Italian Pilgrimage Trail Gets a Boost from Prodi

The Via Francigena is the pilgrimage trail that runs from Canterbury to Rome, first recorded by Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric the Serious in 990 AD. Along the Italian part of the via you'll find interesting cities and villages, and along the way there are a string of churches, mostly Romanesque, where pilgrims may often obtain housing and other assistance.

Recently the trail has been making news. Eric Sylvers of the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times walked the Italian portion of the Via earlier this year, and reported on the rough spots on the route--places where he was forced to walk on busy highways, or became lost due to bad or missing signage.

Is all this about to change?

Premier Romano Prodi on Monday unveiled the first of 1,544 signposts which will soon show modern-day walkers the paths used by medieval pilgrims travelling from Canterbury to Rome.

The brown sign, marked Via Francigena, stands outside the castle in the Tuscan village of Monteriggioni, once a regular stopping place for pilgrims doing the 1,800-km walk. ~ Prodi Unveils Pilgrimage Route

Many of us, Sylvers included, await the task of waymarking with a bit of skepticism. Signs are supposed to start appearing along the way in November and mark every junction. As Eric mentions in his blog, politicians seldom keep promises to the public these days, and besides, Italian governments aren't known for their longevity.

So...we'll see.

Why is this travel news? If you were to plan your vacation by tracing the route of the Via Francigena, you'd visit some of Italy's most interesting cities. Many of the most compelling medieval villages in Italy with Romanesque churches are found along the route.

What's walking it like? WorksandWords has a nice description of the Via Francigena. They get to the heart of Pilgrimage at the end:

A pilgrimage is made up of many smaller pilgrimages. Each day brings many different smaller separate tasks (read "pilgrimages") we have to attend to sometimes one after another and sometimes several at once. All these small things make up the pilgrimage we are on. But I realize another thing in this and the next couple days. This pilgrimage to Rome is only another small pilgrimage when taken in the context of our pilgrimage through life. And it is a small one.

Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli reflected wisely, "Cultural tourism is different from the usual invasions of consumer tourism. Here you can see the real Italy."

When I am in the Lunigiana, I am always in contact with the via, which passes through the towns of Pontremoli through to Luni, for which the Lunigiana was named. It left churches, hospices, and villages in its wake, most very interesting to visit. Yes, the real Italy is waiting for you.

Read More: Monteriggioni, the completely walled hilltown you've never heard of | Lunigiana

^{Picture of a pilgrim along the Via Francigena © 2007 by James Martin, licensed to About.com}