Russ Eanes's Blog

There has been a tremendous interest in continuing the Way of St. Francis tours into 2026. We are pleased to announce a new pilgrimage–La Verna to Assisi, thirteen days of walking through some of the most beautiful Italian countryside, in the heart of the land of St. Francis.

Experience the land of St. Francis and visit many of the places that are part of his legends, from La Verna (where he received the stigmata) to Gubbio, where he tamed the Wolf, this two week tour allows pilgrims to drink in the history, scenery and stories of the world’s most beloved saint.

Led by author Russ Eanes and his wife Jane, this pilgrimage on foot is fully supported with daily bag transfer and an Italian hiking guide. Experienced pilgrims themselve, they have walked jointly over 2,000 miles in the past seven years over multiple pilgrimage paths of Europe. However, the Way of St. Francis has become their favorite. Please consider joining us! The tentative dates are mid-May or late August/early September 2026.

The itinerary:

Gathering day: Meet in Florence (Group hotel with orientation supper together this night). Arrive in Florence a few days early if you want to explore the city.

Day 1: Transport to La Verna. Walk the hills above La Verna and the mystical wood below. Supper at La Verna. Stay in the historic Foresta, or guest house of the monastery.

Day 2: La Verna to Pieve San Stefano 15 km. This is a beautiful day of walking as we descend into the upper Tiber Valley.

Day 3: Transport to Cerbaiolo, then to La Montagne, where we walk to Montecasale. Transport down to Sansepolcro 6 km. We visit and then walk to two of the most dramatic and scenic Sanctuaries in the Upper Tiber Valley. Cerbaiolo is an ancient Benedictine monastery, turned Franciscan sanctuary. Montecasale still is a Franciscan convent associated with two legends of St. Francis. Sansepolcro is a delightful town, the last in Tuscany before we head into Umbria.

Day 4: Sansepolcro to Citerna 12 km. This is an easy day along the valley floor of the Tiber River. Citerna has a church with an historic, early sculpture by the famous artist Donatelli. We will transport to Citerna to Città di Castello for the night, or back to Sansepolcro, if there is not enough available lodging in Citerna.

Day 5: Citerna to Città di Castello (Supper on own). 20km. Pickup in Lerchi or at Eremo Buon Riposo can shorten the day. Another delightful day walking, ending in an historic, walled medieval city which is worth exploring.

Day 6: Transport to Candeggio, then to Pietralunga 15 km. This is a long day through undulating hills, as we leave the Upper Tiber Valley. To ease the long day, we transport nearly halfway. We stop for a picnic lunch at Pieve di Saddi, a restored 6th century church, now open as a simple pilgrim hostel. Originally founded by the Lombards, Pietralunga is famous for its truffles.

Day 7: Pietralunga to Gubbio, with pick-up after Loretto 16 km or walk all the way to Gubbio, 26 k. Another day of undulating trails.

Day 8: Rest day in Gubbio (supper on own). Explore the dramatic and medieval town of Gubbio. Take the funicular to the top of the mountain and get a view of the valley, including Assisi and Mt. Subasio in the distance. Visit the church which housed the burial remains of the famous Wolf of Gubbio, tamed by St. Francis.

Day 9: Gubbio to San Pietro in Vigneto, stay in Monastery 16km. This is yet again a beautiful day of walking, ending at an ancient monastery/hostel which was in existence in the time of St. Francis. Enjoy a simple supper and breakfast with our hosts.

Day 10: San Pietro in Vigneto to Valfabbrica 20 km. Assisi gets closer as we head up and down over hills and cross streams as we make our way above the Chiascio river, to the famous town of Valfabbrica.

Day 11: Valfabbrica to Assisi 13 km. We climb out of the Chiascio valley and head uphill towards Assisi. Halfway we glimpse our first sight of the famous Basilica of St. Francis. We make our way into the city through a small forest conserve along a path that takes us directly to the Basilica.

