What and Why

The Via Francigena ("Frankish Road") was a main road starting in Canterbury in England, then down through Frankish territory and across St Bernard Pass in the Alps and finally down to Rome.  The first known description of the route was by Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury in 990AD.  It is pretty much his only known claim to fame.  Thousands of pilgrams, merchants and others have walked this way before and since but Sigeric was the first to bore his friends and relations with his travel diaries.   I am following in his footsteps both figuratively and literally as this will be my account of following this way.

However, as this pilgrim is an atheist my purpose in making the trip is to marvel at the gorgeous countryside and feast on some of the best food and wines Italy has to offer.  As this pilgrim also only has a little under 4 weeks to spend on her journey, I will only be walking the last 200 miles from San Gimignano to Rome. (Yes I know Siena is mispelt on the map.   Don't blame me.  I pinched the map from somewhere else.)

As this little pilgrim also likes her creature comforts she is doing this trek in comfortable, flashpacking style. That is, I've booked pleasant hotels along the route and hired the agreeable folk from ATG Oxford to transport my suitcase from hotel to hotel.  All I have to do is get myself and my camera from point A to point B.  I will, however, walk the whole way (or at least, that's the plan).

Stay tuned.  Departure day is Tuesday, 13 September 2011.