In February 2024, Darren and I will hike the Via Francigena from Pontremoli to Rome, concluding in late March.

After thru-hiking the Via Francigena, we will travel via train north from Rome starting 22 March, with stopovers in Orvieto, Assisi, Florence, Modena, Alba, Aosta, Vercelli and Milan. Cue great food and wine, meeting new people, beautiful architecture, history, learning culture, and speaking with Italians.

Our Train Trip Strategy

When traveling, we prioritize an excellent night's sleep and accommodations with basic kitchen amenities. We typically book three-star accommodations (Europe uses a 5-star rating system).

We book our own travel, minimizing third-party fees. Occasionally, we will arrange a private tour with a knowledgeable guide. We eat most meals in our accommodations and plan weekly for one or two Michelin-type dining experiences.

We will not get a rental car on this trip—everywhere we go is accessible by train, bus, or foot.

For mobile phone coverage and data, we use Google FI. Occasionally, we supplement Google FI with a local SIM card from a grocery store or tobacco shop.

We will average €200 per day on this trip. When we list prices for lodging, meals, and tours, it is the total for two people. We list prices so that you can see what real travelers are spending, not what retail sites hope you will spend on an organized tour.

Our health plan from Farm Bureau covers us at the Out-of-Network-Rate (60%) while we are outside the United States. We supplement this policy with a Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection ExactCare medical evacuation and repatriation policy for $105 (36 days for two adults about age 50).

About Us

Darren and I left corporate careers in our late 40s after 20+ years each in agriculture science. We are semi-nomadic. We travel most of the year and maintain a small home in the Great Plains of the United States. We spend most of our travel time thru-hiking in Europe and winters in the Caribbean.

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Planning Resources for Our Itinerary

Our stops on this trip are recommendations from friends who know our travel style. While we know where we will sleep each night, we prefer to leave most days open and walk around until we find something interesting to see or do.

We use Rick Steves’ Italy book to anticipate the types of crowds to expect in some cities, find train and bus connection times, and get a sense of area attractions.

We also use a book called The Wines of Italy Glass by Glass published by the Wine Scholar Guild which was part of their larger wine curriculum on Italy.

Getting to Rome

We’ll be arriving in Rome by foot, having just walked the Via Francigena.

Rome

22 March

Lodging: TheRomeHello €187.15. Meals: €. Other:

23 March

Lodging: TheRomeHello €206.15. Meals: €. Other: €

Orvieto

24 March

Lodging: Book and Bed €94.18 Meals: €. Other: €

25 March

Lodging: Book and Bed €94.18. Meals: €. Other: €

26 March

Lodging: Book and Bed €94.18 Meals: €. Other: €

27 March

Lodging: Book and Bed €94.18 Meals: €. Other: €

Assisi

28 March

Lodging: Camere Capobove Assisi €78.00 Meals: €. Other: €

29 March

Lodging: Camere Capobove Assisi €78.00 Meals: €. Other: €

30 March

Lodging: Camere Capobove Assisi €78.00 Meals: €. Other: €

31 March

Lodging: Camere Capobove Assisi €78.00 Meals: €. Other: €

Florence

1 April

Lodging: Lambertesca il Cuore di Firenza €170.77 Meals: €. Other: €

2 April

Lodging: Lambertesca il Cuore di Firenza €170.77 Meals: €. Other: €

3 April

Lodging: Lambertesca il Cuore di Firenza €170.77 Meals: €. Other: €

4 April

Lodging: Lambertesca il Cuore di Firenza €170.77 Meals: €. Other: €

5 April

Lodging: Lambertesca il Cuore di Firenza €170.77 Meals: €. Other: €

Modena

6 April

Lodging: Ca’ Pomposa Bed & Relax €107.00 Meals: €. Other: €

7 April

Lodging: Ca’ Pomposa Bed & Relax €107.00 Meals: €. Other: €

8 April

Lodging: Ca’ Pomposa Bed & Relax €107.00 Meals: €. Other: €

Voghera

9 April

Lodging: Altrentatre €86.33 Meals: €. Other: €

10 April

Lodging: Altrentatre €86.33 Meals: €. Other: €

11 April

Lodging: Altrentatre €86.33 Meals: €. Other: €

Alba

12 April

Lodging: Lilly Rose Apartment €105.75 Meals: €. Other: €

13 April

Lodging: Lilly Rose Apartment €105.75 Meals: €. Other: €

14 April

Lodging: Lilly Rose Apartment €105.75 Meals: €. Other: €

15 April

Lodging: Lilly Rose Apartment €105.75 Meals: €. Other: €