Aosta –Nus | 15.9 |
| Nus –Saint-Vincent | 22.3 | ||||
| Saint-Vincent –Arnad | 22.4 | ||||
| Arnad –Pont-Saint-Martin | 15.9 | ||||
| 36 | XLV | Everi | Ivrea | Pont-Saint-Martin –Ivrea | 25.2 |
| 37 | XLIV | Sca Agatha | Santhià | Ivrea –Viverone | 21.4 |
| Viverone –Santhià | 16.2 | ||||
| 38 | XLIII | Vercel | Vercelli | Santhià –Vercelli | 28.6 |
| 39 | XLII | Tremel | Tromello | Vercelli –Robbio | 19.7 |
| Robbio –Mortara | 14.2 | ||||
| Mortara –Tromello | 18.1 | ||||
| 40 | XLI | Pamphica | Pavia | Tromello –Gropello Cairoli | 13.5 |
| Gropello Cairoli –Pavia | 18.1 | ||||
| 41 | XL | Sce Cristine | Santa Cristina e Bissone | Pavia –Santa Cristina e Bissone | 27.4 |
| 42 | XXXIX | Sce Andrea | Corte San Andrea | Santa Cristina e Bissone –Piacenza (crossing thePo) | 38.2 |
| 43 | XXXVIII | Placentia | Piacenza | ||
| 44 | XXXVII | Floricum | Fiorenzuola d'Arda | Piacenza –Fiorenzuola d'Arda | 26.4 |
| 45 | XXXVI | Sce Domnine | Fidenza (up till 1927 called Borgo San Donino) | Fiorenzuola d'Arda –Fidenza | 22.3 |
| 46 | XXXV | Metane | Costamezzana (Medesano) | Fidenza – Costamezzana | 10.8 |
| 47 | XXXIV | Philemangenur | Fornovo di Taro (or Felegara) | Costamezzana – Medesano | 9.7 |
| Medesano –Fornovo di Taro | 9.2 | ||||
| 48 | XXXIII | Sce Moderanne | Berceto | Fornovo di Taro –Cassio di Terenzo | 19.8 |
| Cassio di Terenzo –Berceto | 10.4 | ||||
| 49 | XXXII | Sce Benedicte | Montelungo | Berceto –Pontremoli | 29.4 |
| 50 | XXXI | Puntremel | Pontremoli | ||
| 51 | XXX | Aguilla | Aulla | Pontremoli –Villafranca in Lunigiana | 19.1 |
| Villafranca in Lunigiana –Aulla | 15.3 | ||||
| 52 | XXIX | Sce Stephane | Santo Stefano di Magra | Aulla –Sarzana | 16.3 |
| 53 | XXVIII | Luna | Luni | Sarzana –Luni | 12.7 |
| 54 | XXVII | Campmaior | Pieve di Camaiore | Luni –Massa | 14.8 |
| Massa –Pietrasanta | 15.8 | ||||
| Pietrasanta –Camaiore | 8.2 | ||||
| 55 | XXVI | Luca | Lucca | Camaiore –Lucca | 24.2 |
| 56 | XXV | Forcri | Porcari | Lucca –Porcari | 10.6 |
| 57 | XXIII | Aqua Nigra | Ponte a Cappiano. Part of Fucecchio | Porcari –Ponte a Cappiano | 19.7 |
| 58 | XXIII | Arne Blanca | Fucecchio | Ponte a Cappiano –Fucecchio | 4.9 |
| 59 | XXII | Sce Dionisii | San Genesio near San Miniato | Fucecchio –San Miniato Alto | 7.6 |
| 60 | XXI | Sce Peter Currant | Coiano. Today part ofCastelfiorentino | San Miniato Alto –Coiano | 12.1 |
| 61 | XX | Sce Maria Glan | Santa Maria a Chianni near Gambassi Terme | Coiano –Gambassi Terme | 12.2 |
| 62 | XIX | Sce Gemiane | San Gimignano | Gambassi Terme –San Gimignano | 14.5 |
| 63 | XVIII | Sce Martin in Fosse | San Martino Fosci (Molino d'Aiano. Part ofColle di Val d'Elsa) | San Gimignano –Badia a Isola | 20.5/25.5 |
| 64 | XVII | Aelse | Gracciano (Pieve d'Elsa. Part of Colle di Val d'Elsa) | ||
| 65 | XVI | Burgenove | Badia a Isola. Part of Monteriggioni | ||
| 66 | XV | Seocine | Siena | Badia a Isola –Monteriggioni | 3.5 |
| Monteriggioni –Siena | 20.5 | ||||
| 67 | XIV | Arbia | Ponte d'Arbia. Part of Monteroni d'Arbia | Siena –Monteroni d'Arbia | 17.9 |
| Monteroni d'Arbia –Ponte d'Arbia | 9.8 | ||||
| 68 | XIII | Turreiner | Torrenieri (Part of Montalcino) | Ponte d'Arbia –Buonconvento | 5.7 |
| Buonconvento –Torrenieri | 13.5 | ||||
| 69 | XII | Sce Quiric | San Quirico d'Orcia | Torrenieri –San Quirico d'Orcia | 7.4 |
| 70 | XI | Abricula | Briccole di Sotto | San Quirico d'Orcia –Bagno Vignoni | 5.3 |
| Bagno Vignoni –Radicofani | 27.4 | ||||
| 71 | X | Sce Petir in Pail | San Pietro in Paglia (Voltole) | Radicofani –Ponte a Rigo | 10.7 |
| 72 | IX | Aquapendente | Acquapendente | Ponte a Rigo –Acquapendente | 13.8 |
| 73 | VIII | Sca Cristina | Bolsena | Acquapendente –Bolsena | 20.2 |
| 74 | VII | Sce Flaviane | Montefiascone | Bolsena –Montefiascone | 18 |
| 75 | VI | Sce Valentine | Viterbo (Bullicame) | Montefiascone –Viterbo | 18.7 |
| 76 | V | Furcari | Vetralla (Forcassi) | Viterbo –Vetralla | 17.9 |
| 77 | IlIl | Suteria | Sutri | Vetralla –Sutri | 22.1 |
| 78 | III | Bacane | Baccano (Campagnano di Roma) | Sutri –Campagnano di Roma | 22.3 |
| 79 | II | Johannis VIIII | San Giovanni in Nono (La Storta) | Campagnano di Roma –La Storta | 25.6 |
| 80 | I | Urbs Roma | Roma | La Storta –Rome | 14.8 |
