Modern itineraries and life stories: walkers or pilgrims?

In contemporary society, the distinction between walker and pilgrim is increasingly fluid. The modern itineraries that traverse territories such as the Itinerarium Rosaliae or the Magna Via Francigena of Sicily reveal how the act of walking can embody both secular and sacred dimensions. The “walker” may begin a journey motivated by curiosity, health, or the desire for disconnection, yet along the path, the experience often acquires symbolic and spiritual resonance. Conversely, the “pilgrim,” traditionally defined by devotion and religious purpose, frequently engages with the journey as a space for introspection, personal transformation, and social encounter that transcends formal religiosity. Through the narratives of those who walk, a continuum emerges between movement and meaning. The itinerary functions as both a physical route and a narrative structure: every step becomes a fragment of a story in which identity is redefined through interaction with the landscape, with others, and with the self. Life stories, demonstrate that walking today expresses an existential search for authenticity, balance, and belonging—a form of lived spirituality (Cipriani, 2018) that does not always require institutional faith. Thus, the modern walker may become a pilgrim without fully intending to, while the pilgrim may rediscover in walking the secular beauty of the world. Between these two figures lies the essence of the contemporary cammino: a journey that is at once geographical, emotional, and spiritual, where the boundaries between body, soul, and territory is continuously renegotiated. In the field of human and social sciences, the relationship between territory and its symbolic referents has been examined from multiple perspectives. Contemporary and postmodern understandings of pilgrimage—extending from ascetic sites of historical and artistic significance to newly redefined routes such as the trazzere of Sicily—underscore the need for deeper inquiry within the sociology of religion. Central to this inquiry is the question of agency: do new pilgrimage routes emerge from the spirituality of the “walkers,” or does the territory itself shape and inspire new forms of spirituality? The “spatialization” of the sacred can thus be interpreted as a process through which religious communities reaffirm their presence and identity in space. T he growing fascination of modern “walkers” with sacred pathways signals new modes of human mobility that intersect with the dynamics of religious tourism. The deliberate creation of routes—especially in recent decades—that engage with sacred landscapes, such as the Via Francigena of Sicily, has revitalized interest in pilgrimage as both a spiritual and cultural practice. From a territorial planning perspective, this phenomenon increasingly involves regional authorities and local communities, integrating cultural, ecological, and religious dimensions into contemporary tourism development.