Going off the beaten path in Italy, is it even possible?
Italy, a country with the same land area as Arizona, has almost sixty million citizens - without counting tourists which makes the number even higher. Starting the end of May until mid-September life in cities and small towns can be disrupted by crowds of tourists who pour in to well-known sightseeing landmarks, take memorable selfies, and taste the newest gelato flavor.
Venice as of Jan 1, 2023 had about 250,000 inhabitants according to ISTAT while Florence had 360,000 and Rome 2,750,000. The 2019 Istat’s report on tourism indicates that Florence was visited by about 10,000,000 tourists, Venice by 13,000,000 and Rome by 31,000,000. This year the numbers are as high as pre-Covid, and local government agencies are predicting they will be even higher by the end of the season.
If you are planning a vacation in Italy and wondering if it is even possible to stay away from the crowds, well, the answer is yes. Traveling during low season, venturing away from famous landmarks, and exploring the countryside will definitely be a different experience for the visitor.
Going off the beaten paths by walking on medieval pilgrim, military, and commercial routes like the Via Francigena (Francigena Way), the Via di San Francesco (St Francis’ Way), or the Via Romea (Romea Way) are a few ideas. You will likely spend the night in small villages, hike through idyllic countryside, and have a chance to connect with the locals if you’d like. Whichever Via you pick, do your research online since trails have different difficulty levels, and conditions may change according to the weather and season.
The Latin word “via” means “way” and it is still used today in modern Italian with the same meaning. I’m bringing this up because the roads and highways that we still use today in Italy were actually developed and improved by the Romans, primarily for military and economical purposes. The Romans understood how vital roads were to creating and maintaining their political leadership over other nations at the time. They invested in the development of a network of roads that would leave from the Roman’s Forum to reach far and near destinations in the empire. By traveling the same roads in the opposite directions you would reach Rome. And that’s where the saying “all roads lead to Rome” comes from. Today in Italy there are very few “new” roads, the great majority are in fact from Roman and Medieval times.
In the images below see a couple of examples of ancient routes in Tuscany and Rome.
Among ancient routes that cross Italy, I’m particularly fond of the Via Francigena. It starts from Canterbury, UK and ends in Rome going through France, Switzerland, and Italy. It’s a medieval pilgrimage route well known to us thanks to the journals left by the archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric who traveled the route in the late X century, precisely in 990. Sightseeing the countryside, particularly in Tuscany and Lazio, it’s easy to see signs of the Via Francigena, and of accommodations for pilgrims - including old ospitali (medieval accommodations). In the last decade in fact, local governments have invested in upkeeping signage along the route in urban and rural areas to promote slow tourism. In the past because signage was lacking you would have not known that you were actually walking or standing on an ancient route.
Planning your trip ahead of time is key if you are thinking of hiking the Francigena since there is some logistics involved - booking accommodations, choosing your route, selecting what to bring, and let’s not forget physical training. A friend and former student of mine, Mary Ann, who hiked the Francigena last Fall shared her experience with me during an interview. She and her friend Peggy decided to hike a portion of the ancient route away from the heat of the summer. They flew to Florence and started hiking from Altopascio on September 22 and finished in Acquapendente on October 5. The route they chose corresponds to the trail legs 29 - 37 of the via Francigena according to the official website viefrancigene.org - Altopascio, San Miniato, Gambassi Terme, San Gimignano, Colle Val d’Elsa, Siena, Buonconvento, Bagno Vignoni, Acquapendente. From there they took a taxi to Orvieto and then a train to Rome.
Preparing for the Trip
To prepare for the trip they looked at the official website of the Via Francigena where routes, maps, accommodations, and information about the Via are listed. They also consulted the book Walking the Via Francigena Pilgrim Route - Part 3 (Lucca to Rome) by Cicero Walking Guides.
Once the route was selected, their traveling schedule was organized in the spring and reservations were made in the summer - everything was booked in advance. Mostly, they picked a town to get to, and then found a small hotel or an agriturismo in the town or nearby. Sometimes, the itinerary had to be adjusted to walk farther if the targeted town didn’t have a hotel. Often towns offer hostels which can be inexpensive, but they chose to have more private space so they spent the night in hotels and agriturismos.
A fundamental part of the preparation also included physical training - not to be underestimated. About ninety days before her trip Mary Ann started to walk five miles per day wearing a 15 lbs backpack. For those who don’t live near mountains or high hills, it’s also important to try to hike on sloped terrain during the training because the Via can be demanding. Depending on the route you choose, you might hike forestry steep tracks, hard slopes, or disused tracks sometimes along ancient Roman routes like via Cassia (for example in Val d’Orcia - leg 35). Some trail legs in Tuscany are demanding hikes rewarded by beautiful views. It’s a good practice to review the technical description of each trail leg you plan to hike. Check the official website of the Via Francigena.
