A walk along the Via Francigena. This year we're trying something different – instead of following one of the many paths to Santiago de Compostela we are setting out on a medieval pilgrim route that leads from Canterbury to Rome. The way starts in the English cathedral city of Canterbury and passes through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. Its name "Via Francigena" is Italian and means the "road that comes from France". In the Middle Ages it was the main pilgrimage route from the north for pilgrims on the way to the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul. It is a distance of about 1900km and is still much less walked than the well-known routes to Santiago. There is also less pilgrim accommodation so the plan is to camp whenever possible. 2019 – we will be starting in Aosta where we finished last year and there are about 950 km / 600 miles left to walk to Rome. No tents this time as campsites are few and far between!
Our home for the night turns out to have more excitement than we realised.
We follow signs for Fosso Bianco and discover a network of naturally occurring hot pools and a strong small of hydrogen sulphide.
People in swimming costumes are reclining in the tepid blueish water.
Large calcareous outcrops amaze the eye.
The world is a wonderful and unexpected place.