Pilgrimage

In this first episode, the intrepid eight arrive in Martigny, Switzerland, and find out for the first time who will be sharing their pilgrim adventure. They make their way by mountain train to the start of their pilgrimage in Orsieres, high up in the Swiss Alps. The Via is based on a journey taken to Rome in 990AD by Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury, which crosses the Alps at 2,500m and goes over the Great St Bernard Pass. Like Napoleon, his 40,000 strong army and the pilgrims before them, the group also have to make their way up the challenging mountain path.

In this second episode, it is day four, and Stephen, Greg, Brendan and Les wake up in a yurt. They are all staying in a hostel on a Roman road in a tiny village in the Tuscan Appenines, and they are beginning to realise how important the simple life is to the pilgrim experience – especially when a donkey appears in the kitchen to try and eat their breakfast.

The celebrity pilgrims set off on the final challenging stretch of the Via toward Rome. When they receive an extraordinary invitation from the Vatican, emotions run high.