There is an alternate route of the Via Francigena that goes through the Oltrepò Pavia - from Pavia to Pontremoli, via Bobbio. Hikers wishing to avoid the section from Pavia to Fidenza and then over the Cisa Pass can take this alternate route. By all indications it is scenic route that climbs over Apennine Mountains one of many paths that pilgrims would have taken in the past.
The Oltrepò Pavese also known as "Old Piedmont” is a wedge of territory that between Emilia and Piedmont, bordering the provinces of Alessandria and Piacenza. Divided from the rest of the province of Pavia by the Po, is covers a region of approximately 1100 sq km of which one third are plains and the remaining two thirds are a mixture of hills and mountains of the Apennines.
Centuries ago pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena from northern Europe would have had a choice of number of different routes that they could take from the Po River valley to cross the Apennine Mountains into either Liguria or Tuscany.
One choice was to take the Via del Sale or old Salt Road of Lombarda from Pavia following the Valle Staffora through the Oltrepò Pavese. The salt road of lombarda was an ancient route that provided for the trade of salt between Pavia and Genoa. From the north, goods particularly wool and weapons would arrive at the port of Genoa. Upon the return journey, salt was carried back to the north. Salt was a precious material difficult to find in areas far from the ocean and it was essential for food preservation and the tanning of leather.
The route from Pavia went south, along old roads and mule tracks, passing Voghera, following the Staffora valley, passing Varzi and the village of Castellaro, crossing Mount Bogleglio and Mount Cavalmurone and down to Torriglia in Val di Trebbia. From here it continued south until reaching Genoa in Liguria.
An alternate route would see pilgrims arriving at Varzi and then travel eastwards to Bobbio. After Bobbio, pilgrims would follow the ancient “Abbots Path” or Via degli Abati to Pontremoli in Tuscany.
Today modern pilgrim can select a series of paths through the Valle Staffora and Oltrepò Pavese as an alternative route to the official classic route of the Via Francigena. The alternate route is divided into two sections. Section 1 departs from Pavia, continues to Voghera and then passes through Oramala, crossing the Passo Penice to arrive at Bobbio. Section 2 departs Bobbio and continues along the Via degli Abati to Pontremoli and rejoin the Via Francigena.
This alternative to the Via Francigena via Bobbio has two sections:
1. A link known as the La Via dei Longobardi from Pavia via Voghera and the Valle Staffora to Bobbio (approx. 100 km)
2. The Via degli Abati or Abbott’s Way from Bobbio to Pontremoli (approx 120 km)
Links
http://www.valtrebbiaonline.it/abati.htm
http://www.vallestaffora.info/
http://www.viadegliabati.it/pagine/la_via.html
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