Basilica di San Francesco for those who walk at least 100km to Assisi, and a separate one is offered at the Vatican for those who walk at least 100km to Rome. To receive your testimonium in Assisi, go to the car gate just to the left of the lower entrance of the Basilica, present your credential and ask to be directed to ‘Statio Peregrinorum’ (the pilgrim office) for your testimonium. To receive a testimonium in Rome, follow the steps listed at the end of Stage 28 in this guidebook.
Pilgrim cross at the top of the ridge, just before the first view of the Basilica of St Francis on Stage 15
What to take
The first rule of packing for a long hike is to have exactly the right amount of gear – and no more. A light pack is a gift that keeps on giving. The second rule is never bring anything made of cotton – it’s cold when wet and takes too long to dry. Keeping those rules in mind, here is a recommended gear list that works for summer. Heavier clothes are required, of course, in spring and fall.
Backpack – 35-liter size is fine for the average build
Backpack rain cover
Emergency foil blanket – basic survival gear and a must for all outdoor hikes in case of an injury or unintended overnight
Hiking shorts – 1 or 2 pairs
Long pants – lightweight and quick-drying for rain and suitable for churches and restaurants – 1 pair
Technical t-shirts – 2 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve (jogging shirts work nicely)
Shirt or blouse (with collar for men) – 1 for dinner and/or church
Underwear – shorts/panties and bras (stretch poly material for quick dry) – 2 or 3 pairs
Socks – wool trekking socks, light for summer, heavier for cool weather – 3 pairs
Sock liners – 3 pairs for blister prevention
Hiking boots – mid-height boots with the thickest possible soles are best in the sometimes mountainous terrain
‘Second shoe’ – comfortable enough for evenings and walking on asphalt. Trainers or hiking sandals work fine.
Rain jacket – of breathable material such as Gore-Tex®
Warm layer fleece or light down jacket
Sun/rain hat – wide brim to protect face, ears and back of the neck from sun exposure
Toiletries and toiletry bag – toothbrush, etc
Multi-purpose soap – one small bar of soap works in the shower and also for hand-washing laundry
Camera, camera pouch and charger – if you take special care with your photos, and/or:
Phone (with camera) and charger
CamelBak® or similar water bladder or other water storage – 2L (spring/fall) or 3L (summer). Lack of fountains along the way means it’s important to bring an adequate water container.
Clothespins and clothesline
Passport, airline ticket, waterproof bag for documents
Sunblock lotion
Pen and paper and/or journal
Blister kit – blisters need prompt attention. Plan to bring the ingredients necessary to treat your blisters before they damage your pilgrimage.
Toilet paper roll in a plastic bag
Debit/credit card(s)
Copies of important documents – scans or hard copies of your passport, travel arrangements and credit/debit cards are priceless in case of theft or loss of the originals.
Walking poles – many pilgrims swear by these to help with balance and to take weight off the knees and hips
Swimsuit – it’s lightweight, and you’ll miss it if your lodging includes a pool.
Mosquito repellant – very helpful in a few swampy areas.
Layers are the key to staying warm on cold days. With this list, here is your cold weather set-up: 1) technical long sleeve t-shirt closest to the body; 2) fleece or down jacket layer for warmth; 3) rain jacket on top. Add or subtract layers depending on the temperature.
Maps, GPS and waymarking
It would be difficult if not impossible to source and then carry the paper maps required to cover the entire route. Detailed Italian hiking maps are hard to come by, and, besides, a comprehensive coverage would involve a great many individual sheets – too many, indeed, to make it a practical option.
Although walking directions are given in great detail in this guide, and each stage includes a 1:50,000 ‘overview’ map, it may ease worries to have a GPS or GPS-equipped smartphone application for additional help. GPX tracks for the entire walk can be downloaded at www.cicerone.co.uk. High-quality smartphone navigation apps like Guru Maps, Gaia GPS, AllTrails and others allow tracks to be easily downloaded onto your smartphone. When shopping for a GPS app, make sure to find one that allows downloadable maps so that it is not necessary to be connected to a cell service while hiking.
Italy has an extensive system of hiking trails, and often the route follows portions of this network. Maintained by volunteers of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), the trails are marked in horizontal red-and-white stripes, often with the trail number superimposed in black marker. In this book, all references to CAI trails in walking directions refer to the red-and-white striped markings. CAI trails are usually identified in Open Cycle Maps, which makes it an excellent base map resource for GPS users.
For details of the different pilgrimage waymarkers you will encounter along the Way, see ‘The modern Way of St Francis’, above.
Using this guide
The same pattern of information is given for each of the daily stages specified in this guide. The guide also shares brief information about cities, and stories from the life of St Francis relating to Franciscan sites you will encounter. The book’s print format has intentionally been kept very small in order to fit easily into a rucksack.
Fields of sunflowers on the way to Cittá di Castello (Stage 10)
Maps are provided for each stage, covering 20–30km in a small format – they are intended as overviews rather than step-by-step guidance. Also provided are elevation profiles, which have been generated using GPS information to provide a visual preview of the stage’s topography.
An information box at the start of each stage gives the day’s essential statistics: start and finish points, distance, total ascent and descent, difficulty rating, duration and any relevant notes. All distances, elevations and durations come from actual experience and were recorded by GPS to help walkers know their
