A lot of people ask me why I chose the St Francis Way and are amazed, alarmed or concerned when they discover I am doing this solo. Here’s how I chose St Francis
St Francis vs Camino De Santiago
Camino De Santiago is by far the most famous walk in Europe. There is lot of information on it, lots of organised groups and for all the right reasons it is very popular particularly around September/October. In 2017 some 400,000+ people will undertake the walk with most taking the French route. It looked great and the walk traverses some great Spanish cities such as Pamplona.
But I was looking for something a less trodden, a physical challenge, somewhere where I was unlikely to have my walk impacted by other travellers with the ever present threat of people on mobile phones.
I came across the St Francis Way on https://caminoways.com/ways/st-francis-way-cammino-di-francesco
The St Francis Way takes an ancient Roman road between Florence and Rome following in the footsteps of Saint Francis across stunning and peaceful countryside, passing important Franciscan sites such as Assisi and Rieti, in Umbria. The Cammino di Francesco or St Francis Way finishes at the Vatican and has been followed by many pilgrims inspired by the life St Francis of Assisi. Some of the highlights I am looking forward to:
- Florence: UNESCO-listed for its magnificent artistic and architectural heritage, Walking out of Florence anl looking back on this amazing city as I climb the foothills
- La Verna Sanctuary: is located in a peaceful mountain location surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. It is here where St Francis and his followers meditated and where St Francis experienced the stigmata.
- Assisi: is the home town, as well as the burial place, of Saint Francis and the most important Franciscan pilgrimage destination.
- Crossing natural parks, mountain passes and valleys on the Apennine Mountains and stunning medieval hill-top towns and villages;
- This is quite a challenging route (particularly section 1 and 3) we recommend only for experienced walkers.
Its combination of challenge, ruggedness, natural beauty and a sense of alignment between the meditative and spiritual life of St Francis and his order felt just right for my spiritual reset before I return to work in Australia.
Sandy Brown the author of the Cicerone guide book has a lot of good information on his site including FAQ’s at https://caminoist.org/way-of-st-francis-faq/