- An indispensable guidebook to walking the Via Francigena between Lausanne and Lucca. This is the middle section of the pilgrim route connecting Canterbury to the Vatican City in Rome, and passes through some of the Via Francigena’s most beautiful and dramatic scenery. Starting at Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in Switzerland, the 725km route crosses the Alps into Italy at historic Great Saint Bernard Pass, descends through the Aosta Valley to the Po Valley, then climbs again to cross the Cisa Pass into Tuscany.
The route is described in 32 day stages averaging around 23km a day, but can easily be customised to other itineraries. It is suitable for any averagely fit walker, although there are a few steep mountainous stages. Relevant variants are described, including options to make use of boat, bus and train connections, and it is possible to cycle all or part of the Italian portion of the route.
In this guidebook, full stage directions are accompanied by maps showing the route line and the facilities available at different locations. Accommodation listings give invaluable information on low-cost pilgrim hostels and where to stay. There are useful city maps for Lausanne, Aosta, Ivrea, Pavia, Piacenza and Lucca, and a stage planning table lists intermediate distances between accommodation providers, so you can customise your own walking schedule. One of three volumes covering the complete Via Francigena.
About the Author:
Sandy Brown is a community activist, long-distance walker and ordained minister from Seattle, Washington, now living in Lucca, Italy.
Inspired by The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, he trekked the Camino de Santiago in 2008 and since then has walked or biked over 14,000km on pilgrim trails in Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy and the United States.
Sandy earned his undergraduate degree in medieval history at the University of Washington in Seattle, his Mdiv at Garrett Theological Seminary, which honoured him in 2006 as a Distinguished Alumnus, and in 1997 earned a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary in gender, sexuality and spirituality. In his spare time he enjoys yoga, sailing and piano.
He is married and has two grown sons.
Printed in China
March 2023