Putting together what to bring for the trip is also part of the preparatory stage. There is no perfect list but Mary Ann recommends a good pair of sturdy waterproof hiking boots, walking poles, and a rain poncho big enough to cover your backpack. This last item turned out to be pretty handy because it rained 9-10 days out of 16. Sometimes the rain would last the whole day, which was unusual weather for the area and season that hit right while Mary Ann and Peggy were traveling, and they were ready for it.
I asked Mary Ann a few questions about her trip, I was particularly curious about trail conditions, how the weather affected her hikes, her recommendations for places to spend the night, and tips and tricks that she might have for folks who want to walk the Francigena in Tuscany.
What did a typical day look like for you?
We started hiking each day around 7:30 am and would finish around 3:00 pm.
After 2 or 3 hours of hiking, if we passed through a town that had a coffee shop, we stopped and took a break. We would have coffee or tea, and sometimes a little food. This gave our feet a break and energized us for the next portion of our route. If there was a small grocery in town or a bakery, we often bought a sandwich, a couple of apples, extra water, and additional snacks (like nuts or cookies). We learned after a few days of hiking that many of the small towns did not have a restaurant or a bar open between 1 pm and 3 pm. Even when the guidebook indicated there was a bar or restaurant in a town, we often found it was closed permanently or at the time we visited.
Every few days, we sat down at a restaurant between 1-3 pm and had a light lunch. Mostly, we stopped along the road when we were tired and ate whatever we had bought earlier in the day. It’s really essential to carry a few snacks and extra water at every stage of the route.
We arrived at most locations between 3-5 pm. After taking showers and washing our clothes, we enjoyed a glass of wine, usually at the local bar at about 6 pm. The wine was inexpensive, and most bars also served nuts or chips, which were much appreciated. For dinner we ate at the agriturismos that we stayed at. Usually the host prepared dinner, consisting of an appetizer, a main dish (usually pasta), a dessert, and, of course, table wine. Generally, these meals were absolutely delicious. When we stayed in hotels, we selected a local restaurant to try.
How did the rain affect your hikes?
It rained often and sometimes heavily during our hikes. We had really good sturdy waterproof boots so we were able to hike in the rain and always get to our destination. However, the trails were muddy, very muddy. The dirt turned into clay and it glued to our boots making them heavier and heavier as we walked. The terrain was also slippery, sometimes we had to walk around big potholes.
It was nice at the end of the hike removing the boots. In some places there would be a hose outside so we could remove the mud easily.
It was also a coincidence that our rest day in Siena happened to be during a storm. Torrential rain came down that day, we would have not been able to hike in those conditions. During a downpour, we dashed into a tiny restaurant with just 4-5 tables. We were the only guests. The waiter was delightful, and he helped us order a wonderful assortment of courses. We chatted with him at length; he was an Iranian refugee putting himself through dental school in Italy. He had a fascinating life story.
How easy was it to find the trail?
There were various ways the path was marked. When the sign was on a post, it was easy to follow. However, when the signage was low to the ground, sometimes shrubs or grass hid the sign (especially in forests) so it was easier to get lost. That’s something to expect, it’s part of the game.
Sometimes we ended up on paved roads with significant traffic (cars and trucks) which made hiking really difficult for some segments like from Altopascio to Fucecchio, and from San Miniato to Coiano. And we found the roads had no shoulder.
Once we had to look for an alternative route because a bridge we were supposed to cross was closed. Figuring out a way around it added an extra hour to our hike.
Along the trails sometimes going into town we would find chairs for pilgrims to sit on to rest for a few minutes, passing a farm we saw fruit in a little stand for the pilgrims to take. Another time people made water bottles available to the pilgrims. We didn’t expect that and thought it was really gracious of Italians to do so.
What were your favorite places to stay?
The Agriturismo Cesani in Pancole, north of San Gimignano which is actually a winery, was amazing. We enjoyed sitting at the terrace while the owner was trying to teach us a little about his wines, and helping us identify the one we would like best. So we ended up sipping a great glass of wine while contemplating a beautiful view. Even though the agriturismo didn’t offer dinner, we were sent to a restaurant close by called Agriturismo Rustico with only 6-8 tables, and the chef was fantastic.
