Via Francigena Stage 4: Fidenza to Aulla

This particular section is graded as moderate to strenuous. You will walk through the Apennine Mountains into Tuscany, crossing a high pass and along river valleys, through farming country and vineyards.

Pilgrimages | For those looking to follow a path of self-discovery. Our Pilgrimage and Camino routes take you on a journey through diverse landscapes and local flavours, while meeting like-minded adventurers along the way.

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This tour is suitable for people that are in excellent physical condition. It is rated moderate to strenuous as you will be crossing the Apennine Mountains. Even though some days have walks of up to 32km, there are other days that are short, giving you time to recover. However, even on the short walking days there may be elevation gains and losses and on some days these are significant.

In spring and summer in particular, the hiking trails may be overgrown in places. We recommend that you pack long trousers/pants and long-sleeved tops in your day pack just in case of this occurrence. 

Due to the sometimes long stages, the crossing of the Apennine mountain range and steeper sections, hiking experience and a very good basic fitness level are required. Due to the longer distances, we recommend walking similarly long distances with corresponding gradients in advance as training.

During your trip you will stay in a variety of accommodations. The properties range from private rooms in pilgrims' hostels to 2, 3 and 4* hotels as well as B&B's and guesthouses. At times you will be staying in remote towns and villages, therefore the accommodations in these places are the best that these particular areas have to offer. If you require single rooms for your party we would be happy to accommodate you. Solo walkers are also welcomed.

Important: Due to the remote location of some of the smaller towns and villages along the way it is possible that some of your overnight hotels will be a few kilometres from the route or in a nearby town or village. If this is the case, you will always receive directions to and from the trail in your route notes. Please be aware that this may result in slightly longer or shorter walking days.

Meals

Daily breakfasts are included. Breakfasts are usually continental or Italian-style with a choice of bread, croissants, meats, and cheeses. Sometimes it is possible to order packed lunches at your hotel or B&B the evening before or you can buy lunch in groceries, cafes, and restaurants en route. You can opt to include dinners as well if you wish.

The trail in the most part is well marked but in some this may become sparser. Along the length of the route, it also travels through several different municipalities and the style of the markers can vary between them and not every region has invested in consistently waymarking the trail.

The type of markers includes brown metal plates with two walkers and the route name on them or smaller ones showing a pilgrim and an arrow pointing the right way at road junctions. Red and white signs with a yellow pilgrim on them are also common. There are also signs with little yellow pilgrims on them and a white arrow which points towards Rome. In the Valle d’Aosta the signs tend to be yellow with Via Francigena written on them along with a route number.

Even if the signs can be lacking or confusing at times, navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs App which has maps, GPS tracks, and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation will be simple, and you can’t get lost. 

The Via Francigena is not just one route, but in some places there are several variants, some of which are adapted regionally by the local authorities. True to the motto ‘All Roads Lead To Rome’ our route is adapted as closely as possible to the original Via Francigena. In addition to mountain paths and hiking trails, you will also walk along roads with little or heavy traffic or industrial areas. To avoid the latter, the route occasionally deviates from the original route. Always follow the track in our app and don't leave it if the signposts point in a different direction.

This trip is available from mid-March to the end of October. You can start your tour on any date in the season.

Spring in Italy is sublime and May and June are absolutely lovely. Autumn is a great time of year as the landscape is made up of a gold and red pallet so September is unmissable. July and August can be very hot so you will have to start early to miss the heat of the day and then perhaps have a long lunch and finish walking in the mid to late afternoon.

The best airports to fly into to reach Fidenza are Parma, Bologna or any of the Milan Airports (Milan Malpensa or Milan Linate). From these airports it is possible to take a train to Fidenza. As the first accommodation is outside Fidenza your hosts will pick you up from the train station. You will find information regarding train schedules and fares at the Trenitalia website.

The best airports to fly out of after finishing your tour in Aulla are Pisa or Genoa. From Aulla take a train to Pisa (via Pisa Centrale Station). The journey takes between one and a half and two hours and you can find more information regarding train schedules and fares at the Trenitalia website. Alternatively if you fly from Genoa you can take a direct train from Aulla to Genoa Train Station and then from here take a thirty minute shuttle bus to Genoa Airport.

Enjoy the ease of walking with a light backpack and having your main luggage moved for you each day (included). Your bags will be collected from your accommodation and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.