Walking To Rome On The Via Francigena With Chandi Wyant

“Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” Soren Kierkegaard When life becomes unbearably painful, sometimes the only thing to do is go for a really long walk. In this episode, Chandi Wyant talks about how walking the Via Francigena in Italy for 40 days helped her heal after a painful divorce, and how the lessons of pilgrimage can take time to emerge. Chandi Wyant is an author, a Florentine Renaissance historian, and an accredited guide to Italy’s museums. Her latest book is Return to Glow, a Pilgrimage of Transformation in Italy. Show notes * Why Florence and Italy * What is the Via Francigena? * The spiritual lessons learned on pilgrimage, even if you’re not religious * The challenging emotional and physical aspects of pilgrimage * Digging deep to face the fears that come with traveling solo * How traveling can increase our appreciation for other cultures * Travel book recommendations You can find Chandi Wyant at ParadiseOfExiles.com My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, is out now. Transcript of the interview Joanna: Chandi Wyant is an author, a Florentine Renaissance historian, and an accredited guide to Italy’s museums. Her latest book is Return to Glow, a Pilgrimage of Transformation in Italy. Welcome, Chandi. Chandi: Thank you, Jo, for having me. Joanna: I’m excited to talk to you today. So, you’re American but Italy is your passion. What drew you to Italy in the first place and the Renaissance period in particular? Chandi: You’re correct that I’m American. I was born and raised in California, although I’m also British. My mother is British, as were my grandparents and my great-grandparents, everyone back on my mother’s side. When I was 19, I budget backpacked around Europe. This was back in the 80s. And, when I got to Florence, I was just astounded by the beauty of the city, and I thought the language was the loveliest thing I’d ever heard. And I became determined to learn to speak Italian. What was interesting on this trip is I went all over Southern Europe for 6 months, and, at the end, I was in Portugal and I thought, ‘I’ve got to get back to Florence one more time before I fly home.’ I did a 3-day train ride, that was before high-speed trains, to get back to Florence. I didn’t speak a word of Italian, this was before the internet. I thought, ‘Okay, how do I figure out what language school I could attend here?’ I opened a phone book and managed, I’m not quite sure how because I didn’t speak Italian, but to find the schools for foreigners that existed. I went knocking on their doors and asked if they were affiliated with a program in the U.S., so I could get credit. I hadn’t started university yet. I found a school, got myself signed up, and I returned…that was in September, I returned by January to spend six months there learning the language as best I could and taking some other courses. That was what kick-started it. And then, over the years, I just returned in various ways. It wasn’t until I was 40 that I went back to get a second master’s degree, this time in Florentine Renaissance history. Joanna: I’ve been to Florence, and some people listening may have been. But what is it about Florence in particular that made you want to re-cross Europe to go back there? And, again, when you’re 40, you have that ‘what am I doing with my life?’ moment,