
Focus · 1 Oct 2022
An indispensable guidebook to walking the Via Francigena between Lausanne and Lucca. This is the middle section of the pilgrim route connecting Canterbury to the Vatican City in Rome, and passes through some of the Via Francigena's most beautiful and dramatic scenery. Starting at Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in Switzerland, the 725km route crosses the Alps into Italy at historic Great Saint Bernard Pass, descends through the Aosta Valley to the Po Valley, then climbs again to cross the Cisa Pass into Tuscany.
The route is described in 32 day stages averaging around 23km a day, but can easily be customised to other itineraries. It is suitable for any averagely fit walker, although there are a few steep mountainous stages. Relevant variants are described, including options to make use of boat, bus and train connections, and it is possible to cycle all or part of the Italian portion of the route.
In this guidebook, full stage directions are accompanied by maps showing the route line and the facilities available at different locations. Accommodation listings give invaluable information on low-cost pilgrim hostels and where to stay. There are useful city maps for Lausanne, Aosta, Ivrea, Pavia, Piacenza and Lucca, and a stage planning table lists intermediate distances between accommodation providers, so you can customise your own walking schedule. One of three volumes covering the complete Via Francigena.
Sanford 'Sandy' Brown is a long-distance walker and ordained minister who lives in Lucca, Italy. He was born in California and his great-grandparents migrated to San Juan Capistrano from Mexico in the 19th century. Inspired by The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, he trekked the Camino de Santiago in 2008 and since then has walked over 14,000km on pilgrim trails in Europe and the U.S. He records his pilgrim adventures in his popular blog at https://caminoist.org. In 2020, Sandy joined Cicerone Press as Associate Publisher for Caminos and Pilgrimages.
View author profile