After a lot of planning and organising the day is almost here! The bags are packed, the passport is to hand and I am just about ready to depart for my pilgrimage walk bright and early tomorrow morning.
It has to be said that now the day is almost here I find myself holding a degree of nervousness about the whole experience. Given that I've never done anything like this before I'm not quite sure what to expect. But, given my reflections on God's faithfulness so far during this sabbatical time, I know God holds me in all that I am feeling now, and I can trust that God not only is with me now, but He will be with me every step of the way from the moment I step out of the door tomorrow until I reach my final destination at the end of April!
Here’s my planned itinerary:
Saturday 12 April
Fly to Rome
Sunday 13 April
Transfer by train to Assisi where the pilgrimage begins.
Monday 14 April
Assisi to Spello
Tuesday 15 April
Spello to Foligno
Wednesday 16 April
Transfer to Uppello. Uppello to Trevi
Thursday 17 April
Trevi to Poreta
Friday 18 April
Poreta to Spoleto
Saturday 19 April
Spoleto to Ceselli
Sunday 20 April
Ceselli to Arrone
Monday 21 April
Arrone to Piediluco
Tuesday 22 April
Piediluco to Poggio Bustone
Wednesday 23 April
Poggio Bustone to Santuario della Foresta. Transfer to Rieti
Thursday 24 April
Transfer to Maglianello Basso. Maglianello Basso to Poggio San Lorenzo. Transfer to Poggio Moiano
Friday 25 April
Rest Day in Poggio Moiano
Saturday 26 April
Poggio Moiano to Nerola
Sunday 27 April
Nerola to Palombara Sabina
Monday 28 April
Palombara Sabina to Monterotondo
Tuesday 29 April
Monterotondo to Cesarina. Transfer to Rome.
Wednesday 30 April
Pilgrimage concludes.
At the end of my pilgrimage, having collected stamps at accommodations and various places en route in my Pilgrim's Credential (Credenziale del Pelligrino), presenting this at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, will enable me to collect my Testamonium which is the certificate that serves as a testimony of the completion of a spiritual pilgrimage.
If you're wondering what the Credential is, then here's a link to when it arrived back in mid-January: The post arrived!