Day 11 Day in Assisi

Day 12: depart Assisi or stay for your own exploration

Total distance walking: 133km.

13 nights, 12 dinners, breakfast included with each hotel stay. Bag lunch as needed.

Luggage transfer provided each day.

Italian hiking guide, in addition to Tour hosts Russ and Jane

Group transfers provided from Florence and otherwise as noted in the itinerary

Cost TBD, but around $3900-4000, airfare excluded

(Note: I’m not sponsored by Chaco, nor does this post contain any affiliate links, just free advice!)

Flat feet are a curse to the hiker. They cause numerous problems, besides sore feet. They contribute to problems with knees and hips and even the lower back. I’ve been plagued by all these problems for over five decades, since I took my first long-distance walk (20 miles) at age 13.

Flat feet, among other things, means that both the main arch and the metatarsil arch are flat, or nearly so. Lack of an arch means that your feet don’t “spring.” Your entire foot takes the brunt of each step. This not only causes aches in your feet, but means that your knees and hips have to endure more of a “shock.” An orthopedist pointed this put to me at age 31, when I saw him for knee pain. I’ve had some form of main arch support since then. The problem seemed bad enough that when my wife told her podiatrist that I was planning on walking across Spain, he told her, “He can’t do that. He’ll ruin his feet!”

The problem may have kept me off the Camino or other pilgrimage routes, were it not for various orthotics or insoles that I’ve used in my shoes. I managed to average 25 km on the Camino Frances, but while my knees and hips were helped by a pair of Aetrex L405s, my feet were still sore at the end of the day.

You can slip on a pair of socks in cool or wet weather

I’d already known that Birkenstock and Chaco sandals have the best arch support because they support both arches. A cobbler turned me onto Birkenstocks 20 years ago and a specialist in a running store guided me to Chacos 11 years ago. I’ve since worn numerous pairs of each.

10 Seconds to Comfort insole is the closes thing that I have found to a Birkenstock or Chaco footbed, with a main and metatarsal arch support. I carry a pair of Xero shoes in my pack as a closed-toe backup.

But when it comes to long-distance treks, like the Camino de Santiago, shoes are still the norm and they were for me, until I decided to take the plunge and walk only in Chaco sandals when I went to Italy to walk the Way of St. Francis in 2019. I found that I could walk 25 km or more each day with ZERO foot pain, a first for me. Since then I’ve written numerous posts about the numerous benefits of walking in sandals, which includes a reduction in blisters and the fact that you don’t need to carry along as many pairs of socks. When you descend, your toes also don’t bump against the toe of your shoes, a big plus.

The Chaco Tattoo

Chacos, with their double-arch support and comfortable footbed, have also given my flat feet complete relief. More recently, I’ve noticed that the slightly wider and lower sole means that it’s almost impossible to roll my ankle on a hike, something that easily happens on rocky, mountain paths.

Putting your foot up horizontally on a tree or post is the fastest way to get a pebble out.

Lastly, when you wear out your Chacos you don’t have to throw them away. The soles and the straps are replaceable and replacing both costs less than a new pair of sandals. I’ve owned three different pairs in ten years and have found that the Z1 (which don’t have a toe-loop) is the most versatile, because you can easily wear socks with them. I wear them year-round myself, even when the temperature drops below 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside.

This pair of Z1’s have both new soles and new straps. Bought them in early 2017 and had both replaced after 4 years.

Copyright © 2023 by Russ Eanes

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of Pilgrim Paths to Assisi: 300 Miles on the Way of St. Francis and The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago.

(Click here to see part one of this tour!)

My “book tour” with Pilgrim Paths fit organically–and even surprisingly–with the actual walking I did with the group, starting from the first day. While my primary purpose in Italy was to host a group of 12 older adults as they walked the Way of St. Francis, I always took the opportunity to leave a book with an individual or a shop as we went along. I especially wanted to give copies to people who had been featured in the book, as a way of saying “thanks” to them.

