I had already visited several places which are part of the Via Francigena (some of which already inscribed as separate WHS) but in July 2019 I specifically visited the Sacra di San Michele, perched on top of Monte Pirchiriano on the south side of Val di Susa in Piedmont. It is the first main stop on the Via Francigena in Italy and served as one of the inspirations for the book The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

Apart from the magnificent views of the Alps and of Turin from the Abbey gardens and right behind the abbey church, the intricate elements of both Gothic and Romanesque architecture are worth viewing as well as the remains of the Tower of Bell'Alda and those of an early 11th century church, monastery and a separate building with guestrooms for pilgrims on the popular Via Francigena, probably on the remains of an ancient Roman castrum.

After the uphill walk from the car park, and after visiting the splendid interior, we hiked for a short while along the poorly signposted pilgrim route to a small bench on a hilltop overlooking the Sacra di San Michele. Apart from the breathtaking panoramic views, we practiced our drone flying skills here. We also met a few pilgrims walking on the Via Francigena in Italy as well as the impressive Itinerario di Gerusalemme which is an imaginary straight diagonal route connecting Skellig Michael, St Michael's Mount in the UK, Mont Saint Michel in France, the Sacra di San Michele and Monte Sant'Angelo (Puglia) in Italy, St Michael's Monastery in Symi, Greece, and finally Jerusalem.

In the near future I wouldn't mind giving part of the Via Francigena a try as a pilgrim, even though I don't know if it will ever make it on the WH list.