The way of Saint James

The itinerary crosses the towns of Florence, Prato, Pistoia, Pescia and Lucca, and it can be considered a part of the long journey in the heart of Europe towards Santiago de Compostela, a town with which Pistoia famously shares the cult of San Jacopo, passing along the “Via della Costa” and the “Cammino Francese”. 

An ancient heritage, recently rediscovered. In the 2nd century B.C. the city of Pistoia was a stopover along the via Cassia minor, an important Roman military road that connected Rome and Florence with the port of Luni and the Tyrrhenian coast.

The route of the Cammino di San Jacopo passes through the towns of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Calenzano, Prato, Montemurlo, Montale, Pistoia, Serravalle Pistoiese, Pieve a Nievole, Monsummano Terme, Montecatini Terme, Massa and Cozzile, Buggiano, Uzzano, Pescia, Capannori and Lucca.  

Recalling the Way of Santiago de Compostela, the simbolo of the Way of Saint James is a stylised scallop shell with nine ribs, set into a lozenge which is a typical and recurring feature in the Pisan Romanesque architectural style. 

Between the Piazza del Duomo and the Via degli Orafi, there is a “cippo” (the only one in Italy) a stone donated by the Xunta de Galicia in collaboration with Concello de Santiago and Xacobeo 2021, marking the distance from Santiago de Compostela.