The book itself describes in detail our several journeys on this unique pilgrim path, but the journey from Florence to Assisi was itself 2/3 of the book. As I walked with this group over 15 days, we were covering almost the exact ground that I’d been over the previous year.

Opportunities presented themselves almost immediately, beginning with the very first day, when we got to our destination in Pontassieve, an 18km walk from Florence. The hosts at our B&B recognized me as I climbed the steps to meet them, with Maura saying, “I remember you! Where’s your wife?” She had followed our journey on Facebook the year before and I was delighted that she remembered us. I gladly gave them a book to add to their collection.

The next day our group made a challenging climb up to the Consuma Pass, and at the end I was able to connect with Elena Piantini, who operates several B&B’s in that small town. Jane and I stayed with she and Luca and their children at their Rifugio (mountain hostel) in the tiny village of Villa the year before, and I wrote extensively about our time with their family. Elena also followed our journey and was delighted to get a copy of the book.

Along the way to the Consuma pass, we stopped in the bar in Diacceto. I wrote in the book about how Stefano, who works there, gave us advice about how to pick up the bus across the road. I told him he was in the book!

Elena with her copy of the book

I also left copies in some of the hostels and rifugios for pilgrims, some free reading for them. I know what it’s like to be staying somewhere while you’re on a pilgrimage and are just dying for something to read.

The host at Pietro in Viegnetto, one of the few pilgrim-only hostels along the way, which as actually our favorite place to stay. She wasn’t featured in the book, but the hostel wasSabina at Rifugio Asqua, with her son and mother. I told about the delicious dinner they gave us the year before.Marco, at the bookstore in Assisi.

I usually travel light on my treks, but this time I carried 15 copies of my book and as I went along the load kept getting lighter. I sold the last five copies of the book to Marco, at the bookstore in Assisi, the Libreria Tipografia Zubboli.

I kept one copy of the book as a souvenir of the trip, and put stamps inside the book from the places that I visited or stayed. Pilgrims accumulate stamps their credential as they go along, as proof of their pilgrimage.

Leaving copies of the book was a way of promoting it, but also a way of saying thanks to the many people who gave us generous hospitality along the way. The book was my way of giving back to this beautiful pilgrimage route, a gift that I hope just keeps on giving. And in giving, I have received so much and is why I’ll keep coming back.

Copyright © 2023 by Russ Eanes

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of Pilgrim Paths to Assisi: 300 Miles on the Way of St. Francis and The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago.

Where the journey beings–Florence and its iconic Duomo.

Big name authors, or at least those with the money and power of a publishing house behind them, get to go on book tours. Everything is arranged for them, from publicity to book-signings and talks.

Self-published authors, like me, have to do it all themselves. At home it has mostly ben arranging my own local speaking events and presentations at outfitter stores. But now I’m getting a unique privilege: I’m taking book back to where it was born, i.e., Italy.

Pilgrim Paths to Assisi is the story of my journeys on the Way of St. Francis, the modern pilgrimage path from Florence to Rome that links many places of significance in the life of St. Francis. It took me six weeks over three years to walk the path, the pandemic breaking things up. The book recounts the adventure and challenges of the physical walk, as well as recounting my lifelong fascination with, and inspiration from, Francis. The book starts as my wife and I departed Florence on the second of our our two (and my three) journeys to Assisi.

Starting tomorrow, Sept. 2, I have the. privilege of hosting a walking tour with twelve pilgrims, for Pilgrim Paths, a small travel company founded by my friend Sandy Brown, formerly of Seattle and now of Lucca, Italy. We share a passion for getting people out to walk these ancient trails and in addition share a love of writing–Sandy also writes guidebooks and I love to write travel memoirs. Since 2019 our interests have converged on the Way of St. Francis in Italy and I was delighted when he invited me to host this September’s group as it leaves Florence and walks to Assisi.