Continuing on our route toward Rome, I loved the agriturismo Sant’ Uliveri in Colle Val d’Elsa. It's a very small working farm with beautiful vegetable gardens. The husband and wife didn't speak any English at all. And yet she could not have been more gracious. They lived on the property but they had built two or three rooms behind their property. It was up on a pretty tall hill overlooking a beautiful valley. And so we were able to take showers and sit out, have a glass of wine and look at the entire landscape of Tuscany.
Then she called us for dinner and she served a most delightful dinner. There's just the two of us. We ate and chatted and it was just a lovely visit from head to toe. And I believe the overnight plus the meal was about 50 or 60 euros which is not expensive.
In the Lazio region, in Acquapendente, at the end of our hike, we stayed in a tiny hotel and restaurant managed by three sisters. The hotel had just 3 rooms, situated above the restaurant. The dinner that night was incredible; one sister was the chef, the second sister handled orders and drinks, the third sister brought out food. It was fun watching them running around and talking to customers who clearly knew them personally. Nobody spoke English.
At the end of the meal, they treated us to their Limoncello. Since we were among the last to leave the restaurant, we chatted with one of the sisters in Italian for quite some time. They could not have been more gracious.
The food was fabulous, and the whole experience was just memorable. It felt like we were really connecting with Italians at this place.
Did you find yourself in a position of changing plans with your route?
Yes - We initially planned a 25 Km day, from Castiglione d’Orcia to Abbadia San Salvatore, and then another 5 km to the Convento San Bartolomeo. This is a variant route on the Via Francigena - leg 36.
Abbadia San Salvatore has a 2900 ft (911 m) elevation, and a spectacular abbey at the top of the mountain. Two days before this scheduled leg of the trip, we realized it would take us about 10-11 hours of hiking that day to accomplish our planned route, which would then not allow us time to look around San Salvatore. We decided the night before to hire a taxi to drive us about 9 km along the Via, and then drop us off. We then started our way on the planned path.
Hiring a taxi to jumpstart that segment was a smart move: It took us 1 hour to get to the base of the mountain, about 3 hours to climb the mountain to Abbadia San Salvatore. The hike was straight uphill, and it had rained quite a bit that week, so the path was muddy and extremely slow. We enjoyed lunch once we arrived, but it took another 2.5 hours to descend the mountain to join the main Via Francigena path and hike another 1.5 hours to our hotel.
It wasn’t until we were on the Via that we could fully understand how long it would have taken us to accomplish the initially-planned 25 km. We ended up hiking 17 km that day, but that took us 8 hours. Luckily, we figured beforehand that our original plan would have not worked, and came up with a solution so that we could keep on schedule.
What were your favorite things to do during your trip?
Enjoying a glass of wine in the town square at 6 pm with my hiking buddy. We could have a lovely local wine and snacks for $10 total for both of us. Amazing.
Stopping into the tiny churches in towns along the way. We discovered some treasures. Churches with lovely artwork and beautiful woodwork, open all day, offered us a 15 minute break to rest and have a moment of grace. Even a short break was restorative.
Tips and Tricks
Plan to hike 18-22 km per day even though guidebooks might suggest 25 km. It will give you more time to spend in little towns. Make sure to plan a rest day every 7-8 hiking days.
Get your lunch in the morning if you are not going through bigger towns during lunch time in case you don’t find an open store or bar - which it will likely happen.
Bring 2-3 liters of water a day and drink them.
Bring a string bag, it’s light and it becomes a bag to use when you are not hiking
Organize your backpack using big ziploc bags to group items together. It will be easier to find what you are looking for, and ziplocs keep your things dry.
Avoid blisters. Use Aquaphor foot cream every day, put on a silk sock, then a wool sock. It works like a charm.
There are no laundry services along the Francigena, you’ll likely wash things here and there on the go. Get a Campsuds soap from REI or Amazon, a travel clothesline, laundry pins and big safety pins. If your clothes are not dried by the morning when you leave, pin them to your backpack so they dry during the hike.
Before leaving in the morning check your route, load your GPS App on your phone - Gaia gps, All Trails, etc., mark your destination of the day so at the end of the day when you are tired, it’s easy to find your accommodation using the GPS if needed.
Charge your phone as soon as you get to the hotel. If you are traveling with somebody else, when you leave in the morning decide who is going to have the phone on - only one person should have the phone on. If she runs out of batteries then the other person can turn on her phone.
I'd like to thank Mary Ann and Peggy for sharing their experience with us, and for letting me use their photos for this article.
I’m going to leave you with the greetings the pilgrims used to say back in the middle age while on the route: ultreia et suseia!
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