FROM BOBBIO TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, ON FOOT AND WITH A VOW OF SILENCE.
17 décembre 2018
72 days walking in silence to Santiago De Compostela, from the Apennine town of Bobbio, in the Trebbia river valley near Piacenza: 2089 kilometres in order to stand before that majestic cathedral.
Let us not forget that this journey is first and foremost a pilgrimage, and whether we are believers or not, that is how it should be approached. Wherever this journey starts from, you set out as a tourist, or perhaps as a traveller, but you always arrive a pilgrim. It is a journey that provides many answers, but above all, it can lay bare our deepest, most hidden questions.
In my case, my journey can very easily be divided into two stages: the first, solo, where I encountered my greatest difficulties, from Italy to the Pyrenees: approximately 1350 kilometres in 40 days. And then the second, the famous French Way, from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago itself. This second part was strewn with friendships, sharing, respect and a spirit of brotherhood.
And this latter part is an experience that I highly recommend for everyone, at least once in a lifetime. To walk a whole pilgrimage trail, be it the French Way, the Portuguese Way, the Northern Way or the Original Way. However, if you do so, please, do not return with the conviction that you are now a professor of travelology. You have no idea how many things I have heard in these past weeks from people who, having walked the trail, feel the urge to give advice to all and sundry: from backpacks to shoes, the choice of vows – such as mine vow of silence – to the places to stay and those to avoid... Come back having learnt the greatest lesson: humility. No pilgrimage is better than another, each one is personal, and each choice, if it is a well though-out and mindful one, will offer you a truly unique experience. I undertook this journey after my world tour, consisting of almost three years away from home. I will not deny, I had already found many questions and answers, but the Camino de Santiago still offered me a new and stronger sense of awareness. As in life, there are no absolutes, no definitively right or wrong choices: there are only the choices that have brought us here today, to this latitude and longitude of the world.
These final days in Galicia were strange: the last 100 kilometres of this extraordinary journey showed me natural scenery of unparalleled beauty: the climb to O Cebreiro with the woods around me filled with every possible colour of the autumn: from reds to oranges, ochres and bright yellows. At times it seemed like an impressionist painting. Meanwhile, the kilometres were counting down faster than ever. My backpack was now so light, while my mind was full of thoughts and my heart gradually filled with expanding joy.
In front of the cathedral, I also reached the end of my 72-day vow of silence: as I mentioned, this choice was widely criticised because, people told me, I would miss out on the best part of the pilgrimage – the sharing; however, they underestimated the extent to which words are just one of the many forms of communication, and that in silence we can truly listen to people, and achieve a greater, deeper form of sharing. Communication is made of gestures, glances, and above all of listening. I had chosen silence for this very reason: because people have stopped listening. To one another, of course, but also to the world, to nature, and to themselves. They want to overpower others with their opinions, talking, sometimes shouting, without worrying in the least about what their interlocutor thinks: the only ones that matter are ourselves, in a totally egocentric view of the world.
In these 72 days I realised first of all that the situation is far, far worse that I imagined, not only do we not listen, we don't even take the person in front of us into consideration. Each of us believes that we are the custodians of the truth, without thinking for one second about anyone else's opinion, the different experiences that have led an individual here, now, in front of us. We do not consider the feet that have taken those steps. I have also realised, quite simply, that I enjoy being silent, I could have remained in this condition for months, no problem at all. I think I succeeded in my greatest intent, which was to start listening again: to myself, nature, other people, and also the silence of my steps.
I learned that in today's world, where each of us tries to make as much noise as possible, to be seen and to show off, you can actually make a lot more noise by keeping quiet...
I know, you are wondering what my first words were after two months of silence... To be honest, they surprised even me. I had prepared epic speeches, but then, when I knelt in front of the cathedral, my emotions and my gratitude prevailed. Towards myself and towards others, the world, the universe, and also towards my great protector. Give me a little time to process these emotions, and I promise I will tell you my first words in the book that I have almost finished writing, and which I hope will soon be available to all of you.
Meanwhile, I have already chosen the title. I will call it "Il Silenzio Dei Miei Passi" [The Silence of my Steps].
Athlètes
