Little Green Tracs

La Via Francigena di San Francesco in Lazio

In the previous blog entry, we described the route of St. Francis of Assisi in Umbria. The official route as marked by the regional office of Umbria finishes in Piediluco, just north of Rieti.  Officially, the Lazio section of the Cammino or Via di San Francesco continues from Piediluco to Rieti to then Rome.

However the local regional office of Rieti confuses matters by labeling this route as the Via di Roma-La Via Francigena di San Francesco. Via Francigena as stated earlier is not appropriate since very few pilgrims traveling this section would have come from the medieval region of Francia (present day France)

Thus the route is Lazio is divided into two parts:
* Piediluco in Rieti: A 2-stage section that passes by several places in the life and works of St. Francis.

* Rieti to Rome & the last 100 km: A 6-stage section linking the city of Rieti to St. Peter’s tomb in Rome, via the ancient Salt Road (“Via del Sale”).

However, what is important to understand, is that had you been following Italian author Angela Seracchioli’s guidebook, you would have arrived in Rieti on the second last and 15th stage.

While in Rieti, you can also explore some other options in terms of trails.

Commercial site focusing on routes in and around Rieti (The sacred valley)

Commercial site for the last 100 km into Rome from Rieti

Finally, as we indicated before plans are in progress to extend the Cammino di San Francesco to connect with other trail that would go north to Austria and Germany.

See Camino di Assisi for more details. And this site - Path of light.  And this site

Next we will discuss how it is possible to walk from Florence all the way to Rome, along this route and tell you about a couple that did it.

The Cammino di San Francesco in Umbria

The Via or Cammino di San Francesco is part of the eastern network of ancient medieval paths in Italy that led to Rome. The long-term vision is to develop a set of paths that connect with Via Claudia Augusta originating from Austria and Germany to Italy, via Venice towards the south to Rome. This same route is described as the Via Francigena of Saint Francis but the term Via Francigena is not appropriate since very few pilgrims from Francia would have traveled this way.

Today the Via di San Francesco is a joint development of regions of Umbria and Lazio connecting the towns of Assisi and Rieti with Rome. The route consists of two sections; the path of Saint Francis of Assisi, who traveled through the region of Umbria in the 13th century and the last 100 km section through Lazio to Rome. This entry will describe the first section. The route in Lazio will follow in a second entry.
 
La Via di San Francesco in Umbria

Officially, the region of Umbria describes this as a journey of more than 270 km through the green heart of Italy; a path through the timeless monasteries, shrines, ancient forests and medieval towns in Umbria following the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The path departs from Citerna in Tuscany, and then heads south into Umbria (with a detour to Perugia) to Assisi and Spoleto to arrive in Piediluco at the border of Umbria and Lazio. It is a sixteen-stage route from Citerna and within Umbria. It is also includes a detour to the famous Umbrian hilltop town of Perugia.

Distance: 270.5 km - Stages: 16 days Citerna Tuscany to Piediluco (just north of Rieti Lazio)

1. Citerna - Città di Castello (18.7 km)
2. Città di Castello - Collevecchio (11.2 km)
3. Collevecchio - Pietralunga (18.5 km)
4. Pietralunga - Gubbio (25.8 km)
5. Gubbio - Biscina (22.8 km)
6. Biscina-Valfabbrica (15.2 km)
7. Valfabbrica - Ripa (10.5 km)
8. Ripa - Perugia (16.5 km)
9. Perugia - Assisi (27 km)
10. Assisi - Foligno (21.8 km)
11. Foligno - Trevi (12.4 km)
12. Trevi - Poreta (12.4 km)
13. Poreta - Spoleto (15.9 km)
14. Spoleto - Chisels (15.8 km)
15. Chisels - Arrochar (14 km)
16. Arrochar - Piediluco (13 km)

Guidebooks
There is one guidebook on the route in Umbria

Di qui passò Francesco (Francis passed here)
350 km on foot from La Verna, Gubbio, Assisi ... to Rieti
By Angela M. Seracchioli
Published 2006
ISBN 9788889385753

Italian author Angela Seracchioli walked the Camino de Santiago and felt the presence of Saint Francis of Assisi (who made a similar journey in 1214). On her return to Italy, she wanted to thank her “friend and fellow traveler.” Hence was born the proposal of a route, starting from Sanctuary of La Verna, in the foothills of Tuscany, along the Apennine Mountains that would touch the places of memory of Saint Francis crossing through the Franciscan Umbria and finishing at the Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone (Convent of St. James) in Rieti.

From La Verna to Rieti the route described in her guidebook is 350 km divided into 16 stages. This is a slighly longer route that the ofificial route described by the Umbrian regional office. Each stages is approximately 20 to 25 km mostly along paths and not particularly difficult. The route is sign posted with hand painted yellow symbol of the Tau, on trees and rocks and arrows on the ground.

Guidebook website
http://www.diquipassofrancesco.it/

For more information on the 16 stages in Umbria please visit this site:
http://www.diquipassofrancesco.it/En/TheWay.html

Video of couple that did part of the route in Umbria

il Camino delle Dolomiti

A new trail, modeled on the famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain is the multi-stage il Cammino delle Dolomiti. It is an itinerary immersed in "faith, culture, and nature." It is intended to be traversed by groups of all ages and backgrounds, immersing them in the beauties of nature, taking them to visit centuries-old churches, sanctuaries, and hospices, fostering a sense of community and spiritual growth, and deepening the knowledge and appreciation of the land, people, and traditions of Belluno province.

The Il Camino delle Dolomiti or Way of the Dolomites is a circular route that hugs the beautiful Dolomite diocese of Belluno-Feltre, in the province of Belluno. It  weaves its way  mainly along the valleys of local rivers and the whole trail can be covered in 30 stages, from four to nine hours long, or the route can be cut into two shorter circuits by following alternative variants across its central part.

The route passes by the sanctuary of the Saints Vittore and Corona valleys of Ladino. Within the Belluno Dolomites National Park are the remains of Andraz Castle, which was home to the philosopher Nicholas of Cusa in the fifteenth century.

The walk between the Falzarego and Fiames is almost entirely along mountain trails and through the Natural Park of the Dolomites to Cortina d'Ampezzo, offering beautiful panoramic views and beautiful mountain scenery. At the same time, the journey that links the shrine of Mary Immaculate of the cathedral of Belluno Nevegal reveals a fascinating artistic and religious history.

A road and hiking map "The Province of Belluno in the Dolomites with the Way", describes in detail the 30 stages of the Way of the Dolomites (with a solid green line) and 13 of his digressions (dashed green line). Scale I 1:75.000, and it includes the entire province and is a comprehensive network of trails of the Italian Alpine Club in the province of Belluno.

Highlights the route and its variants are shown, as well as other local hiking paths, including the connecting paths, indicating the difficult sections. Also marked are campsites, refuges and shelters, cable car lines, chair lifts, places of interest, etc. Map legend includes English.