Back on the journey on foot of the Neversois Philippe Dufloux between Avignon and Rome
At the beginning of December, he completed his last challenge, which was to walk from Avignon to Rome, symbolically depending on the two cities of the Popes. “I left on October 4 with Eric, whom I had met during a previous pilgrimage. We arrived in Rome on November 24 and ended up visiting the city for six days. »
Was it your first path?
Oh no ! In 2006, following my wife’s health problems, I had one and I took a sabbatical. I descended the Loire by canoe-kayak, without assistance, from Mont-Gerbier-de-Jonc to Saint-Nazaire, 1,000 km in 27 days. The same year, I made my first Camino de Compostela, 1,800 km by rallying Vézelay to Santiago de Compostela and Cabo Fisterra, in 60 days. I had caught the virus and in 2014, I took a second sabbatical and went to Santiago de Compostela, Cabo Fisterra and Muxia, 1,650 km from Puy-en-Velay. And it’s not over, in 2016, during a conventional break and a change of professional course, I decided to join between them and on foot, the six main routes to Compostela, i.e. around 5,000 km in five months. Finally, in 2019, to open the Chemin de Sainte-Bernadette, I cycled from Nevers to Cahors, via Rocamadour. If all goes well, in 2023, I will join Lourdes from Cahors, on foot.
What route did you take to reach Rome?
From Avignon, we joined Arles, took the Via Aurelia (GR 653), the Via Della Costa and the Via Francigena. And then, we had the chance to take part in the inauguration of a stele on the Franco-Italian border, in Menton. Stele that marks the boundary between the Via Francigena and the Via Aurelia.
What are the deep motivations that drive you in your wanderings?
They are of three orders: religious, spiritual and the taste for adventure.
prime To each their own quest for meaning on the Vézelay route towards Santiago de Compostela
How did your arrival in Rome end?
We were able to approach the Pope in St. Peter’s Square. Every last Wednesday of the month, he comes to meet the public in a popemobile. With an invitation and the identity card, it is possible to access the square that day.
Do you plan to write a book about your travels?
I have already written two. As I like to write, share and retransmit, a new testimonial book is in the making.