ideas sparked from behind the chaos
Beatrice Moricci is an Italian wedding photographer who is used to traveling. "My clients are mainly from abroad and love to have their weddings in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, so I travel often, but I'm always rushed by the wedding schedules. After each time, I think I need to slow down a bit on each trip," she says.
But in March 2020, as the pandemic gripped the world, Moricci, like many others, was thrust into a less frantic pace by three months of social distancing. With weddings mostly canceled or postponed, she found herself with a summer free for the first time in a decade, unfettered by schedules and work. She thought what she could do now: explore on foot.
Moricci decided to walk the Via Francigena for two months starting in late June, when lockdown restrictions were lifted and locals were allowed to move from one region to another. “I started thinking about walking – the slowest way to travel,” she says. “The pandemic has forced us to stay at home, distance ourselves, be skeptical of each other… I wanted to make things simpler – adventurous, natural, self-reliant, using the easiest way to travel: walking.”
Starting in northwestern Italy, Moricci walked 1,400 kilometers within Italy's border region and meandered through the Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, and finally ended her trip in Santa Maria di Leuca. (She conquered another 400 kilometers by bike.)
"I discovered the beauty and importance of slowing down, taking more time to explore places, people, culture, architecture. We used to only go from inside to outside - from home to office, from home to shopping mall - but walking to explore will help us experience from outside to further outside."
nature - priceless gift
Like an artist, Moricci paints a beautiful picture: She describes the landscape in detail, dotted with mountain passes; dirt roads, cypress-lined village lanes; cobblestone streets; fields of corn, rice, tomatoes, peaches, and plums; vineyards; centuries-old olive groves; and coastal roads along the Adriatic overlooking the mountains of Albania.
Nature is a priceless gift. "Nature does not need us, during this pandemic, it is a typical example of how it regenerates itself. We should be truly grateful to nature. Being able to enter it is a happiness" she shared.
Although it wasn’t her first time walking this much, Moricci had walked for two weeks in Tuscany last spring. Moricci doesn’t consider herself particularly fit. “I’m not a very athletic person,” she said, explaining that she walked 10 to 15 kilometers a day for a month before setting off. In the buildup, Moricci felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement—“uncertainty about leaving and impatience to start.” “My parents and some friends weren’t encouraging—they didn’t understand my choice and the nature of the trip, especially at this time.”
But Moricci believes that, throughout her journey, she is not alone.
"they called me just to make sure: i was okay"
It's true that Moricci met a lot of people during her trip. She said: "Via Francigena is not a walk through the desert or rocky mountains. The starting point and the end point are always in a town, the journey goes through fields, forests, mountain roads, villages. I met many people working in the fields, local people walking their puppies." Saying hello to them, Moricci noticed that everyone was very friendly and excited about her journey.
She recounts a few memorable encounters—one with a man working in the fields in Apulia, intrigued and moved by Moricci’s courage and strength in walking alone; and another with Antonio, an 81-year-old retired tailor. She also met two nuns, Cristina and Rosangela, who for years had wanted to leave their lives behind and move to the mountains. They now live in Eremo di Perloz, making honey, tending their vegetable garden, and occasionally hosting explorers like Moricci.
"I feel the naturalness and purity in human relationships. Especially during the pandemic, social distancing and the technology boom, the simplest actions and humanity are extremely precious," Moricci shared. "Many people are willing to help me, talk, invite me for a drink or coffee, a ride, give me kind words, encouragement, or ask for my phone number to call me just to make sure: I'm okay."
As for accommodation, Moricci made the most of her “pilgrim’s passport,” a personal document that allows her to visit various rest areas along the way, including monasteries and guesthouses. “In late June and July, there were many empty rooms and few people, so it was very safe,” she said. “I had the opportunity to sleep in the biggest churches in the center of cities like Lecce, Pietrasanta and Brindisi.”
lessons on human values
Of course, Moricci’s trip wasn’t without its hiccups: a storm in the Valle d’Aosta mountains, stray dogs barking in the countryside between Campania and Apulia, getting lost in a deserted cornfield with no internet, and the vulnerability of being alone were among the challenges she encountered. “I learned to be self-reliant and to discipline myself in difficult times,” she says. “I learned that it’s the mind that holds us back – before I left, I was so nervous. I needed that first step… to let all my fears melt away.”
Now that Moricci is back home, she can reflect and reminisce, thanks in large part to the postcards she has been sending herself every two days from different towns. “This experience, during this historic pandemic, has been a time for me to find my ‘medieval self’ – doing simple things like walking; meeting people, talking, listening to them; learning, admiring nature and being in it; waking up at dawn and going to bed at dusk.”
While the world's future is uncertain, Moricci has learned to embrace the present. "This trip taught me to enjoy the moment I'm living because tomorrow is a new day with a different destination," she said.
At a time when we are all stuck at home, hanging out in our backyards and finding joy there, Moricci is somewhat of a reminder of the beauty of the Italian people: “I discovered that the big hearts of Italians are more welcoming to explorers like me, the experiences they want to share, the pride they have in living in this country, their desire for freedom and their courage are invaluable.”
