Author: Redazione AEVF

Vast horizons open up from the ridge overlooking the Elsa Valley, where the route faithfully follows Archbishop Sigeric’s journey. You will find yourself immersed in the solitude of wheat fields, contemplating distant villages: Castelfiorentino, Gambassi Terme, with their fine country houses, Romanesque churches set among rows of olive trees. The towers of San Gimignano soar against the deep blue sky, and beyond, those of the circular walls of Monteriggioni.   

Siena is the emblem city of the Via Francigena, to which it owes its wealth and prosperity. You will experience a walk through the middle ages as you visit the ancient hospital of Santa Maria della Scala with its frescoed ‘pilgrims’ hall’. Continue your journey, but don’t forget to cast a glance back over your shoulder at the towers of Siena. The city’s unique profile will follow you for several hours, while you walk on the easy paths of the Val d’Arbia.

The Via Cassia climbs to the spectacular Quirico d’Orcia, sitting high on a hill and commanding views of the surrounding scenery. At dawn the Tuscan sun shines onto the breathtaking landscapes of the Val d’Orcia, with its undulating hills of yellow wheat or ploughed field. Sights include the square basin of Bagno Vignoni, a thermal spring whose water was a cure-all for medieval pilgrims. From Vignoni Alto you’ll notice a new landscape, on which stands the distinctive volcanic cone of Mount Amiata. The cone is your destination for the day, and as you get closer you will see it is crowned by an isolated tower – the first sight of the town of Radicofani. You are now on the border between the Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal States, a place of solitary roads and wild landscapes.

Signs of habitations disappear as you descend from Radicofani to the Paglia valley on the old, unpaved Via Cassia. Flocks of sheep, windswept pastures and then the dark earth of Tuscia gives way to Acquapendente and other beautiful ancient towns: Bolsena with its Etruscan and Roman memories, Montefiascone, sitting high above Lake Bolsena, and Viterbo surrounded by its crenelated walls. You will experience the thrill of walking on the paving stones of the ancient Roman Cassia. From there you are now less than 100 kilometres to St. Peter.

Do not hurry now that your goal is so near. Savour a relaxed pace, stopping in the baroque squares of Sutri, Campagnano and Formello. Cool off in the shady forests in the Veio park, where is it difficult to believe that Rome is so close –  that the silent Roman countryside must soon give way to the streets and palaces of the city. The emotions of the last day, the last short stage, will stay with you forever: you have arrived in the Eternal City and are surrounded by the beauty of St. Peter’s and Bernini’s colonnade embracing you in the last few steps.

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The fragrance of alfalfa is intense in early summer as you travel over the hills beyond Fidenza, approaching the long climb of the Cisa pass. On the ridge there is always a strong breeze. From here you have a view across the plain behind you. The climb lasts at least three days, a sign that the slopes are gentle and gradual. There is plenty of time to contemplate the charm of the wild garlic flowers under the beech trees, before the long descent in the green Lunigiana, to the coast and the sea.

The Middle Ages live on along the mule tracks of the upper Val di Magra, where you find villages of stone, set among vineyards and olive groves. In the towns of Pontremoli, Filattiera, Filleto and Sarzana carved sandstone portals bring you into the historic centres. The mountains are now behind you and the sea air brings new fragrances. At Luni we discover traces of ancient Rome. Among its ruins, in that fertile and cultivated plain, imagine a harbour full of ships, where pilgrims, before the eleventh century, embarked directly to the coast of France and on to the distant Pyrenees, in the footsteps of St. James. Between Tuscany and Liguria, between Aulla and the coast, there are other tracks leading off from the Via Francigena to distant lands.

The Ligurian Sea shines along the beaches of Versilia as you walk through the vineyards on paths wrapping along the hillside at the foot of the Apuan Alps, between the towns of Carrara, Massa, Pietrasanta and Camaiore. Spend an evening in the square of Pontremoli, among the artists, discovering alleyways and workshops of stonemasons. Discover the shady woods in Valfreddana, the last offshoot of the Apuan Alps. Following the path in the plain of Serchio, the walls of Lucca with its distinctive towers come into view. Allow yourself a rest, your journey is still long, where new landscapes and encounters await you. Look at the maze on the porch of the Cathedral of San Martino: it reflects your itinerary, your wanderings, your thoughts through the hours of your journey.

