Autore: Redazione AEVF

• From the Great Saint Bernard Pass to Piacenza

  If you have to cross the Pass coming from Switzerland you can use the service of the St. Bernard Express, that allows to charge bicycles as well.
  If you decide to begin your walk at the Great St. Bernard, you should know that the nearest train station is in Aosta, and that Savda buses run to the pass during the summer only (from June to September); alternatively you can use the taxi and car with driver rental service proposed from the Val d’Aosta Region. You can easily reach Châtillon, Verrès, Pont-Saint-Martin and Ivrea with regional and interregional trains. From Santhiá to Piacenza, all stages are served by inter-regional trains on the Turin-Milan line up to Vercelli, then by local train lines Vercelli-Pavia and Pavia-Cremona. Piacenza is connected by high-speed trains on the Milan-Bologna.  

• From Piacenza to Lucca

  Departures and arrives are convenient with regional and interregional trains from Fidenza and Fiorenzuola, on the Milan-Bologna line. The Pontremolese railway generally follows the route of the Via Francigena through the Apennines, with stops in Fornovo, Pontremoli, Aulla and Sarzana. The Versilia coast is served by the Pisa-Genova line, with frequent trains and stops at all the places mentioned on the way, except Camaiore. 

• Da Lucca a Siena

  Tuscany has fewer major railway routes, but local trains allow you to arrive and depart from Lucca and Altopascio on the Viareggio-Florence line, and you can reach Monteriggioni and Siena with Empoli-Siena line. From the stations along this route you can also get to Gambassi Terme and San Gimignano, with short sections on provincial buses Trainspa. 

• From Siena to Rome

  Between Siena and Viterbo connections are more difficult, and the advice is to leave for the last, exciting stretch of the Via Francigena from one of these two cities. Between Viterbo and Rome the railway line follows almost faithfully the walking path: find railway stations in Vetralla, Sutri and La Storta. All locations are served by Cotral buses and the urban areas of Rome, by means of ATAC.  

Generally speaking visit the Trenitalia website for the Italian internal connections by train, or the Italo Treno website for the Italian high-speed trains. 

The Via Francigena is an excursionist path, imagined for travellers on foot or bike. However, people who, for different causes, do not intend to face an itinerant path in sections have no reason to give up the experience of the great journey. The Via is truly for everyone, even for people who do little or no walk.

The widespread presence of public transport along the whole path offers the opportunity to experience almost equally the cultural tours along the Via Francigena, combining the train or bus journeys with little strolls. Here, you can find a few suggestions on a possible travel plan. For further details about the train and bus lines that serve the different locations, you can check out the section The Via Francigena by foot + train and bus.

• From the Great St Bernard Pass to Aosta. The journey along the Via Francigena can actually start from the regional capital of Aosta Valley. If you stay a couple of days, you can see the city on the first one and on the second one you can have a day-visit to the Great St Bernard Pass, with a tour of the hospice. The SAVDA bus that serves the pass in the summertime also stops in every village along the Via

• From Aosta to Ivrea. Between Aosta and Ivrea there is a train that serves the Chivasso – Aosta line, however the stations are located at the valley floor; therefore, reaching the historic centre of the cities (Nus,  Châtillon-St-Vincent, Pont-St-Martin) involves a brief uphill walk. It is advisable to use SAVDA and SADEM buses that stop in the villages. In addition to Ivrea, we recommend stopping in Bard to visit its fort and the section of roman road in Donnas. This can be reached from the fort with a brief walk following the directions of the pedestrian itinerary of the Via Francigena. Then, you should pay a visit to Pont-St-Martin, with its roman bridge and to Settimo Vittone. Here, with a brief uphill walk, you can visit the medieval complex of St Lawrence.

• From Ivrea to Pavia. The latter locality deserves a careful visit for its historical-artistic patrimony and it is easily reachable with the train: you can arrive there from Aosta Valley, changing train in Chivasso, using the Turin – Milan line. The journey on the Vercelli – Pavia line gives you the opportunity to admire the landscape of the valley from the window, very close to the foot path of the Via.

