In the past few years the popularity of pilgrim trails like the Camino the Santiago or the Via Francigena have resulted in record-breaking numbers of visitors to Europe’s centuries-old sacred routes. In some cases, this has led to overtourism. The negative impact of having too many people on the Camino de Santiago made headlines around Europe in 2025. So in the past few years, communities across the continent have been at work to revive ancient pilgrim routes that can provide an alternative to the best known (and overcrowded) trails.
One such effort was led by Benedictine nuns in the Italian regions of Latium and Abruzzo, where the Benedictine order was established in the 6th century.
In 2022, just as Italy was coming out of months-long pandemic lockdowns, local Benedictine nuns combined historical maps and local oral tradition to map a network of ancient pilgrim routes connecting the shrines that shaped the life and heritage of St. Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine order. Famously based on the motto “ora et labora” (pray and work), the Benedictine order has shaped the lives of millions of people who have adopted his set of precepts.
The newly mapped network, called Cammino della Santissima Trinità, Walk of the Holy Trinity, is made up of four ancient paths, and has already welcomed more than 10,000 pilgrims since its establishment.
“Visitors rarely know what a sanctuary trail experience in Subiaco or Vallepietra means,” Sister Katherine Adams, who led the mapping effort, said in an interview with BBC. “When they land in Rome, it’s all about crumbling aqueducts, grand piazzas and Renaissance abbeys. But it’s right here that a wealth of sacred relics and challenging hiking experiences converge.”
The pilgrim route starts at the Vallepietra Santissima Trinità, a sanctuary located on top of a 4,000-ft mountain, and ends at a the 6th-century Sacro Speco monastery, built nearly a thousand years ago around the cave where St. Benedict of Nursia spent time in contemplation before founding his eponymous order.
Along the way, Catholic shrines that have welcomed pilgrims for centuries but have escaped the more recent pilgrimage-loving crowds, such as the Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, allow for an authentic experience of the land that has shaped Benedictine Faith since the 6th century.
“This place is the result of a long tradition shaped by history and the Benedictine principle of ora et labora, literally ‘pray and work,’” said Friar Maurizio OSB, who leads pilgrim visits at Sacro Speco, in an interview with BBC. “Traces of spirituality are everywhere, from the old mule tracks anciently used to ferry supplies up and down the valley to the small apothecary room filled with handmade lavender soaps and glass bottles holding tinctures.”
Far from the Instagram-led popularity of Europe’s most famous trails, these networks quietly thread through Italy’s spiritual heartland, inviting visitors to slow down, reflect and connect with the message popularized by St. Benedict nearly 1,000 years ago.
“People arrive exhausted by everyday life,” Adams told BBC. “But here, their gaze changes. Their approach becomes quieter. They start bonding with others while singing litanies.” The trail, spanning the Monti Simbruini National Park, can be walked year-round but late spring and early fall are the best moments due to mild weather conditions. To find out more about it, visit this website.
