As 2025 draws to a close, I’m deeply grateful for a year filled with movement, connection, and the steady rhythm of pilgrimage.
In January, Cicerone Press released my newest guidebook, Via Francigena Part Four: From Rome to Monte Sant’Angelo, Bari, Brindisi and Santa Maria di Leuca — completing the southern journey of that remarkable route.
In February, I traveled to Kendal, England, for meetings with my fellow Cicerone authors and the editorial team, hearing exciting updates about future projects and celebrating our shared passion for long-distance walking.
March took me to London, where I spoke at the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome about the Via Francigena in the South, and then to Canterbury, where I presented the new edition of my Via di Francesco guidebook at Waterstones.
In May, I crossed the Atlantic to join friends from American Pilgrims on the Camino and the Canadian Company of Pilgrims in Vancouver, followed by an inspiring evening with the Victoria Chapter in British Columbia.
June was a highlight month — our “Walk, Wine and Soak” Pilgrim Paths group journeyed from Siena to Viterbo, sharing laughter, local flavors, and the joy of slow travel. From there, I set out from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to walk the Camino de Santiago once again, gathering new insights and details for upcoming guidebook updates — a journey that concluded in early August.
That same month, I met our Lausanne–Aosta group in the high Alps, walking alongside them through the passes with my friend Bill Plunkett. In September and October, I reconnected with two of our Via di Francesco groups — first in Florence and Assisi, then again in Rome — both beautifully led by Patrick Mowrer.
Through it all, 2025 has been a year of renewal — of meeting new pilgrims, reuniting with familiar faces, and deepening the bonds of community that make Pilgrim Paths what it is. When not on the trail, I’ve cherished time with family in Seattle and the warm company of friends and visitors here in Lucca.
Here’s to another year of walking together, learning together, and celebrating the pilgrim spirit wherever the path leads.
— Sandy
Banner photo is Sandy on the Camino Finisterre, at the Pedras Santas, August 2025. Main photo is Sandy walking the Camino de Santiago before Belorado.
