See Appendix B (Useful contacts) for a stage-by-stage list of tourist information offices; if you find yourself struggling to make a booking they may be able to help.
Hostels
A growing number of local parishes and monasteries have opened small hostels for use by pilgrims. In smaller towns along the route, many parishes or convents open up spare rooms for use by pilgrims. A sleeping bag is not required since virtually every hostel makes pillows and blankets available for free or for a small cost (except as noted). Do plan on bringing a sleeping bag liner, though, since sheets are seldom included.
Rifugios
These are mountain huts found in national parks (such as the Casentino) and they are maintained by the local chapters of the Club Alpino Italia (CAI). Extremely basic, there may simply be a bare cot, table and fireplace and no restaurant nearby. With only one rifugio along the way – just after Camaldoli – it’s likely not worth it to plan to stay there since an overnight would require a sleeping bag, food, cooking utensils and a gas stove.
Agriturismi
An agriturismo is a rural guesthouse, with eating accommodations that range from small dining rooms with prepared meals to apartments with kitchens. An overnight at an agriturismo with breakfast and dinner can be in the €70–90 range, and if it is remotely located there may be no other dining options. It’s always best to check in advance about the eating options so you can make the meal choice that best meets your budget. In a few cases this means opting out of the agriturismo dinner in favor of a walk or hitched ride to a nearby restaurant.
Hotels
Hotels in Italy almost always include a continental-style breakfast. Those featured in this guide usually range from €30–50 per person per night. Reduce the cost by sharing a double room with a companion. Expect to be asked for your passport when you check in, but not to pay until you check out; if you plan to leave early in the morning, ask to pay the night before. And don’t forget to pick up your passport before you leave.
Foresterie
A foresteria is a hotel run by a convent or monastery (such as Camaldoli and La Verna) that offers hotel-like rooms with breakfast and a one-menu dinner included in the price.
Camping
While it is possible to camp, you would need a tent or other gear for outdoor sleeping which would mean unnecessary extra weight. In Italy, camping is legal only in designated campgrounds.
Eating in Italy
An espresso with perhaps a croissant (cornetto in Italian) is an Italian breakfast. Lunch is served in early afternoon and is followed by the riposo (see ‘Business hours and the riposo’, below). Early evening is time for a snack – a glass of beer or wine with tiny bites of food. Although restaurants generally open around 7.30pm, Italians usually enjoy dinner from around 8.00pm until 10.30pm. Restaurants often are open until midnight, although the kitchen may close sooner. Efficiency-loving Northern Europeans and Americans may need to learn the ‘slow food’ pattern of Italian restaurant meals, where the kitchen expects you to take your time enjoying food, wine and conversation.
Pizza and pasta are, of course, omnipresent in Italy. However, almost every town has its special take on pasta, and you will endear yourself to your server by ordering the local specialty. In Tuscany and Umbria, beef and pork are highly prized and the many varieties of cured meats are famous the world over.
Even in a plain-looking restaurant a full Italian meal can be expensive, so if you’re on a budget (or simply can’t eat that much food) feel free to pick and choose from any of the courses. If you do, the server will want to know in what order you’d like your food.
Budgeting and cash
If you’re on a tight budget, plan ahead to take advantage of private and parochial hostels. If you prefer to stay in hotels you can save a lot of money by having a companion or two to share the cost. You can cut down on food expense by shopping for your lunch at a grocery store the night before. Only occasionally will you find a room or hostel with a kitchen, so you’ll want to learn to study restaurant menus carefully for the most economical choices.
A moderate daily budget per person in double hotel rooms will look something like this:
Breakfast (incl. with room)
Lunch €6.00
Dinner €15.00
Overnight €30.00
Incidentals €5.00
Total €56.00
When it comes to cash, rather than bringing a large stash of Euros it’s easiest to have an ATM card with you to get cash from your bank account as needed. Check with your bank to see what the fees are, whether there’s a maximum daily withdrawal, and to make sure you’re getting a favorable exchange rate. It’s also a good idea to bring a second ATM card so you have a backup. A credit card is usually best for hotel reservations.
Post, phones and internet
Italy’s state-owned, public postal service, Poste Italiane, has offices in towns and cities throughout the country, usually with an ATM outside.
To make accommodation reservations in real time it’s very handy to have a telephone – and even more handy to have a smart phone with internet capability for email. If you have a smart phone, contact your carrier prior to departure to ask for an international voice and data plan. If this is too expensive – and if your smart phone is unlocked from your local carrier – you can purchase a pre-paid Italian SIM card on arrival in Italy at the office of one of the major carriers (TIM, Vodaphone, WIND, for example). The clerk will install a new card for you and offer you voice and data plans. Make certain to retain your old SIM card so you can use it back home when you return. For international calling remember Italy’s country code is +39.
If you do have a smart phone, you can save on the cost of cell-based data by using the wi-fi capability of your phone when wi-fi is available, as it frequently is in public establishments in cities and towns throughout Italy. Your smart phone can also allow you easily to use the GPS tracks available for this walk (see Maps, GPS and Way Marking below).
As with most of the world, Italian electricity operates at 220v. With the dawn of international electronic appliances, most phones, cameras and computers have a 110/220v transformer built into the ‘power brick’. This means that only a plug adapter is necessary for those coming to Italy from places that use 110v or non-Euro plugs.
Business hours and the riposo
Northern Europeans and Americans are often surprised to find Italian stores and businesses closed midday. This is the riposo, the mid-afternoon rest observed in much of Italy. If you live in Italy during the summer you’ll see the purpose of this custom – the Italian sun can be excruciatingly hot in the mid-afternoon. Businesses typically close around 1.30pm and reopen around 4.30–5.30pm, once the day has cooled off.
There is a sort of weekly riposo, too: stores often close on Saturday at noon and then won’t reopen until Monday afternoon or even Tuesday morning. In small towns and villages this can make it a challenge to find groceries on Sunday mornings, so be certain to plan ahead.
Laundry
In large cities there are almost always coin-operated laundromats. Ask the hotel or hostel clerk for the nearest location. Laundry is most reliably washed in the sink, so plan to have soap, clothespins and a clothesline with you.
Water fountains
Only occasionally are there water fountains in the middle of a stage and when there are, they are seldom marked for drinkability. Our maps show locations of water fountains that are confirmed as potable, but carrying a 2-liter water supply in fall and spring and a 3-liter supply in the summer