In earlier postings, we showed that pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena entered Italy at a number of different locations and through a series of interconnecting trails, Roman roads and medieval paths made their way to Rome. Thus in a region as large and varied as Tuscany, even today, we should not be surprised to learn that here too, along with the official route there are a series of alternate paths one can chose to take.
As modern day pilgrim hikers cross the Cisa Pass and enter the small, remote region of Lunigiana they soon arrive in Aulla. In the past at Aulla, pilgrims might have decided to travel along the ancient path known as the La Via del Volto Santo, also known as the La Francigena in Garfagnana, to Lucca, bypassing the malaria invested coastal route.
Departing Aulla, the Via del Volto Santo ran along the Aulella Valley as far as Casola, from where it entered the Garfagnana region through the area known as the Tea Pass. It passed through Piazza al Serchio and Camporgiano, before reaching Castelnuovo, a fortified town in the Garfagnana. From here, it was possible to reach Lucca following two routes; one that followed the River Serchio and another that climbed high up to the Monteperpoli Pass and passed through the villages of Perpoli, Palleroso, Sassi and Cascio before reaching Gallicano where both paths met and then continued to Lucca.
What remains of this former route follows the same route taken by the scenic train trip that one can also take from Aulla to Lucca.
Further south at Sarzana the official route of the Via Francigena heads south towards Carrara and Massa, the former home to 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.
For this reason, some modern day pilgrims have chosen the walk the coastal stretch and then head inline to Pietrasanta. This is welcome diversion especially in the hot summer months of June to August, when a stop at one the many beaches that line this section of the route is a welcomed relief.
Arriving in Lucca, today a walled city of 85,000 people, pilgrims again could have taken a number of paths. In the first millennium, some may have chosen to head towards Pistoia and then Firenze (Florence) and south along the ancient Roman road, the Via Cassia, to Lazio bypassing the region south of Siena altogether.
Most would however go south to Altopascio, then further south to San Genesio, just south of San Miniato. Here the main route split; one route going further east through the towns of Castelfiorentino and Poggibonsi, and the other route passing though the towns of Gambassi Terme and San Gimignano before both converging at Siena. The latter is the present day official route the same route traveled by Archbishop Sigeric.
The final section of the route through Tuscany begins in Siena and goes south to the border of Tuscany and Lazio. Until recently, the official route was the Via Cassia, a modern highway that goes south from Siena towards San Quirico d’Orcia, and not to be confused with the ancient Roman road, which was actually kilometers east of this highway. For this reason, people chose one of a few interconnecting regional trails and paths, to map out a series of alternate ways other than the official route to reach Proceno and Lazio.
Some simply journey along the “Sentieristica della Provincia – No 2” from Siena, passing Murlo to arrive in Montalcino, a 60 km route of dirt paths and small asphalt roads. It is another 11 km to the famous abbey of Abbey of Sant Antimo, where this trail joins the No 6 trail that one can take back towards San Quirico d’Orcia, to reconnect with the Via Francigena.
At San Quirico d’Orcia, the Via Francigena crosses through the Val d’Orcia, where again the routes split; the official route heads towards Radicofani and the other, climbs the side of Mt. Amiata to Abbadia San Salvatore before both converge just before Proceno. The latter is welcomed alternative especially the hot summer months of June to August.
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