From Rome, the path followed for a long stretch theVia Appia or the parallelVia Latina up toBenevento. From that townVia Traiana was taken up the CampanianApennines andDaunian Mountains, wherecastello di Crepacuore [it] stood, a fortress held by theKnights of Jerusalem in order to guarantee the safety of pilgrims along the mountain stretch.[12] The road, therefore, reachedTroia, in the high plain ofTavoliere delle Puglie (where Via Francigena is attested since 1024),[2] and then continued towardsBari,Brindisi andOtranto, the main ports of embarkation for theHoly Land.
Today some pilgrims still follow in Sigeric's ancient footsteps and travel on foot, on horseback or by bicycle on the Via Francigena, although there are far fewer pilgrims on this route than on theCamino de Santiago pilgrims' route toSantiago de Compostela in Spain.[citation needed] Roughly 50,000 pilgrims were estimated to have walked the Via Francigena in 2022.[13] In 2011, James Saward-Anderson and Maxwell Hannah ran the entire route for Water Aid.[14] They completed the route unassisted in 58 days.
Due to the scarcity of dedicated pilgrims' accommodation along the Via Francigena, pilgrims often camp out rather than stay in hotels orpensions. However, increasingly in Italy, some monasteries and religious houses offer dedicated pilgrim accommodation. These are calledspedali and—like therefugios found on theCamino de Santiago in Spain and France—they offer cheap and simple dormitory-style accommodation.Spedali accept pilgrims who bear a validcredenziale (pilgrim's passport), usually for one night only. Some places offer meals as well. In Kent, local churches often encourage pilgrims to "Champ" (camp in a church) and some of the churches along the Via Francigena have contacts on their website to allow pilgrims to arrange this. There is an accommodation list online which regularly updated and published by the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome.[16]
As of 2016, the old guest houses dedicated to pilgrims were not reconditioned by tourist operators, due to the lack of economic return.[17]
Only a few decades ago, interest in the Via Francigena was limited to scholars. This began to change in recent years when many who, after travelling theCamino de Santiago in Spain, wanted to make the pilgrimage to Rome on foot as well. In Italy, this gave birth to a network of lovers of the Via Francigena, who with paint and brush, began to mark its trails and paths. These people were joined by religious and local government agencies who also tried to recover the original route. Where possible today's route follows the ancient one but sometimes it deviates from the historical path in favour of paths and roads with low traffic. The potential for the tourist trade in Italy has been recognised but this has also led some to gain unfair economic advantage by diverting the path so that it passes next to their business, thus increasing footfall.
In England, the Via Francigena starts at the southern portico of Canterbury’s cathedral where the milestone zero of the route is located.[18] The route passes through part of the county ofKent, from Canterbury to the ferries at Dover.
In France, the Via Francigena (given theGrande Randonnée designation 'GR145') goes through therégionsHauts-de-France,Grand-Est andBourgogne-Franche-Comté before reaching the Swiss border.
In Switzerland, the Via Francigena (with the route designation '70') goes through thecantons ofVaud andValais.
In Italy the Via Francigena goes through theAosta Valley,Piedmont,Lombardy,Emilia-Romagna,Tuscany and finally about halfway throughLazio to Rome.
Walkers could choose to walk along theEuroVeloEV5 cycling route which bears the name "Via Francigena". However, this EuroVelo route varies substantially from Sigeric's route and the one given by the Via Francigena Association.
In 1994 the Via Francigena was designated aCultural Route,[17] and in 2004 aMajor Cultural Route.
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 theRegion of Tuscany, which hosts 400 km (250 mi) of the Via, and which presented a plan detailing the low environmental impact infrastructures to be created. The plan will be shared with other local authorities located along the route as an encouragement to carry out similar recovery work.[19] Tuscany has also announced cooperation with theOpera Romana Pellegrinaggi (ORP), theVatican's organisation for encouraging pilgrimages.
The final stretch, from Rome to theApulian ports of embarkation forJerusalem, has been renamedVia Francigena nel Sud ("Via Francigena in the South (Italy)") or elseVie Francigene del Sud ("The Francigena Ways to the South").[20]
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