Lightfoot Guides to the Via Francigena

When we walked the Via Francigena in 2006 there were no guide books in English. 
I bought an Italian guide book and also downloaded daily stages from the AEVF website - which we translated into English using Google translate.  The result was sometimes so cryptic that it wasn't until we actually in the locality that we could work out which way to go. 

The AIVF had a short list of places to stay but no email addresses so I spent hours, weeks, trying to find accommodation along the way.

Pilgrims to Rome have it easier today since Babette Gallard and Paul Chinn started publishing their Lightfoot guides to walking, cycling (or going on horseback) on the Via Francigena.  These books form part of a three volume guide for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders travelling the via Francigena.

Vol. One Canterbury to Besançon

Vol. Two Besançon to Vercelli

Vol. Three Vercelli to Rome

Vol One covers the route from Canterbury to the Summit of the Great St Bernard Pass.

Vol Two covers 453 km from Besançon - the Capital of Franche-Comte - to Vercelli and the intersection with the Road from Santiago.

Vol Three covers 863 kilometres from Vercelli at the intersection with the Road from Santiago to Saint Peter's.

Each volume contains detailed routing instructions, route schematics, listings of accommodation and services and descriptions of the history of key locations along the route. Purchasers of the book are entitled to receive GPS waypoint data and periodic route updates.

NB:  Update from the editors:
"The route has been updated to take into account a number of modifications, and the guides themselves have been stripped down to instructions and route information, with a great deal more detailed historical and cultural information available in a new publication - Companion to the via Francigena. I would advise people who do not need the guides immediately to wait until the 2010 editions are out in March."

Another resource for accommodation in English, is the AEVF list - HOSPITALITY ALONG VIA FRANCIGENA - which can be downloaded from the Cultural Routes of Europe website or from:
http://www.viefrancigene.eu/default.asp?s=5&o=6889&c=0
(The link to the pdf file is on the right.)

"On the streets of Peace"

I received this link from a French pilgrim who walked the journey of St. Francis "On the streets of Peace"

Florence - Assisi - Rome

"I finally finished the descriptions of the stages of my pilgrimage, with more than 200 photos."

http://www.randoalp.com/rome2009/cammino_di_san_francesco.html

National Geographic Photos of the VF

Antonio Politano - http://www.antoniopolitano.com - provides links to his photogallery - with 60 images - on Via Francigena and 16 pages on National Geographic Italy:


http://www.antoniopolitano.com/galleryfrancigena60.htm

http://www.antoniopolitano.com/files/media_files/ng/ngi.htm

Posted on the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/via-francigena/message/2041 by Neville Tencer