Next is a path that was feared around the year one thousand. The plain of Serchio, the forests of Cerbaie, the treacherous marshes of Porcari and Fucecchio, today reclaimed wetlands – the Aqua nigra mentioned by Archbishop Sigeric – the Arno pass. First you see a solid masonry bridge, and then, the spire of San Miniato tower appears in the distance. Beyond extends the rolling landscape of ​​the Tuscan hills.

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You have just left the Alpine valleys, but the mountains continue to watch over your path. The glaciers of Monte Rosa at 4000 meters are reflected in the flooded rice fields in the spring. This is the best time to face the challenge of the Po Valley, the endless straights, the geometric fields, startling and unexpected landscapes. You did not expect to spend days walking briskly between surfaces of water and light, marked by thin dikes. The town of Santhiá envelops you in silence, broken only by the sudden flight of herons.

You’ll never walk alone on the embankment of the fields. Sooner or later a tractor will emerge from the mists to work in the fields. A steeple or the squat outline of a small farm emerges in the distance. Their foundations likely date back to Medieval times, when the plain was still covered in dense forests and swamps, yet to be reclaimed. Imagine the rice farmers, only a hundred years ago labouring under the intense heat of the sun. Treat yourself to a break in the village squares, where you’ll always find a café or a tavern where a plate of panissa, the robust risotto of the Vercelli tradition, that is sure to give you all the energy you need to continue the journey.

The cart tracks lead to the cities, which are announced from a distance. Their towers, domes and steeples guide you to the beautiful squares and arcades. In Vercelli the two main branches of the Via Francigena meet. They come from the most popular tracts: Gran San Bernardo, Montgenevre and Mont Cenis. Spend some time exploring its rich historical and artistic heritage. In Pavia, the capital of the Lombards, make a memorable entrance on its famous Covered Bridge. Its churches are among the most outstanding Romanesque monuments. Piacenza is no less important a hub of all the roads that came down from the eastern Alps. In Fidenza, the medieval carvings in the sandstone of the cathedral of San Donnino tell pilgrims which direction to take for the tombs of the martyrs and to Rome.

The exciting crossing of the Po River on board a small boat will awaken the senses. Take in the damp, cold wind of the morning, the mists over the poplar plantations in the flood plain, the vastness of the murky water. You arrive on the other side of the river, revived and with renewed energy for the journey ahead.

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For those starting from Northern Europe, the Great St. Bernard Pass (2473 m) and the Alps are the first real obstacles to overcome. After passing through the mountains, alpine meadows, streams and coniferous forests you suddenly find yourself in fields and the Mediterranean climate. In the Aosta Valley you will walk on mule tracks between stone walls, going from castle to castle, between the mountains that stand looming and whitewashed. The Dora Valley is a wide and deep groove, holding the crystal waters of the river.  It finally widens into the basin of Ivrea, with its lakes, like bright mirrors that reflect the surrounding outstretched vineyards.

The beauty of the alpine landscape is accompanied by the richness of the area’s artistic heritage. Aosta stands still enclosed within the walls of the once Roman city. You will see the theatre and the towers of ancient Rome, and will pass – just like medieval pilgrims – under the Porta Pretoria, near the Arch of Augustus, which from the first century has welcomed strangers into Italy. You will find traces of the old road to Gaul, the Roman Eporedia, carved into the rock in Donnas and again in Ivrea.

On the sites of pagan temples medieval churches have risen. Periodically along the route you must stop to contemplate the beautiful Gothic portals, the bell towers – each a pilgrim’s point of reference. Every bell corresponds to a town, one of the many countless hamlets that make up the country, all surrounded by meadows. On the path your ears will pick up the distant sound of cowbells. In each village have the chance to find refreshment and to try distinctive local flavours: black rye bread, alpine butter, Fontina cheese and delicious hams.

Wind your way through the steep sunny slopes, along the mule tracks that run along the vertical lines of the vineyards, where branches are supported stone pillars and the sun warms the grapes. In late winter rosemary bushes and almond trees bloom at the foot of the last Alpine foothills. The towns of Bollengo, Viverone, Roppolo recline on the gentle slopes of the morainic deposits of the Serra d’Ivrea. Here you will find beautiful towers and wooden lodges, still enclosed within medieval walls. The Dora River continues through the increasingly broad plain, which now fades into the Po Valley on the horizon.

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