An Italian Odyssey

An Italian Odyssey is a story about a midlife couple who embarks on a great adventure — walking 1,000 km on the Via Francigena, an ancient, elusive medieval pilgrim trail through the heart of Italy. 


Historically, the Via Francigena was a broad network of trails originating in ancient Francia, an ever-changing backbone of Roman and medieval roads leading to Rome. Today, unlike the Camino de Santiago in Spain, only a few hundred people have walked the entire Via Francigena through Italy during the past decade. It is a barely discovered, obscure, and sometimes challenging trail to navigate. 


The couple’s initial plan was to walk and eat their way through Italy using their own homemade guide and map books. But their adventure takes on a life of its own as they face unexpected challenges. With both themselves and each other, they struggle with the constant physical and emotional demands and outcomes of navigating an arduous route that is not well signed. But with dollops of Roman and medieval history, a dash of contemporary culture, plenty of sensual food and wine, and gracious Italian hospitality, they also share many romantic and magical moments. 


This interactive multi touch eBook shares the authors’ personal experiences that are unique to this type of walking adventure. This travel memoir is co-written by both authors, so the reader can appreciate the story from the male and female perspective. This edition includes dozens of additional color photographs, and six interactive maps of some of the major cities along the way. At the end of this eBook is a brief list of resources and websites for additional information about walking the Via Francigena.