Via Francigena hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Via Francigena is the old pilgrim road from Canterbury to Rome. This guide covers its best-known Italian section, from Lucca in Tuscany to St Peter's Square in Rome: about 415 km in the 18 official stages of the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (AEVF), legs 28 to 45. Most walkers take 18 to 20 days and sleep in pilgrim hostels (ospitali and accoglienza pellegrina), religious guest houses, B&Bs and small hotels. Signs show a small black pilgrim on a red and white flag.

The route

From the walls of Lucca the first day is flat, through Capannori and Porcari to Altopascio, the old hospice town of the Knights of the Tau. The route then crosses the Cerbaie woods and the Arno valley to San Miniato, and climbs onto the clay hills of the Valdelsa to Gambassi Terme and the towers of San Gimignano. A long day on white gravel roads (strade bianche) and woodland paths passes the abbey at Abbadia a Isola and reaches walled Monteriggioni, and a short one ends in Siena at Piazza del Campo.

South of Siena the land opens into the Crete Senesi, then the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of cypress lines and farmhouses on bare hills. After Ponte d'Arbia and Buonconvento comes San Quirico d'Orcia, then the hardest day, past the thermal pool of Bagno Vignoni and up to the fortress of Radicofani. A long descent on the old Cassia leads into Lazio. The route skirts Lake Bolsena, climbs to Montefiascone and crosses volcanic farmland to Viterbo, the medieval city of the popes. The last stages pass Vetralla, Sutri and its Roman amphitheatre cut into the tufa, Campagnano di Roma and the Veio park, then enter Rome through the Insugherata reserve and over Monte Mario, with the first view of the dome of St Peter's.

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 18 stages, about 23.1 km each, the official AEVF legs. It leaves out the official variants (the Altopascio water variant, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Abbadia San Salvatore, Proceno and the Vetralla and Campagnano loops). The highest point is about 800 m, below Radicofani, and the elevation profile adds up to about 5,800 m of climbing.

Highlights

• Lucca: the Renaissance walls and the cathedral of San Martino
• San Gimignano: the medieval towers above the Valdelsa vineyards
• Monteriggioni and Abbadia a Isola: a walled castle and a Romanesque abbey on Sigeric's route of 990
• Siena: Piazza del Campo, the cathedral and the old Santa Maria della Scala pilgrim hospital
• The Val d'Orcia: San Quirico, Bagno Vignoni and the climb to Radicofani
• Lake Bolsena and Viterbo: the volcanic lake and the papal palace
• Sutri: the amphitheatre carved from the rock
• St Peter's Square: the end of the walk

When to walk the Via Francigena

The best months are April to June and September to October. July and August are very hot, with long stretches without shade or water in the Val d'Orcia and in Lazio, so start at dawn if you walk then. Many pilgrim hostels are open all year, but several close from about November to March or open only from Easter (Sant'Agostino in San Gimignano, Abbadia a Isola, Radicofani's municipal hostel, Acquapendente, Viterbo, Vetralla), so winter walkers must book hotels and B&Bs.

How many days do you need?

The 18 official stages are 14 to 34 km long; most are 20 to 30 km. Many walkers take 20 to 22 days, with a rest day in Siena or Viterbo and the long days split. The longest are Altopascio to San Miniato (29 km), San Gimignano to Monteriggioni (31 km) and San Quirico d'Orcia to Radicofani (34 km, the hardest, with about 900 m of climbing): you can split them at Ponte a Cappiano or Fucecchio, at Colle di Val d'Elsa or Abbadia a Isola, and at Bagno Vignoni or Gallina. With only a week, walk the last 100 km from Montefiascone to Rome; the AEVF suggests six days.

Credential, Testimonium and booking

Carry a pilgrim credential (credenziale) from the AEVF or another official issuer and get it stamped once or twice a day. Most pilgrim hostels accept only walkers with a credential, and a few accept only long-distance pilgrims. The donation-based places (donativo) usually take no bookings, keep you one night and open in the afternoon; private and religious hostels cost about 15 to 30 EUR and usually take bookings. In Rome, the Testimonium is given at the pilgrim reception point at St Peter's Basilica to those who walked at least the last 100 km, and the Spedale della Provvidenza in Trastevere hosts walkers who did so for up to two nights. Since August 2026 the EAVF credential also gives a discount on the Roma Pass. Book ahead in spring and autumn in small places such as Ponte d'Arbia, Radicofani, Gambassi Terme and Sutri, where beds are few.

Getting there and away

Lucca is on the Florence - Viareggio railway, and Pisa and Florence airports are close. Along the way, trains stop at Altopascio, San Miniato, Poggibonsi (bus to San Gimignano), Castellina Scalo near Monteriggioni, Siena, Buonconvento and Viterbo, and buses link most towns, which makes it easy to skip or split a stage. In Rome the route ends at St Peter's, a short walk from Roma San Pietro station; La Storta has a station on the same line, and Rome has two airports, Fiumicino and Ciampino.

Money, food and phone signal

Italy uses the euro. Cards work in hotels and most shops, but carry cash for donation hostels, small bars and village shops. Most towns have a bar, a grocery and a pharmacy, but several stages have no water or food between villages: on Lucca to Altopascio, Gambassi to San Gimignano (water at Pancole only), Siena to Ponte d'Arbia (Cuna and Quinciano) and San Quirico to Radicofani (Bagno Vignoni and Gallina). Mobile signal is good along almost the whole route.

What to pack

Pack light. Bring a sleeping bag or liner (several hostels require one), a sun hat, sunscreen, at least 2 litres of water capacity, broken-in shoes for gravel and asphalt, light rain gear, a blister kit and a headtorch for early starts.

Safety

The Via Francigena is a moderate walk with no technical sections, but the days are long and partly on asphalt. Some sections follow or cross busy roads: take care on the road through Corte Ginori and at provincial road crossings on the first day, and on the Via Cassia between Centeno and Ponte Gregoriano before Acquapendente, where the longer Proceno variant is safer. Walk facing the traffic and wear something bright. Heat is the main risk in summer. In an emergency call 112, free from any phone; it reaches the ambulance (118), police and fire brigade. Each stage page lists the nearest hospital with an emergency department. Before the last day, check the AEVF news for diversions around the Monte Mario park.