Sneak peek at Joanne’s next Long Walk!

If you have been reading this blog you will have seen that I have walked from home to Rome, to Santiago de Compostela, and, this spring, to Assisi. What next?

My next Long Walk will be part of “Via Francigena – Road to Rome 2021. Start again!”, a project which began on June 16 and will continue throughout the summer of 2021: an 3,200 km epic journey from Canterbury, UK through France, Switzerland and Italy to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) in 2001. The project aims to relaunch sustainable tourism along the Via Francigena, promoting appreciation of the natural and cultural heritage of the route while raising awareness of environmental protection and responsible, sustainable travel and promoting the candidacy of the Via Francigena for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A core group of EAVF representatives will be joined by pilgrims and ramblers, hiking clubs and local associations, reporters, videomakers and bloggers who volunteer to walk with them on one or more of the 148 stages into which the route will be divided, taking turns carrying the symbolic pilgrim’s staff which, like a sort of pilgrims’ Olympic torch, will travel the entire 3,200 km of the Via Francigena. 

Anyone who wishes to participate in the initiative may join in, walking or cycling with the group for as long or short a time as they like!  The calendar is published on the internet so anyone interested can join the group for one or more stages.  

The Via Francigena: Canterbury - Santa Maria di Leuca

My bit: the Via Francigena del Sud (with variants)

And, strange to say, the “Road to Rome” will not actually end in Rome! As you can see in the above map, after arriving at the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican, traditional end-point of the Via Francigena, between September 12 and October 18 the march will continue along the Via Francigena del Sud, the portion of the Via Francigena between Rome and southern Italy, ending in Santa Maria di Leuca, at the southern tip of the region of Apulia – the “heel” of the boot of Italy.

This is where I come into the picture! Having walked “from home to Rome” back in 2015, I am now anxious to try out the less well-known and less frequently walked southern part of the Via Francigena, which is based on the route pilgrims would have taken to the south of Italy to embark on a vessel for the Holy Land.

I fully agree with the goals of the initiative and will be happy to support the project and help work toward its additional goals of checking the state of the route, addressing any shortcomings that may be found and proposing possible improvements, as well as encouraging awareness among the public of the beauty that is waiting to be discovered walking along the Via Francigena in southern Italy! And so I am proud to announce that I have been appointed official Ambassador of the association for the "Road from Rome" portion of the walk: from Rome southwards! 

I hope that you will follow me along the Way!