I’ve got an extra knapsack stuffed with books and flyers and will be distributing them to friends and contacts along the way, people I met before and new people that I’ll be meeting. I’ll leave copies in pilgrim hostels and B&B’s that cater to pilgrims. It’s a great opportunity to take my baby back to its birthplace! This is a book tour that I could only dream of as an author and it meshes with my dream of leading tours and sharing my passion with a group.

I also wanted to get Sandy’s endorsement for my book but it was not easy getting a copy to him in Italy. We finally got together two days ago in Lucca and I finally gave him his copy. Even though we knew each other for several years and had spoken together many times, we had not actually met in person until then, either. It was good to have lots of time to plan and talk about the future and make plans for what I hope will be more tours. And more paths to write books about!

Copyright © 2023 by Russ Eanes

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of Pilgrim Paths to Assisi: 300 Miles on the Way of St. Francis and The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago.

[This is the first of many blogs about walking the Way of St. Francis, from Florence to Assisi.

Florence is filled with many famous, and old churches, of which the Duomo is best-known, but perhaps equally famous is Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan Church in the world, which is maybe a contradiction in terms. If you are beginning your pilgrimage in Florence, this is the place to get your first stamp on your credential.

During Francis lifetime, he established an outpost here, in an area east of the old city, outside the walls in a marshy “suburb” that was home to the poorest. That is very Franciscan. After he died a modest church was built on the spot, but in 1294 they started the current structure and it became the center of life in the eastern part of the city, which was dominated by the wool and fabric trades and the lowly-paid craftsmen who did the work. It took nearly 80 years to complete.

One reason it is so large is that the friars emphasized preaching to the people, and they wanted a place that they could gather them. I felt that the interior space gave it a peace that was very “Franciscan.”

Eventually the church became the place for prominent Florentines to be buried, including Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Galileo, among many others. I read that there are over 1,000 burials inside this enormous church. This is somewhat ironic for a place that began as an outpost of St. Francis, part of what I call the “Franciscan Paradox.” More about that as I journey on with our group.

I noted in the church that devastating floods have hit Florence repeatedly, even as recent as 1966, when many priceless pieces of art were destroyed. They marked the high point of each of these floods on the walls. The photo at left shows the markings from 1844, 1557 and 1966, bottom to top. In 1966 the floods reached over 5 meters. The worst floods, Florentines note, happen in years with a double digit!

I was especially interested in seeing Galileo’s tomb. I read a biography of him in sixth grade and recall being appalled that he was threatened with death (as a heretic) for discovering and then proclaiming that the sun, not earth, was the center of the solar system, because it went against Church teaching. He agreed to recant, in the face of death.

He died in 1633, but was not allowed a church burial until 1737. We are still having this ridiculous argument today about scientific fact vs. religious faith.

Our group of 12 pilgrims, along with our guide Giovanni Ramoccionii and host (me) will start in foot, for Assisi, on Saturday. I am hosting this group through Pilgrim Paths, which will do another dozen or more similar tours (on foot or bicycle) next year. Many more blog posts to come as I journey along!

Copyright © 2023 by Russ Eanes

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of Pilgrim Paths to Assisi: 300 Miles on the Way of St. Francis and The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago.

In my recent book about walking the Way of St. Francis, I share everything from facts to legends about this most-beloved saint’s life. I have found that many who walk on this route know little about him at all and that knowing a bit of his story makes this pilgrimage all the more meaningful.

In the book I also tell a bit about his life. My book’s introduction, offered here for free, sketches out the bare details . But equally important is why he matters today. As I reflected on my experiences and researched the writing of this book, three things stood out:

First, we need Francis and his faith more than ever. In an age of religious fundamentalism, we need his generous and gracious spirit. In a time of over-consumption that is despoiling and dangerously warming our planet—our only home—we need his reverence for the earth and his love for all humans and other creatures that inhabit it. His simple lifestyle points to the way out of our conspicuous over-consumption. His affection for and reconciliation to his hometown (and theirs to him) is an echo of hope into our fragmented and disconnected modern life. His non-violence is urgently needed in a world where there is too much warfare and far too much is spent on the military instead of for meeting basic human needs. My country—the United States—has more firearms than people, and mass-shootings are a daily occurrence. 

