Via Francigena

Information

Distance

1700.0 km

Duration

79–90 days

Max elevation

2,469 m

Country

Italy (IT)

Difficulty

Sedang — jalur panjang tanpa teknik pendakian khusus, kecuali penyeberangan Alpen di Colle del Gran San Bernardo

Best Season

Mei–Oktober (ruas Alpen umumnya baru bebas salju Juni–September)

Permits & Fees

Tidak perlu permit. Peziarah memakai credenziale (paspor peziarah) yang dicap di tiap etape untuk akses penginapan peziarah dan Testimonium di Roma; tersedia di Katedral Canterbury dan The Beaney Museum.

Description

The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome — and historically onward to Apulia, where ships departed for the Holy Land. The name first appears in the Actum Clusio parchment of 876, while the route's best-known description comes from Sigeric, Archbishop of Canterbury, who around 990 walked home from Rome in roughly 80 stages totalling some 1,700 km, averaging about 20 km a day. Modern pilgrims retrace Sigeric's itinerary in reverse, starting from the zero milestone in the south porch of Canterbury Cathedral, and cross the Alps at the Great St Bernard Pass at around 2,469 m. Far quieter than the Camino de Santiago, the route drew an estimated 50,000 pilgrims in 2022. Italy launched a programme in 2009 to restore its Italian leg — for its environment, architecture, history and cuisine as much as its spiritual value — and since 2017 seven Italian regions have backed a bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.

Trail Highlights

Menapaki rute ziarah abad pertengahan dari Katedral Canterbury, menyeberangi Selat Inggris, melintasi Champagne dan Jura Prancis, naik ke Colle del Gran San Bernardo di Alpen Swiss-Italia, menuruni Lembah Aosta, lalu menembus Lombardia, Apennini, dan bukit-bukit Toscana lewat San Gimignano, Siena, dan Val d'Orcia sebelum tiba di Basilika Santo Petrus, Roma.