The Way of St. Thomas
The Way of St. Thomas is a cultural, naturalistic and spiritual itinerary that connects the city of Rome with the Basilica of St. Peter in Ortona, custodian of the remains of the Apostle since 1258. A long route of about 316 km that crosses the heart of the most authentic Abruzzo, highlighting the landscape excellences that the region is rich in and the places of faith such as churches, hermitages and abbeys, silent custodians of spirituality.
The historical aspects of the Way
The Way is also a form of modern pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Bridget of Sweden who between 1365 and 1368 arrived in Ortona following the revelation of the presence of the bones of St. Thomas in the city's cathedral. According to local tradition, Bridget visited the tomb of the Apostle in Ortona twice; in memory of her passage, an ancient church was dedicated to her, in the nearby town of Arielli, which, together with the memorial stone placed at Porta Caldari in Ortona, still bears witness to the pilgrimage of the Saint to the city. History offers a starting point to rediscover, with modern forms, the activity of traveling, as happened in Santiago de Compostela whose model was taken as an example by the Way of St. Thomas to unite Abruzzo and Lazio. The itinerary proposed by the Way can be traveled on foot, by bike on the road and on dirt roads, and on horseback starting from Rome to reach Ortona in the Cathedral of St. Thomas.
The places of the Camino
Taking the ancient consular road Tiburtina Valeria that led to the Adriatic as a reference point, the traveler will discover the Abruzzo landscape and the Lazio stretch thanks to the most suggestive nature trails that cross the Castelli Romani Regional Natural Park, the Simbruini Mountains Natural Park, the Sirente-Velino Natural Park, the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga Park and the Majella National Park. With short stops along the way the traveler will be able to admire the Lazio towns of: Subiaco, Genazzano, Lariano and Albano Laziale and the Abruzzo towns of: Orsogna, San Martino sulla Marrucina Pretoro, Torre dei Passeri, Manoppello, Pescosansonesco, Capestrano, Bominaco, Fontecchio, Rocca di Mezzo, Massa d’Albe, Tagliacozzo and Cappadocia.
The spirit of the Camino
The Camino di San Tommaso is inspired by the concept of experiential tourism, slow tourism or slow tourism in which the traveler lives a unique and personal experience whose rhythms are marked by himself who, planning the trip, chooses times and methods to stop in the proposed places. The Camino de San Tommaso is made even more special by the Carta del Pellegrino, a document that certifies the presence of the pilgrim-traveler on the paths of the Camino.