Second, we need to walk more than ever. Walking bestows numerous health benefits—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I live in a culture where many are unhealthy because of sedentary lifestyles. The average U.S. citizen walks less than two miles per day; our ancestors walked between eight and ten. Walking can help reduce weight, reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure, increase bone density, boost moods, and improve brain health.1 I find walking or hiking with others to be a healthy social practice, while walking alone helps to settle and clarify my thoughts. Being outside in nature is one of the simplest and cheapest things that any of us can do to improve our overall well-being. And if we walk to the store—it will even reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. 

Lastly, we need real experiences more than ever. During the pandemic I heard repeatedly that “virtual” i.e., online experiences, were our future. Forget the office, forget the school, go online. I don’t agree. We need actual experiences, with others—physical experiences. We need physical activity and social engagement with each other. Western society is addicted to screens, with the resultant negative consequences. Just this month a new twist on technology is all the rage—ChatGPT. I hear that it will make writing—and writers—obsolete. Someone asked me, humorously, why I didn’t ask it to write this book for me. My answer is simple: I love to write and I hope to get better at it, even though I am well into my 60s. It is one of my favorite creative outlets. I will continue to write, to walk, and to write about walking as long as I can. 

I close with these words from writer and farmer, Wendell Berry. “My wish is to live my life as fully as I can. In both our work and our leisure, I think, we should be so employed. And in our time this means that we must save ourselves from the products that we are asked to buy in order, ultimately, to replace ourselves.”2

What a Franciscan sentiment.

(From the Afterword to Pilgrim Paths to Assisi.)

Notes:

New England Journal of Medicine Study, 2001.Wendell Berry, What Are People For? p.190

Copyright © 2023 by Russ Eanes

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of Pilgrim Paths to Assisi: 300 Miles on the Way of St. Francis and The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago.

The Way of St Francis has many levels of accommodations for pilgrims, from hostels to hotels and everything in between, including rifugios (mountain hostels) agriturismo, convents (monasteries) guest apartments and bed & breakfasts, just to name a few.

San Pietro in Vignetto. One of the few pilgrim-only hostels, also a Donativo. Run by the Association of St. James in Italy.

For people who have walked the Camino de Santiago with its hundreds of pilgrim-only albergues (hostels), where in the past it was easy and expected to simply show up and obtain a bed in a dormitory, there is a critical differences with the Way of St. Francis. First, and most importantly, along the Way of St. Francis, there are very few accommodations that are dedicated only for pilgrims and the often-limited space is available to anyone, whether they arrive by car or foot. On weekends or holidays lodging fills up quickly.

A second, and equally important difference, is that hosts expect to be contacted in advance, either by phone or email. One can, on occasion, simply “show up” but the host may not be available or lodging may be full. It is expected to make reservations ahead of time. The question is, how far ahead of time?

La Foresta, or convent hotel, at La Verna.

I think it comes down to assurance (security) versus flexibility. If you make all of your lodging arrangements ahead of time, then you are assured of a place to stay. But you sacrifice flexibility. When my wife and I first walked in 2019, we booked everything ahead for two weeks; when we wanted to change our plans after the first day of walking, we were locked into our reservations for the entire time, which we regretted. It all worked out okay in the end (we bused to our next place) but we decided to do it differently in 2019 and only booked a day or two out, with a few exceptions:

We always book our first night’s lodging, even the first two. Depending on the time of year, we do that as soon as we can. Booking.com has a “cancellable reservation” filter and I always book something cancellable, just so I have a place. After that I may do more research and might change my mind, which I did this past year.We booked places that may be in high demand well ahead of time. For example, we were planning to be in La Verna on Easter, a very busy season, so I booked that about four months in advance. An email reservation and confirmation was sufficient.

