Calais

Calais, the main ferry port of the English Channel in France, is the entry point to the continent for pilgrims on the Via Francigena who depart from Canterbury. Its importance in the route is mainly functional and symbolic. It represents the first step into French soil and the true beginning of the long continental stretch towards Rome. The city has been a strategic enclave and vital connection point between Great Britain and Europe for centuries. For the modern pilgrim, Calais is a great center of services where they can rest after the sea journey, replenish themselves, and orient themselves before entering the French countryside. Although its heritage was damaged in World War II, it boasts attractions such as its neo-Flamboyant town hall with its clock tower (beffroi), and the famous sculpture "The Burgundians of Calais" by Rodin. It is a transitional stage, a place that marks the change of country, language, and landscape, the beginning of the great adventure through France, Switzerland, and Italy.