In the footsteps of Francis and Benedict: two routes in the spiritual heart of Lazio

The Way of Saint Francis and the Way of Saint Benedict tell the story of two great traditions of European spirituality and find their fullest expression in Lazio. Among the five itineraries promoted by the “Antichi Cammini d'Italia” project.

Two routes, two great figures of European spirituality, one region that preserves some of their most extensive traces: the Way of Saint Francis and the Way of Saint Benedict find their narrative heart in Lazio. They are two of the five itineraries at the center of “Antichi Cammini d'Italia”, created to enhance the country's major historic and religious walking routes and to position Italy among the world's leading walking destinations.

The two routes express complementary traditions within Italian and European spirituality: the Franciscan tradition, founded on the relationship with nature, communities and the most vulnerable; and the Benedictine tradition, founded on the Rule, stability and the silent work of monastic communities. Both routes offer contemporary travellers an experience that extends beyond devotion alone, speaking to a broad audience of pilgrims, cultural travellers, walkers, nature lovers and wellness-oriented visitors.

Way of Saint Francis

The Way of Saint Francis connects the most significant places in the life of Francis of Assisi (1182–1226). It is structured around two main routes that converge on Assisi: the Northern Way, approximately 190 kilometers from the Sanctuary of La Verna, where Francis received the stigmata in 1224; and the Southern Way, around 300 kilometers in 13 stages from Rome to Assisi, which crosses Lazio in its entirety.

It is in the Holy Valley of Rieti, in Lazio, that the route reaches its heart. Within a small area stand the four Franciscan sanctuaries that preserve the memory of some of the most important moments in the saint's life: Greccio, where in 1223 Francis created the first nativity scene in history; Fonte Colombo, where he dictated the Rule of the Order; La Foresta, where the miracle of the grapes is said to have taken place; and Poggio Bustone, where he received the revelation of the forgiveness of sins.

At the end of the route, at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, pilgrims receive the Testimonium.

Way of Saint Benedict

The Way of Saint Benedict links the three fundamental places in the life of Benedict of Nursia (c. 480–547), founder of Western monasticism and Patron of Europe since 1964, when Pope Paul VI proclaimed him as such in the apostolic letter Pacis nuntius. The route extends for approximately 300 kilometers in 16 stages between Umbria and Lazio.

Its longest and most narratively dense section unfolds in Lazio, through the Aniene Valley and the central Apennine valleys, as far as Montecassino.

In Subiaco, in the upper Aniene Valley, the Sacro Speco preserves the cave where Benedict lived as a hermit for more than thirty years. Nearby, the Abbey of Santa Scolastica is regarded as the cradle of Italian printing, having hosted the first printing press active in Italy in 1465, operated by the German printers Konrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz.

From here the route continues to Trevi nel Lazio, the Abbey of Casamari — a remarkable example of Cistercian architecture — Arpino, birthplace of Cicero, Roccasecca, associated with Thomas Aquinas, and the Melfa Gorges, before culminating at Montecassino, where Benedict founded, around 529, the abbey that remains the heart of the Benedictine Order.

Two traditions, one territory

The Way of Saint Francis and the Way of Saint Benedict cross an inland Lazio of abbeys, hermitages, villages and Apennine landscapes, where Christian spirituality took forms that shaped European history. It is a territory of places less frequented by major tourism flows, which the “Antichi Cammini d'Italia” project helps make more recognizable and accessible, enhancing a widespread heritage and promoting a slow, sustainable and immersive way of experiencing it.

Project funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU “Antichi Cammini di Italia”, PNRR – Mission M1C3, Investment 4.3, Measure 274 – the Italian Ministry of Tourism is the subject operator, ENIT S.p.A. is the subject agent.

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