• From Pavia to Fidenza. To closely follow the official path, you have to take the train on the Pavia – Cremona line that arrives in Piacenza, with a change of train in Casalpusterlengo. Piacenza is a very important locality on the Francigena and therefore deserves a visit for its medieval patrimony. The journey continues on the Milan – Bologna line, with suggested stops in Fiorenzuola and Fidenza. From the first location you can reach the Abbey of Chiaravalle della Colomba with a SETA bus. In Fidenza, you can pay a visit to the Dome of Saint Domninus, with its bas reliefs which show the ancient pilgrimage.

• From Fidenza to Sarzana. When crossing the Apennines using public transports – which cannot reach the Cisa Pass – you inevitably lose something. However, from the windows of the trains of the Pontremoli line you can still enjoy the mountain landscape. Suggested stops: Fornovo, in order to see the roman Dome. The town is a transit point for TEP buses, with which you can reach Cassio and Berceto. From these admirable mountain locations it is possible to carry on towards Tuscany. From Fornovo, the railroad reaches Pontremoli, where a stop is appropriate. Another stop at the station of FIlattiera allows you to visit the Sorano pieve. From Villafranca, with a brief walk, you can reach the medieval village of Filetto. Aulla preserves important memories of the medieval pilgrimage in the museum of San Caprasio. The station is far from the village, but you can take a shuttle or a CTT bus from VIllafranca. Last, Sarzana deserves a prolonged stop to enjoy its artistic patrimony and the lively historic centre. With ACT or CTT buses it is possible to reach and visit the archaeological site of Luni.

• From Sarzana to Lucca. Along the Versilia section, the Genoa – Pisa railway line allows you to stop both in Massa and Pietrasanta, while Camaiore can only be reached with a CTT bus. Lucca is very well connected by the railroad, so that you can reach it from Viareggio, from Florence or directly from Aulla with the railway line that passes through the whole Garfagnana.

• From Lucca to Siena. On the train to Florence, starting from Lucca you can reach Altopascio, where you can visit the medieval hospice. From that locality it is possible to follow the official path with the Piùbus buses towards Fucecchio. From there you can then proceed towards San Miniato, with CTT public transports: this is another important location full of medieval memories. In order to continue from here, it is advisable to reach Empoli by bus. The Empoli – Siena railway line follows the valley floor of Val d’Elsa. You can arrive in San Giminiano with a TIEMME bus from Poggibonsi; then from San Giminiano, the TIEMME bus number 130 follows the Via Cassia, being quite faithful to the official path. The suggested stops are Colle Val d’Elsa and Monteriggioni.

• From Siena to Viterbo. The Siena – Grosseto railway line follows the val d’Arbia and it is parallel to the pedestrian path up to Buonconvento, an ideal destination where to stop. Val d’Orcia has more difficult connections, it is however advisable to use TIEMME buses to climb to San Quirico d’Orcia  and to Bagno Vignoni (with the Siena – Montepulciano or the Siena – Abbadia San Salvatore lines, which stop in Buonconvento). Radicofani is the most difficult location to reach, but it is possible to do so with TIEMME buses from Abbadia San Salvatore. The latter is a variation of the path of Mount Amiata: it is therefore philologically correct to include it in the journey. From Abbadia San Salvatore leaves a COTRAL bus to Viterbo (two routes per day), which stops in the main cities of the Via Francigena that you shouldn’t miss: Acquapendente (roman crypt of the dome), Bolsena (catacombs of Santa Cristina) and Montefiascone (San Flaviano and Rocca dei Papi). Viterbo deserves a deep visit for the richness of its historical centre and the San Pellegrino quarter.

• From Viterbo to Rome. The Viterbo – Rome railway line has stations that are very far from the historic centres, even though it passes through many locations of the Via Francigena. However, they are greatly connected by COTRAL buses, which offers many routes per day and leave from Viterbo, following the Via Cassia. These allow a visit to Vetralla, Sutri (roman amphitheatre and historical centre), Capranica. From La Storta, the trains of the Viterbo – Rome line stop in the different stations of the Capital, between which there is Roma San Pietro.

The presence of a widespread network of public transports makes it possible to combine the walk with brief transfers by train or bus, that may facilitate people who have less time available or who don’t feel like dealing with very long stages. In short, taking public transports is perfectly right and doesn’t take away anything from the beauty of the experience.

Here you can find the main ways to shorten and facilitate the walk, stage by stage.