Booking just a few days in advance meant we sometimes were out of luck. We did find more than once that a place was unavailable, but we found other, sometimes better options in the end. For example, we tried to book a place in Consuma but either found hosts out of town and their place unavailable, or accommodations full. But we were then offered a place in Villa, about 7k ahead of Consuma, something we would not have considered. Elena, our host, even gave us a ride there, from Consuma. It turned out to be one of our favorite places and experiences. They gave us two meals and lots of good conversation. And then they recommended our next stay and then phoned ahead for us.

Rifugio San Jacobo, in Villa. Church is from about the 11th century

I do my research in advance, comparing lists of lodging. Several of those are online and the links are at the bottom of this post. I also consulted three guidebooks. I prefer using places that are recommended in guidebooks or in the lists that are online, since they are supporting the pilgrimage route. Some of those places are also listed on booking.com, which makes the process very easy, since there is no issue with language. Otherwise, I try email, and if that’s not available, then I phone. You may need to have some basic Italian for that! If you make direct contact by email or phone, that is often all you need to do; no need to give a credit card.

Dining Room at Casa Santicchio, a few kilometers before Rimbocchi. A good option to make the last hike into La Verna only about 7k.

A few more things to keep in mind:

Hosts can make you a lunch, but ask for that when you make your reservation. They can also call ahead for you, saving time and issues of communication.Some places have a top-notch breakfast that will fill you up for hours. Some simply provide toast and coffee, and prepackaged items such as yogurt or sweetsWifi may or may not be available. It’s a good idea to get a mobile phone plan with data. I get a SIM card from TIM. 50G data cost me 20 euros. Having an Italian phone number also helps with making phone reservations.Some places will hold a duffel or suitcase for you. This is helpful if you have to check walking poles, as I always do.Some places require cash; some take credit card; some give a discount if you pay in cash. Often there is an extra head tax required by the locality of one or two euros, which you need to pay in cash.In small towns, fewer people speak English. In larger towns you may find more English speakers. Younger people often have some English. Italy also has many immigrants from all over the world and I found that more of them had English than I would have expected!A room in Italian is camera a very confusing cognate for English speakers.A convent in Italy is a monastery, either for men or women.Breakfast at Hotel Alinari, in Florence. Best breakfast in Italy!

Lodging lists and recommendations:

Where we stayed, Florence to Assisi and Rome to Assisi, in 2019 and 2022Lodging list created by Sandy Brown. Very helpful spreadsheet. Florence to Rome.Lodging list, Rome to Assisi, by the Via di Francesco association in Italy. It’s in Italian.Lodging list by the association Via di Francesco, Florence to La Verna. Also in Italian.

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago. He has a forthcoming book about walking the Way of St. Francis.

It’s been three years now since I completed my first 150 kilometer trek in Chaco sandals and I am more than convinced that they are the way to go for me.

This past year my wife and I completed walking the Way of St. Francis in Italy–500 kilometers–completely in Chacos. This included some tough, “technical” mountain trails: lots of climbing, loose rock, mud, steep descents and stream crossings. Daily temps in the spring (April) were in the 50s and 60s F. We both wore sandals 99% of the way.

I’ve been wearing Chacos since 2012, when a local running shop prescribed them for my flat feet. My first pair finally wore out after 10 years, but my second pair–bought in 2017–have been retrofitted with new soles and straps and are good for another. They are on my feet continually during the summer months, so my feet are well broken-in to them. As they are my “essential” footwear, I own two pairs.

I’ve even trekked the mountain trails near where I live in the Shenandoah Valley, including the Appalachian Trail in them. I was passed by lots of hikers in heavy boots.

Mud is a problem, period. Sandals wash off much easier and dry quickly.

