THE PILGRIM ROUTE

The Pilgrim Route: from Aosta to St.Vincent, Ivrea, Torino, Vigevano, Pavia, Lake Viverone.

The Via Francigena, Francisca or Romea, is part of a bundle of routes that from Western Europe, specifically France, led to Southern Europe in Rome, continuing towards Puglia, where there were the ports of boarding for the "Terra Santa", The Holy Land, a destination for pilgrims and crusaders; a route of about 1700 kilometers.

The pilgrimage in medieval times was very important; pilgrims had to travel mainly on foot (for penance), covering about 20-25 km per day,

At the beginning of the year 1000 a multitude of pilgrims began to travel across Europe to the Holy places of Christianity.

At the time there were three main centers of attraction for that humanity on the way: Rome, first of all, the place of the martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul; Santiago de Compostela, the place chosen by the apostle St. James to rest in peace and obviously Jerusalem in the Holy Land.

The pilgrim did not travel alone but in a group and wore the emblems of the pilgrimage (the shell for Santiago de Compostela, the cross for Jerusalem and the key for St. Peter in Rome).

An intense commercial activity took place along these same pilgrimage routes and armies followed the same paths during their travels.

The pilgrims were then protected on their long journey by the Knights Templar, 1118, who were under the orders of the Pope.

Our 254 km proposal focuses on a historical, naturalistic and suggestive part of this unmissable route.

First day on the road, we will see some easy ups and down while we descent through the Aosta Valley; We cycle on the right side of the River Dora, with the mountains on our side; Pay some time to visit the Castle of Fenis, one of the most beautiful of the region, before crossing the River to reach Saint Vincent with its famous Casino.

Still on undulating terrain, we cross the River a couple of times, descending towards the end of the valley. Along the route we can stop to visit the Castle of Arnad and Donnas and the spectacular fortress of Bard; we pass on the route used by the ancient Romans, ending the day in Pont St. Martin with its marvelous roman bridge.

Today we leave Aosta valley to enter the Piemonte region. The route is easier and we start to see some flat ground with the moraine hill of Ivrea on the background. Stop in Ivrea for a break and take some time to wander on its narrow middle age streets and visit the castle of the “Green Count”, before reaching the Lake of Viverone where you will spend the night .

We are in the middle of the "Plain", the route is flat. We cross many rice fields, which are typical of this region and looks like thousands of lakes when they are completely flooded in summertime. The panorama is varied by the presence of the Partecipanza wood where is placed the abbey of Lucedio. Vercelli is a large town with many monuments to be seen; do not miss the Church of S. Andrea one of the most beautiful and best-preserved Romanesque monuments in Italy.

Easy path still on the plain; today we leave Piemonte and arrive in Lombardia. We cycle through the “lomellina” a fertile plains where rice fields are still the predominant landscape. Along the route we encounter the battlefield of Palestro where was fought one of the independence wars of Italy. Our final destination is Vigevano with his Sforzesco Castle and the main square “Piazza Ducale”, designed by the famous renaissance architect Bramante.

Easy path, most of it on the Ticino river natural park. Shortly after leaving Vigevano we encounter the Ticino River natural park, one of the best preserved in Italy; clear waters and shading trees lead us during this stage where we’ll cross a boat bridge. Before arriving in Pavia we encounter the Certosa, north of the town, which deserve a stop to admire the church and the monastery. The city of Pavia await us with its famous covered bridge over Ticino River and the middle age historical centre .

On request

 1/Accommodation in 3/4* hotels

 2/Breakfast Buffet

 3/Luggage transfer from hotel to hotel

 4/Road book, maps, tourist information in English

 5/Telephone service hotline

 1/Transfer from origin to starting point and return

 2/Meals and beverages

 3/Entrance fees to churches, museums and so on

 4/Tips and personal expenses

 5/Everything not listed under item “Included in the tour price”

To book, fill in and send the registration form on the side; pay 25% of the total amount due; the balance is foreseen one month before departure.

Here you can find the General terms and conditions.