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Monument to the Pilgrim in Montefiascone: Where the Final 100 Kilometres to Rome Begin
The Monument to the Pilgrim stands in Piazzale Urbano V, below the Rocca dei Papi in Montefiascone, exactly 100 kilometres from the tomb of St Peter. Inaugurated in 2013, it is one of the first monuments in Italy dedicated to the wayfarers of the Via Francigena. Here, pilgrims travelling down to Rome can obtain their centesimo chilometro (hundredth kilometre) credential and a certificate signed by the Mayor.
Two Figures in Wrought Iron
The sculpture depicts two walkers with rucksacks on their backs, hats, and trekking poles — two spare, almost stylised silhouettes gazing out towards Lake Bolsena. On the base, an inscription reads: "Forget the steps you have taken, remember the footprints you have left." It is not a particularly striking monument, but it carries considerable symbolic weight: it marks a psychological milestone for those arriving from Canterbury or from northern Europe.
The View and the Setting
The piazzale is a natural belvedere. From here, the gaze sweeps across the lake, the Monti Cimini hills, the Tiber valley, and all the way to the sea. Behind it rises the Torre del Pellegrino (Pilgrim's Tower), with Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures (Cantico delle Creature) engraved at its summit. Montefiascone is the seventh stage of the itinerary drawn up by Sigeric — the Archbishop of Canterbury who documented the route in 990 — and the point where the Via Romea Germanica converges with the Via Francigena.
