What’s a great way to celebrate a college graduation and a 65th birthday? How about walking 200 miles from Siena to Rome on the historic Via Francigena? That’s what aspiring filmmaker Alex Sandberg and his mom did last June. The Via Francigena is part of the ancient route that brought pilgrims from Canterbury to Rome.
Alex and his mom Catherine met up in Siena, hiked seven days to Bolsena, took a day’s rest and then hiked another 7 days from Bolsena to Rome. They averaged about 15 miles of walking each day.
“We had one experience that started out pretty scary but ended up being really amazing. We got caught out in the open during a huge thunderstorm and ran to a nearby farmhouse to look for shelter. The farmer rode up on his tractor just as we got there and invited us inside. He spoke no English and we spoke almost no Italian, but he was very sweet, making a fire and offering us coffee, showing us pictures of his family and grandchildren, and looking at some of my pictures from our trip so far,” Alex shares.
Alex’s favorite experience during the 14-day adventure was spending the night in a castle in Proceno. “The woman who you see giving us a tour (in the film) owns the castle, and it has been in her family for over 500 years. She and her husband live there and rent out several of the rooms, and also run a fantastic restaurant in an ancient Etruscan tomb that lies beneath the castle.”
If you want to experience the Via Francigena and the fun Alex and his mom had, watch the 4-minute film below. “I just loved capturing all of the sights and sounds of a place as beautiful as Italy,” he says. “I wish I could have shot more but we had a lot of walking to do!”
How did you jump to Caprarola and Sutri, without going through Viterbo, Vetralla, Capranica ??
Bravi! Thank you for sharing your adventure.