Please enjoy some of my fave images from my pilgrimage while walking the Via Francigena del Sud. I’m writing from Teano, Italy now. The locals say that it is very unusual to have so much rain day after day. I say that it is quite challenging walking in so much rain.
Via Francigena del Sud starts in Rome
Before I left home, I asked members of the Via Francigena Facebook forum where I might find hiking poles in Rome. One person suggested going to the Camino de Santiago pilgrim albergue. Many pilgrims end the northern portion of Via Francigena in Rome. And so leave their trekking sticks behind. (The poles can’t be taken in carry-on luggage.)
The challenge was finding the place.
All Roads Lead to Rome, or in my case, Lead Away from Rome
Day Two in Rome, I searched for a stamp for my pilgrim credential from St Peter Basilica at Vatican City. They said it couldn’t be done — Sandro, Guisseppe and the friendly guide at the Vatican Opera. But I’d gotten stamps from Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur in Paris, Lourdes church and other prominent holy places. I was sure I could get it done. But more about that escapade later.
Needless to say, I walked from the Vatican to my monastery stay that day as the first part of my Vie Francigene pilgrimage. The next day I would walk from the Colosseum to the Appian Way.
When in Rome, do the Skip the Line: Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill Tour
The Appian Way Built in the First Century BC
Whereever you look in Italy, there is art to be found. In your morning coffee, on a bus bench or in the ancient walls of a medieval pilgrimage church.
Before walking the Via Francigena, be sure to book your Vatican City tour, including the Sistine Chapel
Follow along as I continue my pilgrimage from Teano to, God willing, Bari, Italy, on the opposite coast.
When in Rome, do the Skip the Line: Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill Tour
This blog, UNSTOPPABLE Stacey Travel, contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, Stacey earns a commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help reduce the costs of keeping this travel blog active.
Further, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for reading.
Enjoy this article? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Please share this article with the red- and blue-colored social media buttons.
To get more FREE travel tips and inspiration, simply subscribe below and updates will be delivered directly to your email inbox.
16 thoughts on “Walking the Via Francigena del Sud | Rome to Teano”
Hi Stacey! I hope you enjoy the walk. I walked Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca in September – October of this year. Stayed at the same place in Rome 😁
Joanneslongwalk.blogspot.com
That is so cool that we stayed in the same place in Rome. The sisters were so lovely…very hospitable. Any suggestions as where to stay after Monte Sant’Angelo? You walked much further than I plan to walk. I’ll pull up at Bari
Hi Stacy! Sorry I didn’t reply. Will you be continuing after Bari at some time?
No plans in the near future… but I will go as the Lor leads! Would love to get back to Bari! Loved the place I stayed, the owner and the staff. And San Nicolas! Have you walked south from BAri?
Hello again Stacey! I continued walking south from Bari to Santa Maria di Leuca with the Road to Rome 2021 group in 2021, and then repeated the one-week section from Bari to Brindisi in September 2022 with my father. If you decide to do that part, I recommend early spring or late autumn, even winter, as it can be extremely hot in summer – even in early September it was pretty tough walking in the heat!
Thanks for the tips on the best time to walk Via Francigena del Sud, Joanne! I just checked out airfare from Athens to Bari for May…
I am going to walk the Via Francigena South starting November 1. Do you have any recommendations? Are accomodations easy to find enroute?
Any tips would help since I’ve never done anything like thus.
Thanks
Hello Theresa, I recommend that you set up your accommodations ahead of time. There are not many and they are far between. I had guidance from the Sud association, so reach out to them at https://www.facebook.com/groups/356539274833166. Don’t miss my post about the six-day stretch to Monte Santangelo at https://unstoppablestaceytravel.com/mystical-monte-santangelo-italy/ . Also, the English version guidebook is now available again, so I would recommend that. PArts of the VFdeSud are not marked, and GPS maps downloaded to your phone are very handy.
What a wonderful Camino route Stacey and a true blessing to be able to experience it. Safe travels pilgrim and may God continue to watch over you.
John
Thanks for your prayers, John! It is truly amazing about the power of prayer in our everyday lives. He is surely watching over me on this ancient route in southern Italy
Love your post. Nice to read about the southern part from Rome.
Thanks for the kind words, Helene! I’m getting ready to post another story now!
Hello. I just found your blog and I am very excited and grateful. Thank you for sharing all that useful information. I am interested in doing this walk this year around October. Any thoughts on the weather around this route in the fall? Please share the accomodations in Rome and if possible any other location along the route. Thank you. Olimpia from Texas
Which part of the Via Francigena del Sud will you be walking?
Hi. Thanks for responding. I am inspired by your experience that cannot stop thinking about it. I would like to attempt to walk to Leica. I am learning about the possible routes, looking for itineraries, distances and places to sleep. I have done two caminos in Spain and just completed the coastal from Porto but have heard the Francigena experience is different. I will be walking alone and that is another concern. Did you use a guide? Please share any useful information. I live in in Texas. Thank you
Hi there, Olimpia from Texas! When I walked la Via Francigena del Sud the guide book was out of print. But now the latest edition is out at https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/via-francigena-in-southern-italy-the-new-guide-by-terre-di-mezzo/ Where will you start? Where is Leica?