The Apennines or Apennine Mountains stretch 1000 km from the north to the south of Italy along its east coast, traversing the entire peninsula, and forming the backbone of the country. The range consists of limestone and related sedimentary strata formed near the end of the Cretaceous era when the African plate began to slowly and gently collide with the eastern part of the European plate.
Within this range lies the Ligurian Apennines. These mountains extend as far as the Cisa Pass in the upper valley of the Magra River. At first, the range follows the curve of the Gulf of Genoa, and then runs east-southeast parallel to the coast. North of this range lies the broad plains of the Po River valley that includes the Po River, and its chief tributaries that flow from the Ligurian Apennines are the Scrivia, Trebbia and Taro. The south side of the range rises steeply from the sea, leaving practically no coastal strip of land. What land that did exist, was infested in malaria carrying mosquitoes.
Centuries ago, pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena from northern Europe would have had a choice of number of different routes from the Po River valley across the Apennine Mountains into Tuscany. They could choose to depart from Pavia and travel along the Valle d’Staffora, or from Piacenza and travel along the Valle d’Trebbia or finally from Fiorenzuola and travel along the Val dell'Arda. All these routes would go south and then east towards the town of Bobbio. From Bobbio, pilgrims would follow the ancient “Abbots Path” or via degli Abati to Pontremoli.
During the Roman times, the main Apennine crossing was in the further east, near the city of Rimini along the Via Flaminia. However in later centuries during the Middle Ages, this area was controlled by the Byzantines, and thus the ruling Lombards maintained an alternative further west that originated in Fidenza and went south west towards to Berceto over the so called Lombard Pass or Monte Bardone, close to the present day Cisa Pass.
This was the route used by Sigeric and today, the official Via Francigena follows this same path.
After crossing the Cisa Pass, pilgrims had to travel another 565 km through the regions of Tuscany and Lazio before they would finally arrive in Rome.
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