• From Great St. Bernard to Ivrea

  In the first two stages, the SAVDA bus Aosta Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses allows you to take a public transport from each city crossed by the path. From Aosta to Ivrea, the Chivasso-Aosta railway line stops at Aosta, Nus, Châtillon-Saint-Vincent, Pont-Saint-Martin and Ivrea. It is therefore possible to shorten the long Stage 3 Aostra – Châtillon, leaving from Nus. Moreover, the SAVDA carries out a regular service on the Aosta – Pont-Saint-Martin segment, with a stop in every city along the SS26. Sadem serves the segment between Pont-Saint-Martin and Ivrea, with frequent busses, always along the SS26. 

• From Ivrea to Pavia

  From Ivrea to Piverone, the ATAP 358 bus connects the two cities in half an hour; the same means of transport continues towards Roppolo and Santhià. From Santhià the trains of the Vercelli-Pavia regional line stop in every locality of the path: Palestro, Robbio, Nicorvo, Mortara, Gambolò-Remondò, Tromello, Garlasco, Gropello Cairoli. 

• From Pavia to Piacenza

  From Pavia, the Pavia-Cremona railway line has stations along the path in Belgioioso, Santa Cristina and Bissone, Mirandolo Terme, Chignolo Po, Lambrinia and Orio Litta. From Soprarivo, the haven point on the right bank of River Po, the extra-urban SETA E5 bus allows to reach Piacenza, avoiding a very congested segment. 

• From Piacenza to Fornovo

  From Piacenza, the Milan-Bologna railway line has stops along the path in Fiorenzuola and Fidenza. Many urban and extra-urban SETA lines serve the cities along the via Emilia, with stops in Pontenure and Fiorenzuola, allowing to simplify the first section, which is very congested, of the stage 17 Piacenza – Fiorenzuola d’Arda, between Piacenza and Pontenure. Interregional trains, that travel on the Milan-Livorno line, can be found between Fidenza and Fornovo. 

• From Fornovo to Sarzana

  The extra-urban TEP busses serve the segment between Fornovo and Berceto. Along the layout of the Via, the trains of the Parma-La Spezia and Milan-Livorno lines travel between Pontremoli and Sarzana, with reachable train stations in Pontremoli, Filattiera, Villafranca-Bagnone, Aulla Lunigiana (1.5 kilometers away from the city). The long stage 23 Pontremoli – Aulla can be shortened travelling by train between Pontremoli and Filattiera, or taking an extra-urban CTT Massa-Carrara bus from Villafranca Lunigiana or from Terrarossa to Aulla. The stage can also be divided into two, stopping in Filetto. 

• From Sarzana to Lucca

  The segment of the Via along Versilia is well served by the trains of the Genoa – Pisa line, with useful stops in Avenza, Massa Centro, Pietrasanta. To shorten the long stage 24 Aulla – Avenza, you can take an ATC management for Marinella di Sarzana bus, getting from Sarzana to Luni. In the stage 26 Pietrasanta – Lucca it is possible to skip the first climb with the CTT E15 Camaiore – Lucca bus. 

• From Lucca to Siena

  The first segment, from Lucca to Altopascio, is served by the trains of the Viareggio – Firenze railway line, which allow you to skip a stage that is mainly on asphalt. The Piùbus busses, line 20 Altopascio – Fucecchio serve the next stage, stopping in Galleno and Ponte a Cappiano. From Fucecchio you can reach San Miniato with the CTT 290 Empoli – Galleno line. The long stage 29 Altopascio – San Miniato can be reduced also with a halfway stop in Ponte a Cappiano. After San Miniato there are not so many alternatives to the walk. The stage 32 San Giminiano – Monteriggioni can be divided into two with a stop in Colle Val d’Elsa, along a variation road. Moreover, it is possible to take an urban bus from San Giminiano towards Santa Lucia, saving a couple of kilometers on the asphalt. From Colle Val d’Elsa, the TIEMME 130 Siena – Poggibonsi – San Giminiano line stops in Strove, Abbadia a Isola, Monteriggioni. From Monteriggioni to Siena, people who want to avoid the crossing of the suburbs can take any means of transport that stop in La Colonna, on the Via Cassia (SR2). 

