The Francigena has a real community feel about it, for both hikers and locals. In the tiny town of Orio Litta, situated in the middle of a sea of cornfields east of Pavia, the mayor of the town - Pierluigi Cappelletti - came to welcome us personally. When he saw how exhausted we were, he gave us passes to the community bike-sharing scheme to get to dinner, with a wink and an “attenzione, sono al mio nome, eh?” [“Take care, they’re on my name, ok?”]. By the Santuario di Maria Santissima near San Gimignano, we exchanged a lengthy half hour discussion with Valorio, a 22-year old seminarian who had just happened to wander by. He explained to us all about the history of the place, and the process of ordination. We parted ways with his heartfelt promise to pray for a safe continuation for us, because “il Signore tocca ognuno di noi” [“The Lord touches every one of us”]. It started raining ten minutes later, proof if any was needed that the Lord works in mysterious ways.
The places along the way are also remarkable. Often overlooked towns such as San Miniato Alto, no more than a few hours on even the most leisurely itinerary, are just as beautiful as their better-known neighbours. In a tiny village just outside Lucca, we unexpectedly stumbled across the stunning Villa Pianore, the birthplace of the last Empress of Austria. That’s not to mention places like the picturesque Previdè and Castellonchio, each with a population in winter that is smaller than an average family dinner at Casa Zivan.
For many years, hiking holidays did not form a major part of the Italian tourism brief. The Via Francigena finally changes that, and it’s a worthy and welcome addition to Europe’s hiking landscape.
Often overlooked towns such as San Miniato
Alto, no more than a few hours on even the
most leisurely itinerary, are often just as
beautiful as their better-known neighbours.
by Sahar Zivan
VIAGGI