Sandals have several advantages that make them perfect for me:

They keep your feet cool and dry. This is key in blister prevention.There is very little touching your feet (just the straps), especially your toes and heels, places where blisters (aided by moisture) form.Chacos in particular have rugged soles, good for gripping surfaces. Since the heel is close to level, it’s difficult to turn your ankle. I’ve done that in my Oboz hiking shoes.While socks are advised for cooler temps (50s F. or 15 C.) you otherwise don’t need them. Less laundry!Chacos have the best arch support and if you are someone like me, with flat feet, they are the most comfortable thing to wear. I’ve never had sore feet walking in them, even after 25k (15 miles.)When descending, your toes don’t bump against the inside of your shoe. This can be painful and cause issues with toenails and blisters.

We walked in our sandals in the rain and while I was previously worried about chafing from the straps, I had none. An option in that case, however, is to don a pair of socks. Chacos have adjustable straps so that you can loosen them for make more room for even a heavy pair of socks.

Stream crossings were no problem in our sandals–we just waded across and then dried our feet with a small towel. They also clean easier if you encounter deep mud or puddles. In fact, they clean easier than shoes.

There are some downsides–snow or really cold weather might be a problem, but I don’t usually trek in that anyway. The other major downside–and this can be really annoying–is that pebbles and sticks can get caught under them. This requires periodically stopping to let them fall out. I’ve found that the tighter they are on my feet, the less this happens.

Putting your foot up horizontally on a tree or post is the fastest way to get a pebble out.

With Chacos as my main go-to footwear, closed-toed shoes now are my backup. To cut down on weight, I carry a pair of Xero shoes, which weigh less than one pound per pair.

Xero shoes are lightweight and have zero heel. With a good pair of orthotics, they are almost as comfortable as my Chaos.

Lastly, walking in sandals can dry out your feet and cause painful cracks in your heels. I now carry along a tube of Burt’s Bees foot cream and put in on each night and my feel remain soft and crack-free.

Rocks, pebbles, dirt, mud, puddles, streams–we can do any surface in our Chacos!

(Full disclosure: this is NOT an advertisement for Chacos, or any other brand. I’m not paid by them. Just happens to be the brand I’m wearing and I’m sure pilgrims can also find something else suitable.)

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago. He has a forthcoming book about walking the Way of St. Francis.

Walking the Way of St. Francis is a challenging and deeply rewarding pilgrimage. Florence to Rome, it covers 350 miles (over 550 kilometers) of beautiful vistas, charming villages and hilltop towns as well as rugged forests and mountains.

However, navigating it can be tricky; the route is actually a consortium of up to eight different routes, some with their own signs and markers, not to mention the trails of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI or Italian Hiking Club) which actually form the heart of the entire route.

Different regions are signed better, such as Umbria, but relying on markers alone, or even using a good guidebook, might be a bit risky.

The best way to go is to use a mobile phone with GPX tracks on it. GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is simply a trail that is recorded and marked on a digital map. I have used them a great deal in recent years, both in hiking and biking (including the entire 1,000 mile-long Land’s End to John ‘O Groats route in the UK). All the GPX that files I’ve used over the years are made available for free, and they function with a mobile app, such as Guru Maps or Gaia, both of which have paid and free versions. I also use them at home on my hikes.

I have had both for so long that I’m not sure how much the paid versions cost, but it is likely to not be more than about $5 and they allow for the option to download maps for offline use. Whichever app or whichever version you use, it is advisable to have topographical maps visible on your settings.

GURU maps. Blue arrow shows your location and direction.GAIA app. Location is on the arrow. Note alternative tracks.

Getting up and running with GPX tracks is easy, once you have downloaded either GURU or GAIA. You can download the GPX tracks at the Way of St. Francis Facebook group at this link. Make sure you download both sets of tracks, Florence to Assisi and Assisi to Rome.

GAIA and GURU actually allow you to download them directly into the app; it’s that simple. You will now have the routes on your mobile device and they stay there.

You can even use GURU if you don’t have a data plan, since your phone always uses GPS to know your location. Both apps also will not only show where you are, but even the direction you are walking, a handy feature. I do recommend downloading the maps of the region to your phone for offline use, in the event that you lose (or choose not to have) a data plan on your phone.