• From Siena to Viterbo

  From Siena to Buonconvento the Via Francigena is parallel to the Siena – Grosseto railway line, with useful stops in Ponte a Tressa, Monteroni d’Arbia and Buonconvento, all of which are served by urban and extra-urban public transports from Siena, too. Hence, it is possible to shorten the stage 34 Siena – Ponte d’Arbia, leaving from Isola d’Arbia. Otherwise, it is possible to divide it into two sections, with a stop in Luciniano d’Arbia. The next stages in Bouonconvento are connected by TIEMME busses: it is possible to avoid the climb to San Quirico with the bus from Torrenieri. Our suggestion is then to divide the long stage 36 San Quirico d’Orcia – Radicofani in two segments, with a halfway stop in Castiglione d’Orcia or in one of the many farm holiday businesses, that are present halfway through the path, near the Via Cassia. The next stage 37 Radicofani – Acquapendente can be shortened by taking a Cotral bus from Centeno, therefore avoiding a few dangerous kilometers of the Via Cassia (SR2). The variant through Proceno is longer, however it allows to divide the walk into two stages, stopping in Proceno. Also in the next stages it is possible to take a Cotral bus, to reduce the walk: facilitated passages can be found between Acquapendente and San Lorenzo Nuovo, or at the entrance of Montefiascone: the useful stop can be found in Ponte della Regina, along the via Cassia (SR2). From Montefiascone, the Viterbo – Attiliano railway comes up beside the path, connecting the city to Viterbo. 

• From Viterbo to Rome

  The last stage of the Via Francigena is served by the Viterbo – Rome railway, with stops in Vetralla, Capranica, La Storta, Roma San Pietro. The stage 42 Vetralla – Sutri can be shortened by taking a Cotral bus from Capranica. The same can be done in the next stages, where stops can be found in Monterosi, Campagnano di Roma, Formello, La Storta. The stage 44 Campagnano di Roma – La Storta can be divided into two, stopping in Formello or in Isola Farnese. In the last stage, the Viterbo – Rome railway comes up beside the path, with the possibility to cut off  a congested segment between La Storta and La Giustiniana.

If it is the first time that you are walking on the Francigena, then we suggest that you choose those sections of the route that are not particularly difficult, in terms of length and height differences. You can do this by lightening some of the most challenging stages with public transport. Go to the next section of the Via Francigena walk + train and bus, for more details. Here are our suggestions: 

• From the Great Saint Bernard Pass to Piacenza

• In the lower valley of the Dora you can walk the section between Verrès and Santhià. This section takes four days, with a stop in Pont-Saint-Martin, Settimo Vittone or Ivrea and Viverone and Roppolo. These are very pleasant stages, winding among the vineyards, with views of the Alps and all beautiful trails.

• From Santhià in Pavia the flat terrain makes walking easier, even  on the longest stages. There are five days of walking.  It’s best to avoid the summer due to the heat.

• • If you just want a taste of Via Francigena for just one day to walk on the banks of the Po, traffic-free, consider the section between Orio Litta and Piacenza. You can choose whether to stay in the left bank and walk over the bridge in Piacenza, or if to cross the Po by boat over the historic ford between Corte Sant’Andrea and Soprarivo. A bus also allows you to reach the historic center of Piacenza safely. 

• From Piacenza to Siena

• From Pontremoli to Sarzana you cross in two long stages hilly areas rich in history and memories of pilgrimage. Our advice is to divide the route in three days and shorten the route by public transport.

• One of the most exciting and easy sections along the Via Francigena is between Lucca and Siena. It consists of six days of walking on dirt roads, taking your through areas of exceptional beauty: San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and the landscape of the Sienese hills. Some stages are long, but you can shorten them by public transport and by taking rest days, adding a few additional days to the journey. 

• From Siena to Viterbo

• The way between Siena and Viterbo has no particular difficulty, and offers stunning views over the Val d’Orcia, Lake Bolsena, and the agricultural landscape of the Tuscia. It requires seven days, but given the length and the height difference of some stages, you will want to split some of the longer stages into two, in particular stage 36 San Quirico – Radicofani. It could also be lighten with use of by buses or trains for stage 34 Siena – Ponte d’Arbia and 37 Radicofani – Acquapendente.

• Section between Viterbo – Rome has no major problems. Some stages can be lightened by use of public transport, especially when crossing the busy Roman suburbs.