Via Francigena Part 3

Join us on the 8-day pilgrimage tour of the final 100 kilometers of the Via Francigena, which
allows you to receive the Testimonium, a certificate of accomplishment given to pilgrims who
walk to Rome.

From Orvieto (Umbria) we will reach Bolsena, on the shores of a volcanic lake, to start our
adventure to the Eternal City. We will walk original Roman and Etruscan roads; taste the
delicious Est Est Est wine in Montefiascone, stay in the medieval town of Viterbo; cross the
forests of the Selva Cimina and visit Etruscan settlements and tombs in Sutri. Finally in Rome
we will visit the Vatican with a local expert and celebrate our Testimonium!

This legendary path, The Via Francigena, follows a route traced by Julius Cesar in 58 BC called
“The way of the Sun” connecting his northern provinces with the capital, Rome. One thousand
years later, the Archbishop Sigericus of Canterbury, traveled this route leaving a detailed
description called the Iter Francorum, or the way of the Franks. During the following centuries,
hundreds of thousands of pilgrims traveled to Rome by way of the Via Francigena. There were
those seeking indulgences granted as early as the year 1300, merchants with goods to trade,
soldiers defending their territories, emperors, bankers, diplomats, and adventurers, all walked to
Rome on this road. The Via Francigena, together with the Camino de Santiago in Spain,
became the backbone of the ancient road system of Western Europe throughout the middle-
ages.

In 1994, this route was declared “European Cultural Itinerary” and was awarded the title of
“Major Cultural Route” in 2004 by the European Council.