🥾 The Via Francigena in Viterbo: in the Footsteps of Pilgrims

Giano di Vico
Jun 23
2 min read

There is an invisible thread that has crossed Europe for a thousand years.A thread woven by weary, hopeful, and devout feet: the Via Francigena.

And Viterbo—ancient and silent—is one of its most precious stops.

Even today, those walking along the Via Francigena enter Viterbo like ancient pilgrims,hearts full of expectations, dust on their shoes, and the sky as their only companion.

🏰 Viterbo on the Via Francigena: a refuge for the soul

Since the Middle Ages, Viterbo was a key stop for those traveling from Canterbury or Northern Europeon their way to Rome, ad limina Apostolorum—to the tombs of the Apostles.

Here, pilgrims would find:

medieval hospitals like Santa Maria in Gradi,
simple inns,
churches ready to offer shelter and blessings.

Viterbo wasn’t just a resting place.It was a fulfilled promise: that the journey had meaning, that the path had a heart.

🕯️ What did a pilgrim see upon entering Viterbo?

The imposing walls, like arms outstretched in protection.
Porta Fiorentina, a threshold between the world outside and the world within.
San Pellegrino, the medieval district where pilgrims found comfort and rest.
Towers, bell towers, the scent of fresh bread and burning wax.

Even today, walking gently through Viterbo,you can imagine that same emotion: the arrival, the relief, the long-awaited rest.

🥾 Walking today in the footsteps of ancient travellers

The modern Via Francigena is a carefully marked and lovingly maintained route.

👉🏻 On the stretch through Viterbo, you can:

Depart from Vetralla, cross shady woods and golden fields,
reach Viterbo via ancient paths,
continue to Montefiascone and beyond, toward Rome.

White and red markers, yellow arrows,pilgrim passport stamps—all remind you: you are part of something greater than yourself.

And when you arrive in Viterbo, perhaps entering through Porta Romana,you feel part of a story that will never end.

✨ Curiosities about the Francigena in Viterbo

Viterbo still preserves ancient pilgrim hospices, now turned into museums or cultural centres.
Every July, the Francigena Festival takes place, with walks, music, talks, and historical reenactments.
The stretch from Vetralla to Viterbo is one of the most beloved by modern walkers for its wild beauty and thermal springs along the way!