From 21/12/2003 to 31/12/2009
"The Saint Francis Walk"
Rieti

The pilgrimage continues today as it did during the Middle Ages: a profound testimony of faith and an exchange between different cultures. For this reason the Province of Rieti Tourist Board has created the Saint Francis Walk (Cammino di San Francesco), a journey through the Valle Santa of Rieti, one of the most important locations in the history of the Franciscan Order. During his short life, Saint Francis crossed the valley with his lively preaching founding sanctuaries, performing miracles and finding refuge for his mystic retreats.

The Walk includes visits to the sanctuaries where Frances travelled to: the Sanctuaries of Poggio Bustone, La Foresta, Fonte Colombo and Greccio. It is completed by a climb up Mount Terminillo with a visit to the reliquary of the Saint, a stop at the town of Posta and an excursion to the solitary and majestic Faggio di San Francesco (Saint Francis Beech Tree), in the town of Rivodutri. The itinerary that winds along 80 km of paths and roads immersed in a spectacular natural setting is the perfect occasion to renew thanks to the heavens just like Saint Francis did in The Canticle of All Creatures.

The paths, that have been chosen by the Scuola Forestale dello Stato di Cittaducale and made accessible by the Town Councils and Mountain Districts, can be covered on foot, by bicycle, by mountain bike and by horse. Amembership card and a passportwill be stamped at each stop on the St. Francis Walk certifying the pilgrimage and making it that much more special.

Wayfarers on the paths of Saint Francis will find themselves surrounded by a nature of rare beauty far from the beaten paths of mass tourism. Pilgrims can buy typical products , at the Sanctuaries that have been produced in keeping with the Franciscan spirit and that carry the logo of the Walk.

The Walk reaffirms Saint Francis’ role as the Patron Saint of the Environment in a land that is, and wants to remain, uncontaminated. The Walk has the same spirit based on the Franciscan belief of purity and poverty and brings back the values of the Rule of the Franciscan Order that Saint Francis wrote for his brethren and the whole world from the Valle Santa.

The very special pilgrimage begins on December 21 2003.

APT di Rieti - Via Cintia, 87 Rieti
Tel. +39 0746 201146 - +39 0746 201147
Fax +39 0746 270446