Pilgrimage: Europe's Most Inspiring Pilgrim Routes

2017 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences

Pilgrimage in Europe is thriving on a massive scale. Since 1990, the cathedral at Santiago de Compostella alone has seen 40 times the number of pilgrim visits. Author Derry Brabbs' previous book, Roads to Santiago, focused exclusively on routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela; Pilgrimage revisits these, and twelve other inspirational journeys across Europe. Whether you're truly making a pilgrimage, exploring the world, or simply hiking, Pilgrimage will lead you along the "Jakobsweg" in Germany, between Cologne and Trier. You'll find great routes of Britain and France, like St Cuthberts Way which winds around the Borders to the holy island of Lindesfarne, and the World Heritage Site of Mont-St-Michel built on the tiny island off the coast of Normandy. The most notable addition to the rejuvenated era of pilgrimage is the Via Francigena, now a very well established path through Switzerland and Italy.

The Italian section begins on the bleak summit of the Great St Bernard Pass where a hospice still caters to the needs of passing pilgrims before heading down to Rome through some of Italy's most beguiling countryside interspersed with medieval hilltop towns and villages.

Derry Brabbs (Author)