Pilgrim ways itinerary

For a thousand years Italy has been crossed by pilgrims. The most famous route, the Via Francigena, linked Canterbury to Rome: in 990 Archbishop Sigeric noted down its stages on his way home, and that list is still the basis of today's route. The Way of Saint Francis follows instead the places of the saint of Assisi, from the sanctuary of La Verna to Rome. In recent years both ways have come back to life, with waymarks, hostels and thousands of walkers each year, believers or not.

This eight-day itinerary combines the finest stretch of the Francigena in Tuscany, from San Gimignano to Siena through Monteriggioni, with a taste of the Way of Saint Francis in Umbria, from Spello to Assisi. The stages are short, between 14 and 20 kilometres, on dirt roads and paths through vineyards, woods and olive groves, and are suitable for anyone used to walking. See also our pages on Tuscany and Umbria.

1. San Gimignano: the towers
2. Colle di Val d'Elsa: the crystal town
3. Abbadia a Isola: the Romanesque abbey
4. Monteriggioni: the walled village
5. Siena: Santa Maria della Scala
6. Spello: the flower village
7. Assisi: Saint Francis
8. Eremo delle Carceri: the hermitage on Mount Subasio

Pilgrim ways in brief

In the Middle Ages, pilgrimage was a journey of faith and penance, but also of trade and ideas. Pilgrims carried a document that opened the doors of hospitals and monasteries; today the credential, the pilgrim's passport, does the same for hostels and is stamped at every stage. Those who walk at least the last hundred kilometres to Rome receive the Testimonium. Along the Francigena you find the great pilgrim hospitals, such as Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, Romanesque abbeys and walled villages. Along the Way of Saint Francis you find the hermitages where the saint prayed and the places where he lived.

1. 990Archbishop Sigeric records the stages from Rome to Canterbury
2. 1182Francis is born in Assisi
3. 1219Siena completes the walls of Monteriggioni
4. 1226Francis dies at the Porziuncola
5. 1228Work begins on the basilica of Saint Francis
6. 1994The Via Francigena becomes a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

Day 1: San Gimignano

Reach San Gimignano by train to Poggibonsi and then bus (about an hour and a half from Florence). The town of towers is a stop on the Francigena, and pilgrims used to rest here: of the dozens of towers built by noble families, fourteen still stand. Get your credential at the tourist office, climb the Torre Grossa, and in the evening, when the day-trippers leave, enjoy the squares in silence. See San Gimignano.

Where to stay: in San Gimignano.

Day 2: San Gimignano to Colle di Val d'Elsa

The first stage, about 14 kilometres, runs downhill and uphill among vineyards of Vernaccia and olive groves, with views back to the towers. At the halfway point, the little church of Santa Maria Assunta at Cellole is one of the stage's loveliest moments. You reach Colle di Val d'Elsa, with an upper town of palaces on a ridge and a lower town famous for crystal production.

• Distance: about 14 km
• Difficulty: easy

Day 3: Colle to Monteriggioni via Abbadia a Isola

The route crosses the Elsa valley and the woods of the Montagnola, reaching Abbadia a Isola, a Romanesque abbey founded in the 11th century, which once hosted pilgrims on what was then a marshy island. A few kilometres further on appears Monteriggioni, a walled village with fourteen towers built by Siena in the early 13th century: Dante compares them to the giants guarding the pit of Hell (Inferno XXXI). Walk the walls at sunset.

• Distance: about 17 km
• Difficulty: easy to moderate

Day 4: Monteriggioni to Siena

The last Tuscan stage passes through the woods of the Montagnola, with castles and farmhouses, and then enters Siena through Porta Camollia, the gate where pilgrims from the north have always arrived. Get your credential stamped at the cathedral and rest in Piazza del Campo.

• Distance: about 20 km
• Difficulty: moderate

Where to stay: in Siena, for two nights.

Day 5: Siena, a day of rest

Visit the cathedral and its marble floor and, opposite, Santa Maria della Scala, one of the oldest hospitals in Europe, which for centuries welcomed pilgrims, the sick and abandoned children: the frescoes of the Pellegrinaio, the pilgrims' hall, show daily life in the hospital. In the evening eat pici and ribollita in a trattoria.

Day 6: from Siena to Spello

Transfer by train or bus from Siena to Umbria (about three hours) and get to Spello, a pink-stone village on the slopes of Mount Subasio, with Roman gates and Pinturicchio's frescoes in Santa Maria Maggiore. In June, for Corpus Domini, the streets are carpeted with flowers: see Spello and the Infiorata.

Where to stay: in Spello.

Day 7: Spello to Assisi along the Way of Saint Francis

The stage follows the slopes of Mount Subasio, among olive groves and woods, with the whole Umbrian valley below. You enter Assisi from the east, through Porta Cappuccini, and walk down through the town to the basilica of Saint Francis, with the saint's tomb and Giotto's frescoes in the upper church. Pilgrims can get the final stamp and a certificate at the basilica.

• Distance: about 14 km
• Difficulty: moderate, with some climbs

Where to stay: in Assisi.

Day 8: the Eremo delle Carceri and Santa Maria degli Angeli

In the morning climb the path to the Eremo delle Carceri (about 4 km, an hour and a quarter uphill), the hermitage in the woods of Mount Subasio where Francis withdrew to pray. Back in town visit the basilica of Santa Chiara, then go down to the plain to Santa Maria degli Angeli, which encloses the tiny Porziuncola, where Francis died. Then take the train to Rome or Florence, or fly from Perugia.

How much it costs

Accommodation385 €

Meals265 €

Transport and luggage120 €

Credential and admissions30 €

Monteriggioni to Siena20 km

Colle to Monteriggioni17 km

San Gimignano to Colle14 km

Spello to Assisi14 km

Eremo delle Carceri and back8 km

To save money: with the credential you can sleep in parish and pilgrim hostels for a modest fee or an offering, and many trattorie along the way offer a pilgrim's menu. See travelling Italy on a budget.

Practical information

• Waymarks: the Francigena is marked with red and white signs and a little pilgrim figure; the Way of Saint Francis with yellow and blue signs and a Tau. Download the GPS tracks anyway.
• Luggage: several services move your bags from one stage to the next for a few euros a day.
• Footwear: wear walking shoes you have already broken in; dirt roads in summer are dusty and hard on the feet.
• Water and heat: there are few fountains along the way; carry at least a litre and a half and start early in the morning.

Variations

• To Rome: continue along the Francigena through the Val d'Orcia, San Quirico, Radicofani and Viterbo, in about two more weeks.
• La Verna: the Way of Saint Francis begins at the sanctuary of La Verna, where Francis received the stigmata, and reaches Assisi in about a week.
• Gubbio: the stage from Gubbio to Assisi, which recalls the story of the wolf tamed by Francis.

What to read before you go

A guidebook to the Via Francigena with stage maps, a guide to the Way of Saint Francis and a biography of the saint of Assisi. See also Italy's villages.

Final tips

• Pace: don't plan stages longer than 20-25 km if you are not a trained walker; it is better to arrive with time to see the villages.
• Combinations: from Assisi you can link up with the Apennine villages itinerary, from Siena with the spa itinerary and the hot springs of the Val d'Orcia.
• A tip: say buon cammino to the walkers you meet: it is the pilgrims' greeting, and it often starts a conversation that lasts the whole stage.