New national pilgrimage route unites Franciscan trails as Assisi marks saint's 800th anniversary.Italy has launched a new long-distance pilgrimage route uniting the country's scattered Franciscan trails into a single camino stretching more than 1,500 kilometres.Titled Il Cammino di Francesco – Il Cammino della Luce (The Way of Francis – The Way of Light), the project was unveiled by tourism minister Gianmarco Mazzi in Rome's Palazzo Chigi on 30 July. Also present at the launch were culture undersecretary Pietro Cannella and representatives of the national committee marking the 800th anniversary of St Francis's death, while tenor Andrea Bocelli lent his voice to the official promotional video for the route's international launch. Camino route The new network crosses six regions – Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria – and folds in existing trails such as the roughly 110km stretch from Rimini to the mountain sanctuary of La Verna, where St Francis is said to have received the stigmata. Every branch, variant and link road converges on Assisi, the saint's birthplace and final resting place, which organisers describe as the project's ultimate destination. Franco Boarelli, president of the Vie e Cammini di Francesco association that coordinated the initiative alongside the tourism and culture ministries, said the unified route was a goal his organisation had pursued from the outset, built through years of cross-regional cooperation rather than being confined to local administrative boundaries. The routes have been mapped and historically validated by the national anniversary committee and are now listed on Italy's official tourism platform, Italia.it, giving travellers access to maps, stage-by-stage itineraries and planning tools. Franciscan Youth Meeting The launch comes as Assisi prepares to host the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting from 3 to 6 August, drawing more than 2,500 young people from across Europe and beyond for a programme of workshops, prayer and fellowship, culminating in an encounter with Pope Leo XIV. Organisers have likened the gathering to the Chapter of Mats of 1221, when thousands of friars converged on Assisi around St Francis. Last year the Italian government voted to reinstate 4 October - the feast day of St Francis - as a national holiday in Italy to honour the country's patron saint.

Italy has launched a new long-distance pilgrimage route uniting the country's scattered Franciscan trails into a single camino stretching more than 1,500 kilometres. Titled Il Cammino di Francesco – Il Cammino della Luce (The Way of Francis – The Way of Light), the project was unveiled by tourism minister Gianmarco Mazzi in Rome's Palazzo Chigi on 30 July. Also present at the launch were culture undersecretary Pietro Cannella and representatives of the national committee marking the , while tenor Andrea Bocelli lent his voice to the official promotional video for the route's international launch. The new network crosses six regions – Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria – and folds in existing trails such as the roughly 110km stretch from Rimini to the mountain sanctuary of La Verna, where St Francis is said to have received the stigmata. Every branch, variant and link road converges on Assisi, the saint's birthplace and final resting place, which organisers describe as the project's ultimate destination. Franco Boarelli, president of the Vie e Cammini di Francesco association that coordinated the initiative alongside the tourism and culture ministries, said the unified route was a goal his organisation had pursued from the outset, built through years of cross-regional cooperation rather than being confined to local administrative boundaries. The routes have been mapped and historically validated by the national anniversary committee and are now listed on Italy's official tourism platform, , giving travellers access to maps, stage-by-stage itineraries and planning tools. The launch comes as Assisi prepares to host the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting from 3 to 6 August, drawing more than 2,500 young people from across Europe and beyond for a programme of workshops, prayer and fellowship, culminating in an encounter with Pope Leo XIV. Organisers have likened the gathering to the Chapter of Mats of 1221, when thousands of friars converged on Assisi around St Francis. Last year the Italian government voted to reinstate 4 October - the feast day of St Francis - as  to honour the country's patron saint.