Trail Markers
A friend had asked earlier about how well the trail was marked and what the typical trail conditions were. The Via Francigena is well marked, but it’s still easy to miss a turn since many of the markings are rather subtle, and you often are focused on other things. In towns, there may be few or no trail markers.
The markings are typically one of four types:
- An arrow shaped sign that clearly points in a direction and says, “GR 145 Via Francigena” on it. They are usually attached to posts. Those are the hardest to miss (although you still do).
- A simple paint marking with a white bar over a red bar. Those can be painted on a fence post or on a tree or on the side of a building. Of course, those are much easier to miss.
- A small metal plaque (4” x 4” or so) with an image of a pilgrim on it and usually the words “Via Francigena”, but not always.
- A white bar over a red bar over another white bar pointing one direction or the other.
- Quite helpfully, you will frequently see an X painted on something with one bar in white and one in red. That is to indicate that you may think that is the path, but it is not. I thought I had a photo of one, but I can’t find it at the moment. I will try to take one tomorrow and post it.
Navigation
I have always used a paper trail guide in the past, which had its drawbacks, but this time, I am using two different pilgrimage apps: Camino Ninja and the official Via Francigena app. Both provide GPS guidance, which is invaluable. I check one of them constantly throughout the day, and I still miss turns, but I usually don’t get too far before I realize my error. In the past, I’ve gotten completely lost, which can be quite frustrating at the end of a long day’s walk.
Trail Conditions
As for the trail itself, I would estimate that 60% of it is on actual trails, and the remaining 40% is on a combination of dirt and gravel roads, limited-traffic asphalt roads (usually just connecting trails for short distances), and sidewalks and roads through villages and cities. Usually, though, the pilgrim’s path either bypasses cities and villages altogether, or it follows a route into town that is as green as possible. I’m always impressed by how far one can walk into a larger city without realizing you are in the city.
Let me know if you have any other questions on this or need any photos.
A Few Extra Photos of Trail Markers
The first photo is of the “X” that tells you, “This may look like the trail, but it’s not”. Some of the markers are hidden in the grass or so small that they are easy to miss.
