Tag Camino

The People of the Via Francigena

Reg Spittle 3 Comments

The Via Francigena has delighted us in its warmth, with recent days bringing us friendships.

Elena (in top photo) and her mother welcomed us to their 14th-century hilltop farm home and agriturismo with personal charm, a spacious apartment, and scrumptious meals.

We had dinner and trailside conversation with Renate and Herbert from The Netherlands, promising to reconnect in Rome. And we said goodbye (for now) to Luca, who is on his way home in northern Italy to resume his studies.

Meanwhile, we pause in Acquapendante today for a breather, leaving just eight days to Rome. And we hear we may be just in time for a big announcement when we show our pilgrim passports (filled with ink stamps documenting our journey) and collect our certificates in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The City of Towers and a Trail Surprise

Reg Spittle Leave a comment
We glimpse San Gimignano from the trail. Today, we climbed the tallest of 14 towers for a Tuscan view.

San Gimignano was quite a sight from afar and continued to impress as Sue and I wandered the narrow streets and alleys. The more-than-1,000-years-old Via Francigena was instrumental to the birth and growth of San Gimignano and so many other places we visit on this journey.

San Gimignano once boasted 72 towers during a time when the height of your tower represented power and wealth. Today, there are 14 towers.

On our walk to the city on the Via Francigena, we met a pilgrim bursting with stories from his journey—from Canterbury, England, the official starting point of the VF. Chris Wilmoth began in 2024, but had to leave Europe when his visa ran out. He picked up this year where he left off. He plans to walk to the southern tip of Italy, and will finish with roughly 2,000 miles.

Chris calls San Jose, California home and is the only American we have seen on this trail. You can check out Chris’ adventures at chris-in-namibia. com

Buon Camino, Chris! We were fortunate to share time with you.