My walk today served as my initiation to the Via Francigena. Got most of it in before it hit 80. The last mile or so challenged me and three other pilgrims behind me in that a huge tree fell across the trail, which for maybe a quarter of a mile had turned into a real dirt trail (whereas the first 10 miles were either sidewalks or country road shoulders). To get around it, I had to battle branches along with wild thorny runners: 20 minutes to get through 30 feet of it! In another tenth of a mile I rested by a hostel and met 3 fellow pilgrims (two from Ohio and one from the Czech Republic).
From a pilgrim’s standpoint, today’s destination of Altopascio (pop ~15K) revealed something quite fascinating. A little research tells me that the Order of Saint James of Altopascio (Italian: Ordine di San Giacomo d'Altopascio or Ordine dei Frati Ospitalieri di San Jacopo), also called the Knights of the Tau (Cavalieri del Tau) or Hospitallers of Saint James, was founded here at Altopascio at around 1070. It’s a military order, perhaps the earliest Christian institution to combine the protection and assistance of pilgrims, the staffing of hospitals, and a military wing.
My guess is that today’s church of San Iacopo in Altopascio (St James in Altopascio) is probably where the order was actually founded. The church’s history apparently changed in 1988, when the remains of an earlier worship building, dating from the late 11th century, were found. From these - which included part of the facade and apse - it can be deduced that the original temple was smaller in size than the one built in the second half of the 12th century. The beautiful crenellated bell tower can be dated accurately back to 1280. Wow!
