Guidebook to the Via Francigena pilgrim route from Lausanne to Lucca. Starting at Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), this 725km section crosses the Alps at the historic Great Saint Bernard Pass, descends the Po Valley, then climbs to cross the Cisa Pass into Tuscany. Described in 32 stages, with information on facilities and pilgrim hostels.
Original price was: CHF 28.00.CHF 25.00Current price is: CHF 25.00.
Seasons
Suitable for walking in spring, summer and autumn. The Great Saint Bernard Pass is fully open to hikers only from June to October.
Centres
Lausanne, Martigny, Great Saint Bernard Pass, Aosta, Ivrea, Vercelli, Pavia, Piacenza, Pontremoli, Pietrasanta, Lucca.
Difficulty
Each stage is graded for difficulty (1-4). A few mountainous stages include steep and slippery slopes. No special gear is required to walk the Via Francigena in season, but off-season crossings of the Great Saint Bernard Pass require winter mountain gear and careful attention to changing mountain conditions.
Must See
Dazzling Lake Geneva, the 1500-year-old Abbey of Saint-Maurice, the spectacular 2469m Great Saint Bernard Pass across the Alps, the emerald peaks of Italy’s Aosta Valley, well-preserved medieval cities of Vercelli, Pavia and Piacenza, spectacular views from the Monte Valoria at the Cisa Pass, resorts of the Lunigiana coastline and the charming walled city of Lucca.
The author
Sanford ‘Sandy’ Brown is a community activist, long-distance walker and ordained minister from Seattle, Washington. Inspired by The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, he trekked the Camino de Santiago in 2008 and since then has walked or biked over 18,000km on pilgrim trails in Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy and the United States. He leads group pilgrimage treks through his travel company, www.pilgrimpaths.com.
Sandy earned his undergraduate degree in medieval history at the University of Washington in Seattle, his MDiv at Garrett Theological Seminary, which honored him in 2006 as a Distinguished Alumnus, and in 1997 earned a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary.
In 2023 the European Association of Via Francigena Ways bestowed its Honor Award on Sandy for his contributions to the development of the route. He has two grown sons and lives with his wife, Theresa Elliott, in Lucca, Italy.