Cammini Aperti: the largest national event dedicated to walking routes. In Umbria, on 13 and 14 April with the “Cammino dei Protomartiri Francescani” and the “Via di Francesco - Via del Sud”

Cammini Aperti: the largest national event dedicated to walking routes. In Umbria, on 13 and 14 April with the “Cammino dei Protomartiri Francescani” and the “Via di Francesco - Via del Sud”

Cammini Aperti: the largest national event dedicated to walking routes

Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April

This is a joint promotion project of all Italian regions in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Enit.

42 walking routes are involved throughout Italy, two for each region.

Partners include CAI - Italian Alpine Club and FISH Onlus

Discover the Italy You Didn’t Know - Italian Journey is a joint tourism promotion project of the Italian regions that is part of the Ministry of Tourism’s National Promotion Plan 2022.
Among the activities now being carried out is one aimed at enhancing slow tourism, a mode of travel that is increasingly in vogue and allows one to fully savour even lesser-known corners of our Peninsula, perhaps in springtime.                     

Cammini Aperti, conceived by the Umbria Region - as the leader of slow tourism - aims to be the most important national event dedicated to paths/itineraries, promoting the values of accessibility. It will be held on 13 and 14 April, with 42 walking routes will be involved, 2 for each region and autonomous province, with over 2000 participants, subject to registration on the dedicated portal. The hikes/walks will be led by environmental hiking guides or mountain guides. Each route is a ring and being between 6 and 10 km long.

Read the national press release (in Italian)->

In Umbria Cammini Aperti will take place on the Way of the Franciscan Proto-martyrs and the St Francis Way – Southern Way to coincide with the celebrations of the great Franciscan Centenary marked by four Franciscan anniversaries that fall in 2023-2026.

Way of the Franciscan Proto-martyrs - 13 April

On Saturday, participants will be able to walk one of the most significant stages of the Way of the Franciscan Protomartyrs, starting from the medieval village of San Gemini to Cesi, once the capital of the Terre Arnolfe, passing through the remains of the ancient Roman municipality of Carsulae. This will be an experience of culture and nature, walking through the history of this territory in the province of Terni. After visiting the Archaeological Area, the 10 km excursion will cover stretches of the fifth stage of the walk, passing through the evocative remains of Poggio Azzuano and the ruins of the Church of Santa Caterina, administered for a period by a Templar knight sent by the Roman Curia. Among the wonders that will be visited, once in Cesi Porta delle Meraviglie (Gate of Wonders), is the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament, with the uniqueness of its "two-sided canvas" that can be rotated by means of a mechanism at the back, and the Grotta Eolia, thanks to the collaboration of the local Pro Loco of the GSTA - Terre Arnolfe Speleological Group. The return to San Gemini will be by free shuttle bus.

Via di Francesco, Via del Sud - 14 April

The next day, participants will discover one of the most evocative stretches of the St. Francis Way in Umbria, the Southern Way on Mount Subasio. The Via is one of the most famous itineraries, imbued with spirituality, frequented every year by thousands of pilgrims of different nationalities who do not miss the opportunity to live this experience and visit places associated with the Saint.                   

The route chosen for Cammini Aperti will be a ring-route and just over 8 km long. We will start on the slopes of Colle San Rufino and then proceed towards the Vallonica Refuge to the Sassopiano Cross, where we will be able to admire a breathtaking view of Assisi and the Umbrian valley. We will then visit the Sanctuary of the Hermitage of the Carceri, set in a forest of centuries-old holm oaks; one of the most famous symbols of the Patron Saint of Italy, now run by the Friars Minor of the Seraphic Province of St Francis of Assisi. On the return journey, thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of Assisi, we will be able to enjoy a refreshment with excellent products from Subasio. Optional, after lunch, is an ascent to Colle Rufino, where the remains of an ancient castelliere (fortified borough) are found.

Read the local press release (in Italian) ->