Pilgrimage – Page 2 – Following your feet

Day 166: Torre d’Isola to Morimondo

I was up early this morning, and off to the laundrette, before joining a long queue at the bakers, having breakfast and saying hello to the owner of the room I was staying. She had sent me lots of info about Pavia during my 3 day stay. I took the bus just after 10am, back…

Day 165: Pavia to Torre d’Isola

A very short day, just more than 10km and more or less no elevation. The plan was to get to Torre d’Isola, eat lunch and catch the 1.30 bus back to Pavia. From today onwards, I am no longer following the Via Francigena, but instead the Via Francisca del Lucomagno. It is an ancient Roman-Longobard…

Day 164: Chignolo Po to Pavia

It was 40kms from Chignolo Po to Pavia. As I left this morning, I was planning on doing 22km to Belgioioso, but I ended walking to Pavia. A very long day, but a day where I met several other walkers, mostly from Holland. I was staying in Pavia and therefore needed to take the train…

Day 163: Piacenza to Chignolo Po

A long, pleasant stage, primarily walking on a poppy lined dike close to the river Po. The B&B had an excellent breakfast and I was met by a warm and sunny morning as I left the B&B. A couple of kilometers through the outskirts of Piacenza, passing the station, before crossing the ca. 2km long…

Day 162: Roveleto to Piacenza

After 6 days averaging 30km a day, 17km should have been easy. I left a 8am and arrived at 12.30, so it was pretty much as expected. But perhaps the most boring stage ever – which is partly my own fault. But a nice afternoon in Piacenza, made up for the walk. As is often…

Day 161: Fidenza to Rovoleto

After leaving the Apennines behind in Fidenza, I enter the Po valley where I will walk for the next seven days. I can understand why I have met a number of people starting in Fidenza going south, today’s stage is as fat as a pancake, where the biggest climbs were the overpasses over the motorway/railway…

Day 160: Fornovo di Taro to Fidenza

I left the B&B after a good breakfast, 30 minutes after my Italian fellow resident. It was a steep downhill into Fornovo di Taro and the bridge across the relatively wide river Taro. I visited a church in town, before crossing the bridge. I then followed the river on small dirt paths for the next…

Day 159: Berceto to Fornovo di Taro

After a good nights sleep, it was sunny but cold as I went down for a pleasant breakfast. As promised The owner of the agritourismo drove me to top of the hill, and dropped me off at the spot where I left the Via Francigena yesterday, thus cutting 150 steep meters and 1,6km off todays…

Day 157: Fornoli to Pontremoli

I had a good nights sleep in the countryside. I put earplugs in, just in case the donkey hee-haw all night. I’d fallen asleep at 22:00, and woke when I heard a distant noise – my watch alarm at 6.45. Despite being the only guest, the owners made a nice and varied breakfast, including scrambled…

Day 156: Sarzana to Fornoli

I’d left Copenhagen on Sunday morning, flying into Milan, busing to the central station and taking a train to La Spezia, on the edge of Cinque Terre. This was my third time in La Spezia. First time was in March 2024, after walking the fabulous Via della Costa. I returned last September (2025) to continue…

Day 155: La Storta to St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican

My last day, a mere 19km plus the 1,5 km to the stage start from the hotel. The stage ends in the Vatican City. I fear the worst regarding crowds on a Saturday in the Jubilee year, but let’s see. The day started with a good breakfast and excellent home made lemon yoghurt. I ate…

Day 154: Campagnano di Roma to La Storta

On paper it was a 22km route with almost 500m elevation. I had an additional 1,5 km to the hotel, but still managed to walk 26km without getting lost at any point. The room I stayed in last night, didn’t offer breakfast, so I ate some the cake that the host had left in the…

Day 153: Sutri to Campagnano di Roma

Another hot and sunny morning met me as I left the hotel after a relatively simple breakfast and a chat with a man who had lived at the hotel for over a month now – he normally lived in Rome, but had temporarily moved to Sutri for personal reasons. I walked out of town towards…

Day 152: Viterbo to Sutri

It was supposed to be 32km but I ended up walking 37km, was shattered, and when I finally reached Sutri, I was told that the place I thought I had booked to stay, was full. The day ended on a high with a spectacular firework display in a Roman Amphitheater. Viterbo to Sutri is two…

Day 150: Aquapendente to Bolsena

Another fairly short day, 23km and 350m elevation. Once the sun broke through the low lying fog, it was a hot and sunny, as I walk towards the medieval town of Bolsena and its volcanic lake. I stopped at the bar for a croissant and coffee, as the hostel I stayed at didn’t serve breakfast.…

Day 149: Radicofani to Aquapendente

A quiet day on the walking front. 23km. The first 10kms to Ponte a Rigo, predominantly, but not only, downhill on a gravel road. The rest of the day was along the “dreaded” SS2, Via Cassia, main road. It is recommended to take an 8km longer alternative, to bypass Via Cassia, but at least on…

Day 148: Bagno Vignoni to Radicofani

It was going to be a long, hot and hard day, 29kms with over 900m elevation, half of that coming in the final climb to the hilltop village of Radicofani. Also no services along the way, apart from a couple of water fountains, before reaching Radicofani. After a good nights sleep and a really superb…

Day 147: Buonconvento to Bagno Vignoni

Sometimes you just have to give in. So far the Via Francigena hasn’t really done it for me. There have been some great stages and fabulous towns, but the predominantly stony/gravel paths, sore feet, an eye infection, spending half the night being sick in Siena have taken my focus from walking. On the rainy day…

Day 146: Cuna to Buonconvento

Today was another short stage, ca. 18km. It was just as well as I haven’t fully recovered from my sickness. I’d slept the best part of 11 hours, but whilst feeling better, wasn’t feeling great. Really a day split into 4 parts, The first and last 6kms were spectacular with fantastic views over Tuscany, the…

Day 145: Siena to Cuna

I had planned today to be a short stage, 15km, so I could spend the morning in Siena exploring. However, the best laid plans don’t always pan out. One thing was that it rained non stop until ca. 3pm. But much worse I had been up twice during the night, bringing up whatever it was…

Day 144: Colle di Val d’Elsa to Siena

I had a good nights sleep overlooking the castle in Colle di Val d’Elsa. Breakfast was at 8, but I hadn’t set an alarm and slept until 7.45, so before I’d washed and dressed it was later than expected. I was further delayed by a pleasant chat with an American mother and daughter and an…