Walking the Via Francigena - Bolsena to Rome

You'll arrive in Bolsena. Depending on your arrival time, you can take a short visit to the beautiful old town, dominated by the large castle, or take a leisurely stroll along the banks of the beautiful volcanic lake. Bolsena is known for the miracle of Corpus Domini and the churches are well worth a visit. If you also walk the Siena-Bolsena section of the Via Francigena, you'll get there on foot, past the castle and through the old medieval town.

Hotel (example): Hotel Royal

The first day of walking takes you out of Bolsena along the eastern side of the lake. Avoiding the busy Via Cassia and walking mostly through the hills that are full of Etruscan remains, today's walk starts uphill and leads from the lakeside to the old town of Bolsena. You'll then head through the hills over the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena all the way to the pretty little town of Montefiascone.

The route is mostly through rolling hills, through olive groves, forests and orchards, along forest paths and so-called strade bianche (dirt roads). This is where the wine ‘Est-Est-Est-Est’ was born. Montefiascone is a beautiful town well worth a visit. It sits on a hilltop with a wonderful view of the entire Lago di Bolsena below it, including the islands and the surrounding hills.

Hotel (example): Hotel Urbano V

After visiting the ‘Rocca’ and gardens of Montefiascone with a few ‘Belvederes’ from where you can enjoy beautiful views of Lake Bolsena, you will continue your walk southwards today. After leaving the outskirts of the city and avoiding the busy Via Cassia, you'll walk on smaller roads through the rolling hills. For those who fancy it, after about 10 kilometres you'll pass the ‘Bagnaccio’ thermal pools where you can relax for a while in the steaming water.

From here it's less than two hours to Viterbo, a cosy little town where you can stroll around and perhaps have a drink in one of the pleasant squares. Take time to visit the Palazzo dei Papi (‘Palace of the Popes’), which is almost a small town in itself. Here you'll settle into your centrally located accommodation.

Hotel (example): Hotel Viterbo Inn

After a leisurely breakfast, we leave Viterbo in a southerly direction. There are two possible ‘Via Francigena’ routes from here, but we choose the one that takes you to the beautiful crater lake of Vico. The first part of this route takes you along Viterbo's impressive city walls (which you can exit either through Porta San Pietro or Porta Romana - to prove you're heading in the right direction!) Once you've left the outskirts of Viterbo behind, you'll hike through the pleasant landscape of the Cimini Mountains, mostly through beautiful forests.

After about three hours of hiking from Viterbo, you'll reach the ridge of Vico Crater, which is now a nature reserve. You'll then have several opportunities to walk down into the crater to the shores of the lake before settling into your lovely agriturismo located in the crater. Tonight you'll enjoy a delicious dinner based on local specialities.

Hotel (example): Valle di Vico

Today's route takes you through some of the most interesting towns in this part of Italy, Vitorchiano and Sutri. But first you have to get out of the volcano. The tour starts with a relaxed, almost flat stretch along the lakeshore, but then you'll climb back up to the crater rim. On the edge of the crater you'll find the stunning village of Vitorchiano, which boasts one of the best preserved medieval town centres.

A short descent follows, bringing you back onto the ‘original’ Via Francigena. The first village you pass is Capranica, where you arrive at lunchtime. You'll cross the entire ‘centro storico’, which is located on a narrow ridge, and then descend to Via Cassia again. Of course, we avoid this busy road as much as possible: in fact, you'll walk almost entirely through forests and fields until you reach the city walls of Sutri.

If you still have the energy, take a look around the old town and visit the Madonna del Parto chapel, an ancient pagan temple that was converted into a Christian church and has very interesting frescoes depicting wandering pilgrims!

Hotel (example): B&B Platea Cavour

Today is a long hike, but mostly along easy, quiet roads. At the exit of the town of Sutri, don't miss the great amphitheatre, one of the best preserved in Italy. Then continue southwards through a landscape full of testimonies to the glorious 2500 years of history: Etruscan heritage, Roman artefacts and Renaissance villas. The first parts are mainly through rolling hills, but with a tendency to go downhill. Halfway through the afternoon you'll pass the Monte Gelato waterfalls.

Then continue through the Veio Regional Park until you reach the village of Camapagnano Romano with a final steep climb, where you'll spend the night. Take a walk through the Venturi Park where you can rest under a 300-year-old yew tree known locally as the ‘Tree of Death’.

Hotel (example): Hotel Righetto

Also today, a rather long walk awaits you. Most of today's route will be within the boundaries of the Veio Regional Park. The first part of the route goes through pleasant woodland and gives you the opportunity to visit the beautiful Valle del Sorbo with the Madonna del Sorbo sanctuary.

A little further on, the area becomes more densely populated and you'll pass the cosy medieval town of Formello. In the late afternoon, you'll reach the most interesting part of the archaeological area of Veio, where you have several options to make longer or shorter loops to visit the area.

Again, the day ends with a final steep climb, this time up to the cosy little village of Isola Farnese, perched on a ridge overlooking the Veio Valley. It is dominated by Castello Farnese, from where you can enjoy stunning views of the surrounding forests and valleys.

Hotel (example): Tempio di Apollo

A final stretch of the Via Francigena will bring you to the final destination of this journey. Tonight you can celebrate your arrival in Rome! The closer you get to the centre of Rome, the more urbanised the area naturally becomes. But you'll be surprised at how much nature you'll encounter today.

The route we've chosen will take you through a series of natural areas that literally penetrate the heart of Rome. First you'll pass the strange wilderness of the Insugherata Forest, and then you'll pass through the Monte Mario nature reserve, Rome's own mountain. From the ‘Belvedere’ on Monte Mario you'll have the first view of St Peter's dome! From here you descend to the River Tevere, which flows through the entire city. If you follow the nice walking/cycling path along the river, you'll soon enter the heart of the city.

You'll pass the Sant'Angelo Castle and come face to face with St Peter's Basilica. The monumental Via della Conciliazione leads you to the large square where thousands of pilgrims have gathered over the centuries. Have your picture taken, buy a postcard from Vatican City and then take some time to relax - and enjoy the Eternal City!

Hotel (example): Hotel San Peitro

After breakfast you check out of the hotel.