After the rediscovery of the Camino de Santiago in the 1970s, it was realized that a similar pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena, also existed in Italy. As had happened for the Spanish Way, the Francigena route also lay partly under the asphalt of the motorways and state roads which, over time, had followed the route of what had already been the main roads of the Middle Ages and the Roman.
In 2001 the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) was created, an entity officially authorized by the European Council to promote the values of the paths and pilgrimages, starting from the sustainable development of the territories through a cultural, identity and tourism approach.
The Italian Via Francigena is made up of 45 stages, the fundamental ones being that of the Colle del Gran San Bernardo, the gateway to our Alps, Pavia, the capital of the Lombard kingdom, Piacenza, a very important road junction, Fidenza, a junction between the plain routes and the pass of Monte Bardone, the cities of Fornovo and Berceto on the Apennine stretch.
After passing the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and the Cisa Pass, the route descends to Pontremoli and Luni, to then take the direction of the coast and continue along safer communication routes, such as the Aurelia and the consular roads of the waning Roman Empire.
Sigeric traced the path, after him came merchants, soldiers or simple pilgrims heading to the heart of Catholicism.
The stages of the ancient medieval road today allow you to get to know not only renowned tourist cities, but also provincial towns and small villages that have done so much in history, growth and cultural development.
Along the Via Francigena you will encounter artistic expressions and signs of devotion: sumptuous Renaissance cathedrals and shy Romanesque monasteries, impressive archaeological sites or simple and evocative testimonies of the past.
