About A Pilgrim’s Progress

During the month of September, I will be walking various portions of the Via Francigena, a medieval pilgrimage route that runs all the way from Canterbury, England, to the Vatican in Rome.  Today, the Via Francigena is not as well established as some other, more famous pilgrimage routes like the Camino de Santiago in Spain.  Still, it was an important trail for many during the Middle Ages who would make the trek to St. Peter’s tomb before heading on to the Holy Land.  Recently, the Italian government, along with a few European cultural organizations, has begun a revitalization of the Via Francigena.  I will discuss more about the route’s history and cultural significance throughout the blog, but for more information you can take a look at these websites.

During the second weekend of September, I will be taking a break from my pilgrimage to Rome to embark on another sort of expedition to the ‘Temple of Speed’ at the Autodromo Internazionale di Monza for the running of the Italian Grand Prix.  The Italian Grand Prix is an historic race in the Formula 1 World Championship.  It is held every year at one of the most fabled and important tracks in the F1 circuit and is the home race to the championship’s winningest and best-known teams, Ferrari.  Every year, the tifosi—or fans of the famous Maranello marque—flood the circuit in a show unrivaled in F1 or perhaps any other sport.  In this blog, I will document the experience of attending the Grand Prix for the uninitiated F1 viewer.  For those who are more interested in the nitty-gritty of the racing itself, I will also cover that aspect in my other blog,motormusings, dedicated to the discussion of motorsports.

I hope that while on this trip, I will learn a bit more about myself and the world around me, particularly about Italian customs and culture.  I hope that through this blog, you may get a unique peek into the Italian world, and be at least a bit entertained by my experiences here and my descriptions of them.

Thanks for reading and be sure to follow @PeterBMinnig on Twitter for more updates.