Francigena Way walking holiday in Italy

Planet

This trip follows the last stage of an ancient pilgrim route. Today the Francigena Way trail has been developed to encourage hikers to pass through little-known towns which would otherwise not see many visitors, bringing valued extra income to these areas and prompting cultural exchange. At the moment the trail remains far less popular than its famous cousin the “Camino de Santiago”, and it is hoped that the further development of the trail through the small towns will encourage young people to stay in their hometown and open new services to the modern pilgrim, while older people who may have never left the small towns get the chance to interact with new visitors.
We believe that walking trips are the best way to experience a destination; because you have more time to appreciate the changing landscapes and get to know locals in the villages and towns that you pass through. Travelling on foot has minimal impact on your environment, but we encourage clients to stay on the marked trails to avoid erosion. You will walk into Rome on this trip, a very different way to approach the eternal city which helps keep your impact as a traveller to the minimum.
Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travellers to take their own reusable water bottles, coffee cups and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our office as well as on the trail : in our London office we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles.
In 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveller booklet was launched, which empowers travellers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveller ebook before departure.

People

On this tour we stay almost exclusively in small locally owned accommodation including B&Bs, small hotels and Agriturismo when possible. Some of which also produce their own food. The owners of Agriturismo Le Vigne in Bolsena for example, also manage a farm with the same name, located less than 200 metres from the Agriturismo. They produce olive oil and wine, grow fruit and vegetables and breed local “Amiantina” breed horses. Most of their products are served at the Agriturismo – like the jams that guests can enjoy at breakfast, or the vegetables served at the restaurant. Locally farmed food tastes fantastic! But also helps reduce your Food Miles, and contributes to the local economy.
We encourage you to visit local cafes, and purchase local food whenever you can, as this helps your tourist spend stay in the local area benefiting the local community.
We visit small villages and towns on this tour which don’t receive many tourists. Visiting these small villages gives you the chance to connect with local artisans and farmers who still produce their goods in the most traditional ways and are more than happy to share their knowledge with whoever is interested as they are still not invaded by large tourist numbers. For example Vetralla, despite being very little known, is well-known locally for their especially tasty porcini mushrooms, olive oil and bread. You may be able to find these products in bigger cities like Rome, but of course tasting them in their place of production is a totally different experience.