Lucca to Rome on Via Francigina

[Intrepid Jenny S]

Hi everyone. I am walking from Lucca to Rome from mid October through November. Will I see many other pilgrims? Alternatively I could walk the Francis again to see more pilgrims around, but colder! What is your experience?

 

[Roland49]

Hi everyone. I am walking from Lucca to Rome from mid October through November. Will I see many other pilgrims? Alternatively I could walk the Francis again to see more pilgrims around, but colder! What is your experience?

I accidently stayed on my vacation in Italy in an Agriturismo on the VF between Certaldo and San Gimignano. Just saw very few pilgrims. A couple and a group of three. But it was in high summer, we got temps up to 35°C. It max change to the more bearable conditions in late fall.

Have fun!

 

[jungleboy]

@Camino Chrissy walked around this time two years ago, maybe two weeks or so earlier than your schedule. Hopefully she can give you some advice.

 

[StephenHLanark]

I walked this May/june 23. I saw other pilgrims every day, unlike the Invierno. Great experience but, as it passes through many tourist hotspots, it is significantly more expensive than CF.
Enjoy

 

[Liica]

Hi everyone. I am walking from Lucca to Rome from mid October through November. Will I see many other pilgrims? Alternatively I could walk the Francis again to see more pilgrims around, but colder! What is your experience?

No, you won’t see many pilgrims. But I’m sure it’s a good time to walk (good weather).

 

[Samos]

HI! Walked this as part of our Via Francigena route last September through November (Milan to Rome, Rome to Assisi)

We noticed an increase in pilgrims from Lucca to Sienna. this part of the route we saw pilgrims (relative to the rest of this pilgrimage, but don't expect to run in to pilgrims consistently). This particular section (lucca to Sienna) seems to be very popular, and it is a beautiful walk. However, from Sienna to Rome I would say we saw very few pilgrims, and most of those were ones we had run into previously. The day we arrived in Rome, we only saw 1 other pilgrim during the time we arrived at the Vatican pilgrim desk. But, next year is a Jubilee Year so there may be quite a bit more traffic to Rome.

It is pretty expensive and even staying in monasteries, etc. since there was 2 of us, sometimes it was much cheaper to do a room/apartment on Airbnb than other places.

We thoroughly enjoyed it, but if we don't mind solitude on our walks, just don't expect Camino Frances busy

It is a great walk, and hope this info helps

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi everyone. I am walking from Lucca to Rome from mid October through November. Will I see many other pilgrims? Alternatively I could walk the Francis again to see more pilgrims around, but colder! What is your experience?

Yes, as @jungleboy said, I walked the Via Francigena in the fall, starting on Sept. 28th, 2022, and had mostly perfect weather. We stayed in private lodging the majority of the time, which does hinder connecting with other pilgrims, especially when not speaking Italian. We did connect with a younger Italian man who spoke good English and he was friendly and became our "tour guide" for a couple of days until Sienna as we stayed two nights and he moved on. Apart from him, I can count on one handthe pilgrims we saw walking the whole way. A highlight was meeting @Pilgrim 122 from London, and she has since become a virtual friend.
I absolutely loved the Via Francigena!

 

[Rex]

I walked the VF from Lucca to Rome in May 2024 and saw pilgrims every day. However, when I asked several different hosts in various places about the timing of pilgrim traffic, most said they don't get much traffic after September or early October. This is mostly because the Italians are back to work and kids are back in school, so there are fewer pilgrims on the VF (and it is already a lightly traveled path). You should have little trouble finding accommodations, as most of the places I stayed were not albergues or hostels, but were AirBNB or private rooms or small hotels which are open all year. The list of accommodations from the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome was quite useful, as was the handbook by Sandy Brown and of course, Booking.com.

Buen Camino

 

[JamesG]

I walked Lucca to Rome mid October to November last year. I encountered 5 on the trail in total. I did see an American group of 4 at one of my stays but never saw them on the trail. It’s a very quiet trail at this time of the year. The weather was rainy cool and foggy in the north particularly in the morning but soon cleared around San Gimignano. I found there was also a great deal of road walking. It’s no secret that the VF camino infrastructure is not as advanced as the Spanish network and the cost is also higher than in Spain, however I enjoyed the experience.

 

[Marianne Hansen]

Hi everyone. I am walking from Lucca to Rome from mid October through November. Will I see many other pilgrims? Alternatively I could walk the Francis again to see more pilgrims around, but colder! What is your experience?

I've been very interested to do this walk so will follow your progress with interest