Italia on the trail of Francis: 23rd National Urban Trekking Day

On 31 October, to mark the 23rd National Urban Trekking Day, the theme is inspired by Francis of Assisi, to commemorate the 800th anniversary of his death. From Siena, the event’s creator and national organiser, a slow-paced journey will set off on 31 October, taking in Franciscan sites, nature, art, animals, silence and the countryside, involving 81 towns and cities across Italia. The highlights of this adventure will be the great Franciscan trails that criss-cross Italia, the hermitages hidden in the woods, the monasteries, and the routes travelled eight hundred years ago – which also lead right into the heart of the cities. They are found in churches and works of art, in the places where he preached, in the ports from which he set sail, and in the stories of the Franciscans who have carried on his legacy over the centuries. And, perhaps even more so, they are found in a way of looking at the world around us: nature, water, animals, our fellow human beings, the community, and the simple things. In the year marking the eighth centenary of Francis’s death, the chosen theme is ‘St Francis 1226–2026: in the footsteps of the essential’ – from north to south, including the islands – united in a vast Italian landscape to be explored on foot; some will follow the Saint’s historical footsteps, others will recount the stories of monasteries, basilicas and illustrious Franciscans, some will take their cue from the Canticle of the Creatures to speak of water, earth and animals, and others will seek the essential through silence, the landscape and a slow pace. A journey that will take in destinations such as Siena, Naples, Brescia, Bologna, L’Aquila, Aosta, Ancona, Padua, Verona, Mantua, Pisa and Urbino, alongside towns such as Spoleto, Rieti, Comacchio, Finale Ligure, Cividale del Friuli, Palmanova, Montepulciano, Volterra, Follina, Bagheria, Ceglie Messapica, Leonforte and Tempio Pausania. For full details, visit https://trekkingurbano.info