Francigena in southern Italy

[brianne fitzgerald]

Anyone walked south from Rome? This looks so interesting and in the south I know that it is less costly.

 

[timr]

Yes I have walked from Rome to Santa Maria de Leuca.
Many fewer people.Quite a number of variants along the way. You can choose how soon to reach the coast.You could take in Monte Sant Angelo for instance.
Waymarking and infrastructure slowly but steadily increasing I can see. (I walked in 2018 and again in 2022)
There is a good recent guide book in English. https://www.terre.it/prodotto/the-via-francigena-in-southern-italy/
Plenty of information and gpx from https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/the-via-francigena-in-italy/#itsud
Prices generally are less costly than more touristy places in the north. But slightly balanced by not always dedicated pilgrim accommodation available.
Useful to have some Italian. You will certainly not find English spoken everywhere.
I loved it and would go again tomorrow.

 

[brianne fitzgerald]

Thanks for your reply. I would love to hear more from you. I've done 5 Caminos, the most recent being the Northern route, and I like less crowded walks. I do not speak Italian. How long did you walk?

 

[timr]

It is not too far! 30 days Rome to Brinidisi. After that I continued into Albania and North Macedonia and onward (planning to get to Jerusalem which has not happened yet). That was 2018.

But I always wanted to finish the road so I returned and walked from Matera to Brindisi and oward from Brindisi to Santa Maria de Leuca in 2022. The bit from Brindisi to the heel of Italy was just another 8 days. Both times in late Summer/Autumn. So an easy six weeks in all.

Definitely less crowded!! Worth learning enough Italian to speak and book a place, but of course you can manage that much using Whatsapp (DEFINITELY the default way) and Google translate if you wish. And always fall back on getting your host tonight to ring up your host tomorrow. But you WILL DEFINITELY need to tell people you are coming.......they will not be there every day on the off chance of meeting a stray pilgrim! There is a good amount of pilgrim type accommodation, but not everywhere.

I never failed to find accommodation. I never camp, except perhaps in a static caravan or hut on a camp site.

Happy to answer specific questions!

 

[Tincatinker]

I’ve just spent 6 weeks in southern Italy. Some walking on pilgrimage routes and some meandering by train and local buses. Some Italian will transform your experience. Even just the niceties, numbers and “Dove posso trovare un letto per la notte?” will help. Pointing and smiling works but “per favore” works better

 

[Corned Beef]

Like @Tincatinker I'm just back from that area. Just a heads up that there will be a lot of road walking. Secondly there are some lonely parts in Puglia before you get to the coast. Wide, flat and open with few people. The people you do meet though are friendly and helpful.

This is Santa Maria de Leuca and Brindisi. Also the signs towards the coast have been improved so less chance of getting lost.

 

[brianne fitzgerald]

It is not too far! 30 days Rome to Brinidisi. After that I continued into Albania and North Macedonia and onward (planning to get to Jerusalem which has not happened yet). That was 2018.

But I always wanted to finish the road so I returned and walked from Matera to Brindisi and oward from Brindisi to Santa Maria de Leuca in 2022. The bit from Brindisi to the heel of Italy was just another 8 days. Both times in late Summer/Autumn. So an easy six weeks in all.

Definitely less crowded!! Worth learning enough Italian to speak and book a place, but of course you can manage that much using Whatsapp (DEFINITELY the default way) and Google translate if you wish. And always fall back on getting your host tonight to ring up your host tomorrow. But you WILL DEFINITELY need to tell people you are coming.......they will not be there every day on the off chance of meeting a stray pilgrim! There is a good amount of pilgrim type accommodation, but not everywhere.

I never failed to find accommodation. I never camp, except perhaps in a static caravan or hut on a camp site.

Happy to answer specific questions!

Please let’s talk

Note from mods: Personal email addresses are always removed from threads. @brianne fitzgerald, please contact @timr by PM and you can exchange personal info there.