A statue of Kobo Daishi looks out across dramatic misty mountains on the Shikoku Pilgrimage

Shikoku Pilgrimage Stage 1, Japan

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Tokushima Prefecture: Awakening the Spirit

Prologue

Our Shikoku Pilgrimage begins less than auspiciously. We asked the author of our guidebook if he knew of any reliable GPS tracks. His response is stern. A pilgrimage is not a hike but a path of ascetic training. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing; digital devices are unsuitable for the Shikoku pilgrimage. Getting lost is part of the journey. 

Chastened, we temper our planning for the pilgrimage but remain committed to following the footsteps of Kōbō Daishi to the 88 sacred Buddhist temples scattered around the island of Shikoku.

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Warm morning light highlights Cathedral Rock against the blue-tinged Serra Range

Five things you need to know about the Grampians Peaks Trail

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1. Give me an overview of the trail?

The Grampians Peaks Trail is a 164-kilometre walk traversing the Grampians National Park (Gariwerd). It provides panoramic views north/south along the ranges and east/west across the plains. Walkers will experience a stunning diversity of landscapes, including rocky ridges, alpine communities, dry and wet forests, heathlands and rivers. There are always some wildflowers blooming and Spring puts on a dazzling, ever-changing display.

The first rays of sun light up the summit of Mt Difficult / Gar on the Grampians Peaks Trail
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Late afternoon light highlights the rugged Serra Range on the Grampians Peaks Trail

Grampians Peaks Trail

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Grampians Peaks Trail, Gariwerd, Australia

Prelude

The Grampians Peaks Trail is an epic walk, full of beauty, grandeur and challenge. Along its 165 kilometres, it climbs over rugged peaks and crosses tough, rocky terrain as it traverses Gariwerd from Mt Zero in the north to Dunkeld in the south. Are we being foolhardy, setting out on a 13-day journey into the heart of this ancient, craggy country?

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Mock horror at the sight of a bear-shaped cutout on the Premužić Trail, Croatia

Premužić Trail, Croatia

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Zagreb is scaffolded, still in a state of repair after the 2020 earthquake that struck hours after the city went into lockdown. There are rules for when there is an earthquake, but when there is an earthquake at the same time as there is a global pandemic, then it’s a much more complex situation.

We have time enough to wander the streets and visit the enchanting Gallery of Naive Art and the poignant Museum of Broken Relationships but we are here to walk the Premužić Trail with our Zagreb-based friend Kaylee. Early one morning, we leave the city and drive up through mist and fog to the Zavižan mountain refuge, the start of the walk.

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Anna walking a winding dirt road towards Sutera nestled at the foot of Mount San Paolino

Magna Via Francigena, Sicily

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A last wander along the shoreline before we turn inland to walk across the mountains and plains of Sicily on the Magna Via Francigena. Fishermen mending their nets. A large-scale mural; a memorial to the magistrates Falcone and Borsellino, both assassinated by the Mafia. It is bold in its presence and tender in its rendering.

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A view along the Tiber River with an ancient bridge and Saint Peter's dome in the background

Via Francigena Sud: 6 things you will want to know

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Introduction

We walked the Via Francigena Sud in May 2023, setting out southwards from Rome after researching options and seeking advice from local experts. We loved the walk and wrote a three-part account of it on this website. Since then, we’ve provided information to others interested in the route and thought we should share this more widely. We hope it piques your interest in walking the Via Francigena Sud and assists your planning.

1. What is the Via Francigena Sud?

The Via Francigena Sud is promoted as the newest, ancient pilgrimage. It’s based on the oldest known record of Christian pilgrimage, written in 333 CE by the Pilgrim of Bordeaux, who documented his return journey from the Holy Lands.

For centuries, the Via Francigena in southern Italy was a general route rather than a defined road, used by northern Europeans to walk south from Rome to the ports from where they sailed to the Holy Land.

The modern Via Francigena Sud opened in 2019 and extends from Rome to Santa Maria Di Leuca, the finis terrae of Italy. It’s a (mostly) well-marked route with guidebooks, apps, and GPS tracks to assist pilgrims. History abounds along the way. You’ll start soaking it up as soon as you step out on the Via Appia, a largely pedestrian path lined with Roman funerary monuments.

We enjoyed walking through history, exploring coastlines, rivers and mountains, and savouring delicious southern Italian food. Despite our lack of Italian, our many friendly interactions with locals were a real highlight.

Like many on this route, we had already walked the Via Francigena but when we returned home, we felt we had unfinished business in Italy. So, less than a year later, we set out southwards from Rome.

You can gain an insight into the experience of walking the Via Francigena Sud by reading our account of walking from Rome to the heel of Italy.

A selfie of Anna and Michael at the start of the Via Francigena Sud
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Michel walks past a wall covered with graffiti including the text BUON CAMMINO

Finis Terrae: to the end of the earth on the Via Francigena Sud

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Waves breaking on the rocky shore. Pebbles sighing. Ferries plying the waters of the Adriatic. Fishing boats out at sea. We’re walking the Via Francigena Sud, a 950-kilometre route following the ancient Appian Way southwards from Rome. After walking through Lazio and across the mountains of Campania, we arrive in the port city of Bari. From here, we’ll hug the coastline until we reach Santa Maria di Leuca on the southernmost tip of the Salento peninsula, where the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea meet.

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Four French pilgrims pose with Anna and Michael for a selfie on the Via Francigena Sud

Apennines to the Adriatic, Via Francigena Sud

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We wake to the deep silence of the contemplative Monastery of Santa Catarina. There’s heavy rain forecast and it comes early. The beautiful Trebulani Mountains are lost to us. We’re walking the Via Francigena Sud, a 950 km route following the Appian Way southwards from Rome. After 10 days in Lazio, we turn inland towards the mountainous Campania.

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A lone walker strides out along a tree-lined rural road

Ten Days in Lazio, Via Francigena Sud

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One fine spring morning, we stepped out to walk the Via Francigena Sud. It’s a 950-kilometre route following the ancient Appian Way from Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca. Emperors, poets and popes have gone before us, as have pilgrims and crusaders bound for the Holy Land.

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On the Via Francigena, pilgrim walks along a ridgetop track towards a lone tree on the horizon

Six things you need to know about the Via Francigena

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1. Why would anyone want to walk 2,000 km?

It’s a very good question and one that we asked ourselves when we met Helaine on the Via de la Plata in 2008. She had started and intended to finish the Via Francigena. To be honest, we thought it a crazy notion.

Then, towards the end of 2021, after two years of COVID lockdowns and restrictions, we started wondering how we should respond to the constraints; sometimes we hadn’t been able to walk further than 5 km from our home (Melbourne, Australia). As we talked, it became clear that to put COVID-19 behind us we needed to walk, and the further the better. Helaine and the Via Francigena re-entered our consciousness. To walk 2,000 km over three months through five countries felt like the appropriate way to embrace a newly re-opened world.

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