🚶‍♀️ Along the Francigena, toward Viterbo: the slow step that heals time

Every now and then, Italy starts walking again.Not in line, but in silence. Not to arrive, but to find itself.The Via Francigena — that European thread stretching from Canterbury to Rome — beats once more in the heart of the Tuscia, where pilgrims become travellers and the journey itself becomes the destination.

In recent years, the flow has grown by double digits: +20% in 2024, with visitors from over 50 countries, and a striking fact — one pilgrim in five is under 25.The path is no longer just a prayer; it’s a return to what matters.And those who reach Viterbo today find a city alive — one that has learned to slow down without stopping

📊 Numbers don’t lie

In the second quarter of 2025, Viterbo recorded a +17.16% increase in tourist arrivals and a +10.25% rise in overnight stays compared to 2024.A total of 52,721 visitors arrived, and the tourist tax revenue grew from €130,000 to €166,000.A tangible, measurable growth — driven not only by those who walk the Francigena, but also by those who tell its story, maintain it, and open their doors along the way.

In the towns of Acquapendente, Bolsena, Montefiascone, Vetralla, and Sutri, hospitality multiplies: small hostels, farm stays, and charming guesthouses.An ecosystem that breathes as one, sustained by a simple philosophy: walking is an economic, cultural, and deeply human act.

🌿 The reasons behind the renaissance

Behind these numbers there are no miracles — only choices.The Ministry of Tourism has allocated €1.7 million to improve safety and enhance the route, while the City of Viterbofocuses on maintaining and making local sections more accessible.Meanwhile, a growing network of private operators believes in slow tourism as an investment in the future, not a passing trend.

Walking here means crossing woods, thermal springs, stone, and silence.Each step carries a story, an accent, a warm meal.And at the end of the day, what truly matters is a place that welcomes a tired body and a light mind.

🏡 Nazareth Residence: Rest after the Road

Those who reach Viterbo along the Via Francigena soon discover that not all stops are the same.The Nazareth Residence, just a few steps from the medieval quarter of San Pellegrino, is one of those places that stay with you.Not for luxury, but for balance: spacious rooms, green courtyards, quiet surroundings, a large adjoining church, and services designed for travellers on foot or in groups.

Here you can sleep — but also breathe.Join moments of sharing, plan the next stage, or linger a few extra days — as many pilgrims do, eventually calling it their “passing home.”A place that perfectly embodies the spirit of the Francigena: hospitality, simplicity, and authenticity.

🔭 Paths that Shape the Future

Forecasts for 2026 confirm the upward trend and point toward a shared goal: establishing a permanent observatory on Francigena tourism and pursuing its UNESCO World Heritage candidacy.But the true revolution has already begun.It lives in the steps that cross the Tuscia each day, in the stories that become itineraries, and in those who know how to welcome others with simplicity and a sense of time.

✍️ Viterbolandia Reflects

The Francigena has never stopped speaking — it was we who finally started listening again.And perhaps Viterbo, with its ancient walls and its wise stillness, was the right place to do so.Because here, the journey doesn’t end: it transforms — into hospitality, into storytelling, into a shared breath.

📚 Main SourcesTusciaUp · Quotidiano La Voce · Corriere di Siena · VieFrancigene.org · AEVF Stats · Comune di Viterbo · Ministero del Turismo · Trekking.it · Sloways · CNA Viterbo · Atti ASITA