Our farmhouse is located right on the Via Francigena and that’s why we thought it would be interesting for our tourist, nature and culture lover, to have a little more information about what the Via Francigena was and is. >
How it was born
476 AD the Roman Empire fell in 476 AD
the well-made roads fell into progressive abandonment and subsequently, with the barbarian domination, the situation worsened.
7th century
The Lombards began the reconstruction of the road system in central and northern Italy. Armies, merchants and pilgrims on their way to Rome passed through it.
The Franks succeeded the Lombards
the road took the definitive name of Francigena. It wasn’t a single route as we are used to thinking of it now but in some sections almost a network of routes. The roads that connected Rome to the countries beyond the Alps also favored the economic recovery between 1100 and 1300.
There are numerous travel diaries of those times but the most authoritative is that of Archbishop Sigerico who traveled it from Canterbury to Rome. The Anglo-Saxon Sigeric was invested by the archbishop of Canterbury in 990 to make this journey which traveled the most direct and probably the most popular route between England and Rome. Sigerico took at least four months for the journey, remaining in Rome for only 3 days.
The Via Francigena today
1994
it has been classified as a Cultural Itinerary by the Council of Europe, like the Camino de Santiago.
2001
the deed of incorporation of the European Association of the Vie Francigene (EAVF) was signed.
Today
the number of pilgrims who travel through it is about 10,000 a year, of which the majority is Italian.
The itinerary
it is about 1800 kilometers long. The Tuscan itinerary is 380 kilometers long and crosses about 38 municipalities.
The Via Francigena in Tuscany
In Tuscany it started from the Cisa pass and through the valley of the Magra river it continued to Siena and beyond to the Val d’Orcia.
Today the route can be followed through georeferenced interactive maps that provide useful information such as the weather, accommodation and more.
Are you a traveler on the Via Francigena?
Further information on the route of the Via Francigena
