The Way of St Francis. The Reverend Sandy Brown

In less than two years he was declared a saint and construction began on a church at Assisi in his honor. At the completion of its lower level, the body of Francis was interred at the new Basilica of San Francesco.

      Some have called Francis of Assisi the most successful follower of Jesus Christ, fulfilling in the most meticulous way Jesus’ call to simplicity, poverty and prayer. In practical terms his life, ministry and legacy steered the church back toward care of the poor and needy.

      In the 20th century Francis’ love of nature led him to be called ‘the first environmentalist,’ and his interest in the poor has made him informal patron saint of economic justice. Then in 2013 the newly elected Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires took the name, Pope Francis. The message was not lost – Bergoglio was saying to people of the 21st century that they should take a fresh look at the life and message of the humble man of Assisi.

      (There are many resources for those who would like to learn more about Francis’ life and legacy; see Appendix D for further reading suggestions.)

      The modern Way of St Francis

      After the death of Francis his hometown of Assisi became an important pilgrimage site. Since the 13th century pilgrims from all over Italy and Europe have traveled to Umbria to venerate Francis and his friend and collaborator, St Clare. Today, the Municipality of Assisi annually hosts over 4 million pilgrims and tourists.

      A small shrine honoring pilgrims outside Foligno (Stage 17)

      Since there is no historic text that proposes a specific itinerary, as with other pilgrimages such as the Camino de Santiago and Via Francigena, there are now several itineraries that link together beloved St Francis sites. Among the main routes are:

       Via Francigena di San Francesco (Via di Francesco) – a joint project of the Region of Umbria, Franciscan family of orders in Assisi and the Umbrian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The routes converge on Assisi, beginning either at Santuario della Verna from the north or Rieti from the south. Large blue-and-yellow metal signs and blue-and-yellow painted stripes mark the way.

       Cammino di Assisi begins at the tiny town of Dovadola in Emilia-Romagna and visits sites of St Anthony before connecting at Santuario della Verna for a Franciscan itinerary that ends in Assisi. Green arrows and a dancing ‘Tau’ figure mark the route.

       Di qui Passò San Francesco is the brainchild of pilgrim pioneer Angela Serracchioli and leads from Santuario della Verna through Greccio to Poggio Bustone. Look for yellow ‘Tau’ markers and yellow arrows that mark this route.

       Cammino di Francesco is a project of the Rieti tourism office, which maintains a ring of trails among the holy sites of the Sacred Valley of Rieti in a circular route between Poggio Bustone, Greccio, La Foresta and other Franciscan sanctuaries. Carved wooden signs and X-framed fences mark the route.

       Via di Roma is overseen by the Region of Lazio and leads from Rieti to Rome. Its blue-and-yellow signs are almost identical to those of the Via di Francesco. In Rome the route is also marked with images of St Francis and the two keys of St Peter stenciled in yellow paint on sidewalks.

       Sentiero Francescano della Pace recounts the route walked by Francis from Assisi to Gubbio after his parents disowned him. Large kiosks mark the route.

       Der Franziskusweg – in their guidebooks, authors Kees Roodenburg of Holland and Simone Ochsenkühn of Germany describe a route beginning near Florence and ending just before Rome. An Austrian guidebook also describes a Franziskusweg route from Frankfurt to Rome via La Verna. Before La Verna the route follows pre-existing Club Alpino Italia (CAI) trails, which are marked in painted red-and-white stripes, and then selects from among the Franciscan options to find the most favorable itineraries.

      In addition, the Region of Tuscany is in the process of creating new Franciscan itineraries leading to La Verna from Florence, Arezzo, Cortona and Emiglia-Romangna.

      Waymarks along the way, including CAI, Qui Passo, Via Francesco and Cammino di Assisi

      Why this itinerary?

      While the different routes offer their own virtues and give pilgrims choices about what sites to visit and how best to enjoy the area, the lack of agreement on a single itinerary does challenge pilgrims who want to find the best choice for their specific pilgrimage.

      The itinerary included in this book comes after weighing the pros and cons of each existing route. The goals of this book’s itinerary are to provide the strongest possible links to sites identified with the life of St Francis, as well as providing an enjoyable and scenic daily experience. It also seeks to include daily routes that provide access to services and economical overnight lodging. Since travel connections are important, it includes stages that begin and end in locations with air, train and/or bus transportation.

      Pilgrims have physical limits, so another goal was to avoid unnecessarily long, difficult or poorly marked routes. This route honors safety rules and minimizes time on busy auto roads that provide little or no room for pedestrians. It was also important to allow for a one-month timeframe as a natural follow-up to a pilgrim who has finished the Camino Francés and is looking for another memorable pilgrimage experience.

      After weighing the options, this route follows most closely the Via di Francesco and Via di Roma itineraries from Santuario della Verna to Rome, occasionally opting for the other routes when they offer a better option. The primary addition is a walking itinerary from Florence to hard-to-reach Santuario della Verna, which mostly follows the German guidebooks, leading pilgrims through the lovely Casentino Park.

      A group of pilgrims walking to Assisi from Spello (Stage 16)

Geography and climate

      The Apennine range is the thick spine of the Italian peninsula, and the forested Central Apennines form the north and east borders of the route of the Way of St Francis. On the Western slopes of the Central Apennines the primary rivers are tributaries of the Arno and Tiber (Tevere), which catch rainfall from western Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio before flowing into the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas.

      Because of this rugged topography, the Way of St Francis is often a challenging walk. Veteran Camino de Santiago pilgrims may compare several of the days to a walk over the Route Napoleon that crosses the Pyrenees. A daily climb and descent of 500 to 1000 meters is not unusual.

      Mount Terminillo and other snowy peaks in the Central Apennines create weather patterns that ensure regular rainfall, and the mountain streams and aquifers supply pure water that is bottled and shipped all over Italy at water plants like Cottorella near Rieti. For pilgrims, this environment means that sporadic rain is assured in any season of the year.

      Some who haven’t visited Central Italy are surprised to discover this lovely region has four distinct seasons, with frequent freezing temperatures in the winter as well as very hot temperatures in the summer. Snow is common at the higher elevations included on this itinerary, with chilly temperatures and more rain in the lowlands. Summers bring the high temperatures expected of Italy, but rainfall averages year round show why the region remains green.

      For pilgrims, the geography and climate offer rewards – breathtaking views from lofty mountain ridges and long walks in ancient forests or among green fields in quiet valleys. But it is also important for pilgrims to plan and prepare well for the challenges ahead.

      Looking back toward Cantalice (Stage 23)

Getting