ViaFrancigena – Valais section

Having just been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric the Serious had to travel to Rome through France and Switzerland to receive his investiture from the Pope. The oldest description of the ViaFrancigena dates from his return journey in 990. Today, the route is considered a "Great Cultural Route of the Council of Europe". With a total length of more than 3,000 kilometres divided into 79 stages, the ViaFrancigena crosses about 65 kilometres of Valais territory between St-Maurice and the Grand St. Bernard pass at an altitude of 2,450 metres. Along country roads, stone or grass paths winding through green meadows dotted with dense woods, mountain paths, along shimmering lakes, in the shade of fragrant pines, the crossing of the Valaisan Alps offers superb landscapes.