Cammini 101 - Italian Pilgrim Walks

Italy’s many spectacular camminos (“cammini,” as they say in Italian) offer a fantastic blend scenery, quiet contemplation, historic sites, spiritual depth, and of course, great Italian food! This video offers an overview of 10 major Italian cammini, grouping them into sponsored, thematic and connecting routes.
Sponsored routes
Via Francigena - www.viefrancigene.org. The Italian portion fo the Via Francigena covers 1000km in 54 stages.
Via di Francesco - www.viadifrancesco.it. Also called “The Way of St Francis,” this route stretches 525km from Florence to Assisi and Rome. Its thematic variants include the Cammino di Assisi and Di Qui Passo Francesco.
Via degli Dei www.viadeglidei.it/?lang=en From Bologna to Florence in 130km and 5 stages, crossing the Apennine range, this route is especially popular with college students.
Magna Via Francigena www.magnaviafrancigena.it/?lan.... From Palermo to Agrigento over 183km in 9 stages.
Via Francigena del Sud - www.viefrancigenedelsud.it/en/. The Via Francigena extends another 1000km in 45 stages from Rome through Brindisi and Bari to the tip of the Italian peninsula at Santa Maria di Leuca.
Thematic routes
Cammino di San Antonio de Padova www.ilcamminodisantantonio.it/... Still in its developmental stage, the route begins at Padova (options from Camposampiero or Venice) to Santuario della Verna in 415km over 22 stages. From La Verna pilgrims can continue on one of the St Francis variants to Assisi.
Cammino di San Benedetto www.camminodibenedetto.it. Beginning in Norcia, the birthplace of St Benedict, this route stretches 300km through the Holy Cave at Subiaco to Montecassino -- 300km.
Connecting routes:
Via Romea Germanica viaromeagermanica.eu/en/ is still in development and starts in Germany. It covers approximately 1000km after it enters Italy at the Brenner pass until it arrives in Rome. The VRG connects just before Montefiascone to the Via Francigena for its final stages.
Via Postumia viapostumia.eu. This is a new route (2013) based on the Roman Consular road from 2000 years ago. It spans 900km from Aquileia in Friuli, through Cremona, Mantua, Vicenza and on to Genoa where it connects with the Via della Costa on its way to the Arles Route heading to Santiago de Compostela.
Via della Costa viadellacosta.it/?lang=en covers 310km between Sarzana and Ponte San Ludivico, where it enters France to lead pilgrims along the Arles Route to Santiago de Compostela.

[@paullandman]

Fantastic, thank you for this.

[@anne-sisselbergum5368]

Fantastisc video Sandy Thanks. God memories for me I have gone several of them I will tell about this video in Oslo pilegrimssenter and Community of santiagopilgrims in Norway. pilegrim no

[@mariadigiovanni1168]

Thank you Sandy. You have cemented my next many caminis, beginning with the Via Francigena (which was postponed until, hopefully, May, 2021). Looking forward to 2021 for us all.

[@Walk_with_Efren]

very helpful video Sandy.

[@charlescollin4374]

Sandy thanks for me being in your great video.

[@SandyBrown]

Charles! Hugs to you!

[@valer5263]

Thank you from Assisi Hospitale Laudato Si 😊

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

I learned so much! Mille Grazie, Padre!

[@helenwallis5914]

This is fabulous Sandy, thank you. It is very inspiring.

[@maureenoshea5306]

The Italian Pilgrim walks are my highest priority! I love Italy, and walking into Assisi and into Rome would be more meaningful to me than Santiago de Compostela. However I think my first Camino should be the "training ground" of Camino Frances (in 2022) ahead of tackling Italy in subsequent years. And I already have your 2 new VF guide books and the Way of St Francis.

[@eisingen]

Thank you, very inspiring! Starting on VF in August

[@corradobertorelli2186]

The Abbots Way is also worth a look at.

[@franchuba4995]

Sandy - as you write your new books, please include realistic and personal difficulty level assessments. Covid has been a huge setback to physical fitness and strength. I’ll choose an Italian hike for my first emergence back into the Real World, but I’ll probably choose something “easy” for the first one.
I appreciate how subjective that request may be - Amalfi’s Path of the Gods was listed as difficult - and it was quite easy. Perhaps there’s a way?
Looking forward to a future we can all enjoy. Thank you.

[@SandyBrown]

Thanks, Frank. It’s SOOOO subjective to make these ratings. For some, anything over 20km is hard. In my recent books I’m including distance and also elevation gain as two criteria. Even though I personally am in my early 60’s I’ve come to recognize that my “easy” may be “hard” for others.

[@nagamachiku8699]

…which Cammini would be suitable to cycle-I wonder? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly. Stay safe ;^o