Walking Through Italy On The Via Francigena

A year ago I walked the first half of the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrim route leading from Canterbury to Rome. I crossed parts of France and Switzerland, and, six weeks and 900 km later, reached the Great St Bernard Pass on the Swiss-Italian border. Go forward twelve months, and it's Monday 17 August 2015, and I'm standing once more on the col next to the Great St Bernard Hospice. The second half of my long walk to Rome is about to begin . . .

 (The photo shows both hospice and customs post in their magnificent alpine setting . . .) 

For the first two days I would trek relentlessly downwards, descending from 2500 m to 600 m . . .

This was the view into Italy from the col. The temperature was chilly, but I soon took off my fleece as I made my way down the pass in full sunshine. The paths were steep and stony, and the exertion quickly created body heat. During a picnic lunch I watched colourful butterflies and grasshoppers, and heard the whistling of marmots. I was excited and very happy . . .