The Grand Tour d'Italia

In a little over a month, I'm heading out on the first leg of a six-month journey across Italy, following a whole bunch of different pilgrimage and walking routes. In the spring, I'll start in Matera, loop south around the heel, and then proceed northward, finishing on the Slovenian border in mid-May. After 90 days pass and Schengen permits, I'll fly back to Europe, resuming my walk in Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Switzerland, so that I can partially earn my crossing at Grand Saint Bernard before proceeding southward, eventually finishing in Palermo, Sicily in November.

Here's a quick snapshot of the different routes I'll be following:

Spring: The First Half

• Part 1: The Cammino Materano, Via Ellenica, Matera to Crispiano
• Part 2: Freestyling the Western Heel, Crispiano to Santa Maria di Leuca (with a bit of the future Via Jonica, as well as the Cammino di Don Tonino)
• Part 3A: The Via Francigena Sud, Santa Maria di Leuca to Brindisi
• Part 3B: Via Ellenica Variant, Brindisi to Alberobello to Monopoli
• Part 3C: The Via Francigena Sud, Variante Mare, Monopoli to Monte Sant'Angelo
• Part 3D: The Monte Sant'Angelo Francigena, MSA to Troia
• Part 3E: The Via Francigena Sud, Troia to Teano
• Part 4: The Cammino di San Benedetto, Montecassino to Norcia
• Part 5: The Via di Francesco, Roma to La Verna
• Part 6: The Cammino di Sant'Antonio, La Verna to Gemona del Friuli
• Part 7: The Cammino Via Flavia (and some freestyling) Gemona del Friuli to Santuario di Muggia Vecchia

Fall: The Second Half

• Part 1 - Via Francigena, Bourg-Saint-Pierre to Pavia
• Part 2 - Via degli Abati, Via del Mare, Freestyling, Pavia to Genova
• Part 3 - Via della Costa, Genova to Sarzana
• Part 4 - Via Francigena again, Sarzana to Roma
• Part 5 - Via Francigena Sud, Roma to Teano
• Part 6 - Freestyling, Teano to Lauria
• Part 7 - Cammino Basiliano, Lauria to Reggio di Calabria
• Part 8 - Via Normanna, Messina to Randazzo
• Part 9 - Via Fabaria, Randazzo to Agrigento
• Part 10 - Magna Via Francigena, Agrigento to Palermo

Seems like a good way to celebrate the Jubilee. Hope to see some other English-speaking pilgrims out there, though I'm not expecting many outside of the VF proper and the Via di Francesco.

Dave