The Camino de Santiago or the Via Francigena

The coast of Portugal and Spain or the hills of Tuscany and Rome/Vatican City?

Photo by Stéphan Valentin on Unsplash

Exactly one year ago today, I wrote and published a post about my desire and calling to walk the Camino de Santiago. This hasn’t happened yet due to a couple of reasons.

For the past several years, Mike and I have taken care of our sweet Golden Retriever, Jenny. In her later years, she lost 100% of her eyesight, and eventually she had mobility issues as well as hearing issues.

After much research and deliberation, Mike and I had decided last fall that we would walk the Portuguese costal route of the Camino de Santiago in Spring 2023 together. However, we could no longer leave our sweet Jenny in the care of a house sitter, so we postponed our trip.

This past spring, we lost a dear member of our family. At the exact same time another close family member had a medical emergency that required my attention. Shortly after that, we said goodbye to our sweet Jenny.

With everything going on, we temporarily lost sight of our desire to walk a pilgrimage. My roles as daughter and wife and caregiver to the sweetest of Goldens took over.

Then summer came—the hottest summer on record, I believe. Not the best weather to walk a Camino. Now, it’s August, and my role as a CPA is in full swing through the middle of October. Late October is also not the best time to set off on a pilgrimage. Not unheard of, but not our first choice. Late spring has always seemed like the best choice of timing for our religious trek.

My point? I still feel called to embark on one of these sacred adventures. I’m often thinking about my calendar and looking for a time to fit in the really long walk. I’m not sure there will ever be a perfect time to do it.

At the same time, I’ve been given time to study and reflect on which pilgrimage I’d like to do.

Then this past spring, I came across an article that sent me down a new rabbit hole: people with Italian ancestry can obtain dual Italian/American citizenship. My husband (and children) have quite a bit of Italian blood running through them as my husband is Italian on both sides of his family. So, I’ve done a deep dive into his ancestry and the rules of citizenship while gathering his family members’ naturalization certificates, birth certificates, etc. (And I’ve begun the process of learning Italian, a requirement for me if I ever wish to join them in citizenship.)

I tell you all of this to let you know that I’ve become obsessed with everything Italian. Studying things like… Why did Mike’s ancestors flee Sicilia? Why did they make oaths long, long ago to renounce their Italian citizenship forever? What were their lives like in the years when Sicily was heavily controlled by the mafia? I’ve read stories about the family values of Italians. The food. The wine. The olive oil. Truffles. The beautiful landscapes. The religions of Italy.

And this study of Italy led me to the Via Francigena, where my developing love for Italy intersects with my desire to walk ancient paths. The Via Francigena is “an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy.” I’d like to walk the Italian portion of this route, ending in Rome and Vatican City.

But I’m also still drawn to the Camino de Santiago ending in Santiago de Compostela.

So the question is: The coast of Portugal and Spain or the hills of Tuscany and Rome/Vatican City? The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, thought to be built over the remains of St. James or St. Peter’s Basilica?

Whatever the answer becomes, I look forward to the challenge of it. I’m starting to realize that there might never be a perfect time to embark on the journey—that I might just have to pack a bag and go.

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