The Path to Rome

by Belloc · Cluster: Travel Writing · Pilgrimage · Landscape

Abstract

Belloc’s account of his vow-driven walking pilgrimage on foot from Toul in Lorraine across the Alps to Rome, digressing freely on wine, faith, landscape, history and the European soul. Part travelogue, part familiar essay, it is a joyous personal confession of Catholic conviction and love of the common life of Europe.

Capitoli / Chapters

• Praise Of This Book
• Praise Of This Book
• The Grand Climacteric
• The Valley Of The Moselle
• Story Of The Great Barrel
• The Night In The Forest
• The Full Curse
• How To Write Rhymes
• Charmes
• Epinal Church
• The False
• Of Dormitory Trees
• On Local Names
• The Jews In The Hills
• The Common Faith
• The Secluded Valley
• On Building Bridges
• What Is The Soul?
• The Astounding Wine
• The Bent Windows
• The Tempting Bridge
• The Common Field
• The Rude Peasants
• The German
• Plays Without Words
• Between The Trees
• The Cliff
• Isolation
• The Hungry Student Fails To Appear
• The Brienzer Grat, How It Lies
• The Life-Qualm
• More Geography
• The Snow Blink
• The Second Good Woman
• The Impassable Hills
• Defeat
• The New World
• Bodio
• The Honest Man
• The Oracle
• Ordeal Of The Candals
• Nothing Much
• And The Learned Man
• On The Germans
• Fugue
• The Clouds
• The Great View
• Andiamo
• The Sun!
• Sillano
• The Bridges Of Castel-Nuovo
• Nothing Particular
• The Valley Like A Wave
• Radicofani
• Story Of Mr Hard
• I Enter Viterbo
• Rome Calls Me
• Praise Of This Book
• Praise Of This Book
• Praise Of This Book
• Praise Of This Book
• Praise Of This Book
• Character Of Proverb-Maker
• The Grand Climacteric
• Difficulty Of Ending A Book
• The Valley Of The Moselle
• The First Garrison
• On Justice In Armies
• Charming Village Of Brule
• Story Of The Great Barrel
• The Lake Of The Moselle
• The Coming Of Evening
• The Night In The Forest
• The Unhappy Village
• The Cry For A Bed
• The Full Curse
• On Breakfasts
• The Further Valley
• How To Write Rhymes
• The Hay-Making Nuns
• The Value Of Bakers
• The Heat Of Morning
• The Morning Mass
• The Sensible Squire
• The Last Mile
• Charmes
• Nature Of Tempting Devils
• Of Mountain Towns
• Epinal Church
• The Apple Man
• The Little Runnel
• The False
• The Great View
• Apology For The Middle-Class
• Of Dormitory Trees
• The Dawn
• The Special Chapels
• On Local Names
• The Youth Of Rivers
• The Pious Woman
• The Jews In The Hills
• The Ballon D’Alsace
• The Inner Darkness
• The Knot Of Europe
• The Common Faith
• The Single Beverage
• The Track To Switzerland
• The Secluded Valley
• The Many Priests
• The Great Garrisons
• On Building Bridges
• The Sad Economists
• The Powder-Magazine
• The Last Of The Vosges
• What Is The Soul?
• Disaster Of The Wine
• The Phocean
• The New Country
• De Germania
• The Astounding Wine
• The Erroneous Anarchist
• The Mount Terrible
• The Bent Windows
• Praise Of Windows
• Gorge Of The Doubs
• The Tempting Bridge
• The Dreadful Bridge
• Safety Beyond
• The Common Field
• The Human Tide
• Theory Of Blessings
• The Rude Peasants
• Literal Vow
• On The Faith
• Still On Faith
• On Style
• The German
• Heretics
• Everyday Life, Horrors Thereof
• Plays Without Words
• The Acolyte Of Rheims
• The Mills Of God
• Between The Trees
• The Vision Of The Alps
• The Alps, Their Picture
• The Cliff
• Soleure
• The Remote Inn
• The Good Savages
• Isolation
• Desolation
• A Day Without Salt
• In All These Circumstances
• The Hungry Student Fails To Appear
• Story Of The Horse
• The Upper Emmen
• The Brienzer Grat, How It Lies
• The Fog
• The Halt In The Fog
• The Life-Qualm
• The Steep
• Bad Geography
• A Doubtful Map
• More Geography
• The Grimsel Begins
• The Loud Noise
• The Snow Blink
• Head Of The Pass
• Digression
• Interlude
• The Second Good Woman
• On The Mania Of Universities
• The Impassable Hills
• The Start
• All Snow
• The Tourmente
• Defeat
• The Retreat
• The Sullen Hours
• Italy!
• The New World
• The Many Churches
• Faido
• 8 Francs Io Centimes
• Forced Marches
• Story Of The Old Sailor
• Bodio
• Lake Major
• Bellinzona
• The Proud Stationer
• The Afternoon
• The Italian Lakes
• The Dishonest Man
• The Honest Man
• The Dream
• The House In The Night
• The Waggon-Boats
• The Oracle
• The English Of It
• Estimate Of Consuls
• Ordeal Of The Candals
• Milan
• Lombardy
• Napoleon’S Road
• Old Lodi, Its Ugly Church
• Nothing Much
• Story Of Charles Blake
• Story Of The Devil
• And The Learned Man
• Apparition Of St Charles Borromeo
• On The Germans
• The Moor S Head
• On Perfect Things
• Fugue
• Unimportant Topography
• The Red Inn
• The Tavern Brawl
• The Clouds
• The Impassable River
• The Crossing Of The Taro
• St Christopher
• The Great View
• On Prisons
• The Policeman’S Lie
• The Bilingual Mayor
• The Peasant
• Andiamo
• The Many Beasts
• The Bargain
• Tizzano
• Ceregio
• The Crossing Of The Enza
• The Last Hours
• The Sun!
• The Pass Into Tuscany
• The Further Side
• Sillano
• On Anything
• The Garfagnana
• The Bridges Of Castel-Nuovo
• The Bridge-God
• Lector.. ..
• Because Of This
• The Banquet
• Nothing Particular
• The Temptation
• The Fall
• A Reference
• Story Of The Duke Of Sussex
• Story Of The Duke Of Sussex
• St Augustine Censured
• San Quirico
• The Valley Like A Wave
• The Silhouette
• The Horn Song
• Radicofani
• Second Fall
• How To Write
• Story Of Mr Hard
• Story Of Mr Hard
• The Mighty Drive
• Montefiascone
• The Great Walls
• I Enter Viterbo
• The Silent Old Man
• The Pond Of Venus
• The Arena
• Too Many Peasants
• Rome Calls Me
• Farewell To All Men
• Continuez
• Loud And Final Song

Readability (prose)-326 Flesch ease156.6 FK grade162.4 Fog12% complex394 words/sent

Connections

Forms & Genres: Travel Writing, Essay, Nonfiction Themes & Concepts: Faith, Nature vs Civilization, Wonder and Gratitude, Tradition, Common Man, Nationalism and Patriotism Motifs: Journey, Road, Wine and Drink, Inn Tavern, Prayer, Dawn Historical References: Catholic Church, Christianity Settings: France, Italy, Mountains, Europe Characters: Hilaire Belloc Archetypes: Pilgrim Topoi: Open Road Homecoming, Quest

Also relevant to: Faith · Providence · Divine Love