Alternative routes shown on the GURU app

Another very handy feature of both apps is that alternative trails are available on your interface. We used it to take some shortcuts when we walked the Way of St. Francis. The bright blue is our route, but the purple trails are recorded tracks that mark other trails and are available when you download the map to your phone.

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago. He has a forthcoming book about walking the Way of St. Francis.

When you are walking, you need to keep eating. As long-distance walkers quip, “this is one vacation where you can eat all you want and still come back weighing less.

In Italy walkers along the Via di Francesco (Florence to Rome) have a variety of places to eat. When hilltop towns and cities are on the route, or at the end of a day’s stage, there are many choices. But in remote areas, the choices are fewer and farther between and this requires some planning. Following are some points to keep in mind so that you stay well fed and watered along the way.

Bars/cafes, restaurants, trattoria, pizzerias: these are in most towns, just not always open when you’d like them to be. Bars/cafes are generally open all the time, excepting holidays, some Sundays, or at the whim of the owner. They are a great place to pick up a sandwich, pastry, coffee and other drinks. Good guidebooks will tell you about them and you should plan ahead. They will also fill your empty water bottle from their tap.Restaurants/trattoria, etc… are usually open over the midday and then close until 7 or 7:30 p.m. Just about the time that you are finished with walking, say around 3:00 or so, they will be closed. You will need to go to a bar/cafe, or grocer (which might also be closed) or just wait.A pizzeria is a great place to get a reasonably priced and filling meal, typically for around 8 euros. You can split a pizza, if you like, but they are usually for one person. Italians eat a small breakfast and a late supper and the biggest meal is usually in the middle of the day. Late afternoon (4:00 or later) they head to bars for a drink, sometimes staying out until the restaurants open. Plan accordingly.A good hotel usually provides a buffet breakfast, sometimes quite large. You can find this out in advance. A big breakfast is a hiker’s best friend, in my opinion.A B&B, hostel, rifugio, agriturismo, may have a typical Italian breakfast (coffee and bread) or they may supply a bit more, such as yogurt and fruit. Just ask. They may advertise “breakfast available” but that could mean a wide range of possibilities.When all else fails, you can go to a grocery. Some larger towns have larger supermarkets, such as COOP, Euro Spin, Lidl, EMI and they are open at all hours, even late. These have a great selection of fruits, cheeses and breads, as well as packaged sandwiches. You can also find an alimentari or neighborhood grocer, in some smaller towns. Some say, frutta et verdura which means they also sell fruit and vegetables. Check your guidebook for information about this, but Google Maps will also show you these places. This is a very economical option, especially for lunch. Smaller grocers may close during the afternoon. B&Bs, Rifugios, agriturismos, typically provide supper and breakfast. Some towns have fixed price and/or pilgrim menus. These are good deals. Look for them.An Italian menu has the antipasto (a savory appetizer) the primo (first course, often pasta) a second or second course (mostly meat) and desert or dolce You can pick and choose. You can also order a mixed salad (insalata mista) and vegetables, which typically are whatever is in season.Watch out for longer stages that the guidebooks say do not have stops for food along the way. Stock up in advance. If there is no grocery or bar where you are leaving from, ask for a packed lunch ahead of time if you are staying at an agriturismo, B&B or rifugio. They may be able to help.Take plenty of water. While most stages have a place to fill up, some are very remote. You will also come across public fountains with a tap. If they say “agua potable” they are safe. I carry up to two liters of water with me on hot days. Don’t get dehydrated on the trail! Make sure you sample the local food, especially the pasta! This was our favorite part of eating.

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With good planning, any hiker/walker can keep themselves well-fed on the Way of St. Francis. Food in Italy is one of the main attractions, after the scenery, so be sure to enjoy it. And don’t miss an opportunity to have a picnic!

Russ Eanes is a writer/walker/cyclist from Harrisonburg, VA and the author of The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago. He has a forthcoming book about walking the Way of St. Francis.