AIFS in Florence, Italy

Marissa Ellingson
University of St. Thomas
Richmond in Florence, Italy

PILGRIMS FOR A DAY: DISCOVERING VIA FRANCIGENA

Students from Richmond University’s Mysticism and Magic, Real and Imagined Journeys, and Dante in Translation classes made their way to the Via Francigena on the morning of Friday, March 26th. The Via Francigena is an ancient road running between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. During the middle ages, it was an important pilgrimage route for Christians coming from the north to Rome. The road was first documented as being the Lombard Way, and then the Frankish Route as it was called in the Itinerarium sancti Willibaldi of 725, which chronicled the travels of Willibald, bishop of Eichstatt in Bavaria. Other notable figures have travelled this pilgrimage route, which include the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric the Serious (end of the 10th century), Icelandic traveler Nikolas Bergsson (1154), and Philip Augustus of France (1191).

The first stop was in Galleno, a city about an hour outside of Florence where some of the oldest pathways on the Via Francigena are located. We were met with tour guides who gave us an excellent introduction to the ancient path we were about to walk. This section of the road was strikingly beautiful. Situated near a horse ranch, the pathway moved into a wooded area, the pathway still cleared even centuries after it was used as a main pilgrimage path. In fact, many of the cobblestones that were originally on the road could still be seen coming out of the overgrown pathway. On the road, we passed one of the oldest “hotels” where pilgrims were able to stay during their journey. After much walking, we arrived at the end of the wooded road, but found ourselves on a paved city road. Many of the roads that were once the Via Francigena have become the city roads for the modern towns. We continued on this road, and then got on a bus to go to another pilgrimage site where we enjoyed an enormous and delicious breakfast, as well as the gracious hospitality of the community.

Then we went to the Ponte a Cappiano to see the Medici Bridge located in the center of the town. There we were met by a group of locals who were dressed in medieval clothing. Their hospitality and enthusiasm added to the experience immensely. They then took us on a tour of the bridge. Many people on the pilgrimage route passed this bridge on the Via Francigena. We were taken up into the tower of the bridge, where we saw beautiful views of the river.

After that extremely warm welcome and tour of the Ponte a Cappiano, we got on the bus and drove to San Miniato for a lunch at the historical center of the town the Hotel Miravalle. Outside the hotel, we saw more sweeping views of Tuscany as well as a medieval church.

This was an extremely interesting trip, where the students were actually put in the same place as pilgrims in the middle ages. We walked the trails, and experience the same sights that they experienced. This was truly an amazing trek, filled with beautiful views, warm hospitality, and a greater understanding of the pilgrimages in the Middle Ages.

Richmond in Florence

Richmond Florence Internship Program