The route through Tuscany is as diverse and varied as the route is long. Today pilgrim hikers traveling along the Via Francigena will pass through four unique geographical areas where the countryside, the culture and culinary traditions are different along the nearly 400 km journey to the border of Tuscany and Lazio.
The first region begins at the Apennine Mountains at the Cisa Pass. Pilgrim hikers leave the region of Emilia Romagna and enter into a small, remote region of northern Tuscany sandwiched between Emilia Romagna and Liguria.
This area is called Lunigiana also known as the “Valley of the Moon,” (luni comes from the Latin word luna meaning moon), and it is steeped in countless legends and myths. Its pagan history dates back to the prehistoric civilizations of the Ligui-Apuani peoples that lived in the region some 3,000 years ago. The Ligui-Apuani, cattle herders that worshipped the moon, left behind stone statues, sometimes known as “statue menhirs,” that focused on rural traditions, culture, the environment and hospitality as a way of life.
The gateway to this special undiscovered region is the town of Pontremoli. The Via Francigena follows the valley of the Magra River south from Pontremoli to Aulla and later Sarzana. Sarzana was an important intersection where the Roman road, the Via Aurelia, and Via Francigena met. The region east and north of Sarzana known as the Garfagnana is dotted with castles, walled mediaeval villages and monasteries, built upon the steep slopes of the mountains.
The second region begins at Sarzana and goes past Lucca to Altopascio and then San Miniato. The main stopping points are Carrara and Massa, home of the famous white marble quarries mines. Further on is Pietrasanta renowned for its bronze and marble art studios, and Camaiore, celebrated for its 8th century abbey. Unfortunately, it is generally a flat busy congested urban district with mostly street walking, and a few dirt trails.
Lucca is a walled city of 85,000 people that has attracted tourists, travelers, and pilgrims for hundreds of years. The Etruscans had founded Lucca, but the Romans, as reflected in its urban layout, had built and developed it. Evidence of its Roman origins include the oval-shaped Piazza del Mercato, once an early Roman forum.
Further east and south is Altopascio home of the Knights of the Tau, one of the earliest Christian institutions, combining armed protection and assistance for pilgrims with the staffing of hospitals. Approaching Fucecchio, the path goes through very open and flat swamp marshlands before crossing the Arno River to arrive at San Miniato.
In medieval days, San Miniato was at the intersection of the former Via Francigena, the Florence-Pisa road and the Lucca-Siena road. Today, San Miniato is not only a center of arts and culture, but also of flavors. Aside from the typical extra virgin olive oil, various pork products, and wines, it is home to the esteemed tartufo bianco or white truffle.
The third region of the Via Francigena starts in San Miniato and gently slides through rolling hills of grapes, passing through the hilltop towns of Gambassi Theme, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni before it arrives in Siena. San Gimignano is renowned for its remaining fourteen 13th-century towers, and the Capella de Santa Fina and the frescos painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio in 1475.
The fourth and final region begins in Siena and goes south to Proceno and the border of Tuscany and Lazio. South of Siena, the Via Francigena gently winds along the River Arbia and through the Val d’Arbia. Leaving behind the charming green Siena vineyards, the trail drifts through the dry, gray, clay crags of the “Crete Senesi.” It is a moonscape-like countryside characterized by lone stone villas perched on barren white clay outcrops and jagged slopes, and surrounded by juniper and cypress trees.
Much further south, at San Quirico d’Orcia, the Via Francigena crosses into what is one of special locations in all of Italy, the Val d’Orcia. Val d’Orcia has fascinated the grand Sienese painters of the Renaissance. It has mesmerized the romantic writers of England, France, and Germany, and has provided a backdrop of grandeur for travelers of many eras. Today, the beauty and charm of the Val d‘Orcia continues to attract photographers, writers, and travelers alike. The evening sunsets are fiery red, and always present in the distance is the majestic grandeur of the Monte Amiata, an extinct volcano.
