Physical preparation

If you want to tackle a multi-day walk on the Via Francigena, to prepare yourself best we recommend that you do some walking with increasing distance in the weeks before departure, using the same shoes and socks that you will be using on the walk.

At first, travel unloaded, and then start walking with a full backpack, so that you can try out the weight and adjustments over short distances.

We suggest a simple training scheme, spread over a period of two or more weeks.

In the first week it may be sufficient to train three times in one week: 

Day 1: 30 minutes of walking, then a rest day
Day 2: 30-40 minutes at a faster pace, then a day of rest
3rd day 40/50 minutes at a faster pace, then one or two days off

Obviously there is nothing to stop you from walking every day, but don’t overdo it if you are coming from a sedentary lifestyle.

In the second and following weeks you can gradually increase your walking to 50 to 60 minutes a day at a more sustained pace, gradually starting to load up your rucksack until you are fully loaded.

If you have never done a multi-day walk before, we recommend that you try a two- or three-day walk, perhaps straddling a weekend, also to fine-tune your equipment and the effects of the weight of the rucksack during a long walk.