Trekking in Tuscany: itineraries and trails

The Via Francigena is an ancient road running from France – hence the name “Francigena” – to Rome in Italy, although Canterbury in England is considered the main starting point, much further away from France.

The Via Francigena passes through England, France, Switzerland and Italy, 400 kilometers (250 miles) of which are in Tuscany. You can choose a single leg or the entire Tuscan path.

Find out here the most important information about the 16 legs of the Via Francigena. 

Extending for more than 400 kilometres, the Ways of Saint Francis in Tuscany connects the many places linked to the life of San Francesco d'Assisi from Florence to Cortona, crossing the Casentino, the Valtiberina and the Valdichiana areas. Walking in the footsteps of Saint Francis you can visit places like the Sanctuary of La Verna, the hermitages of Cerbaiolo and Montecasale and the Eremo Le Celle.

But there is much more. Tuscany offers ther historic pilgrimage routes of immense scenic and cultural value like the Via Lauretana which goes from Siena to Cortona, continuing then to Umbria and reaching the Holy House of Loreto in the Marche region. The Via del Volto Santo passes through Garfagnana and the Mid Serchio Valley in order to arrive to Lucca home to the wooden sculpture of the Volto Santo also known as the “black Christ of the Lucans". Check out our section Francigena and historical hikes and discover the cultural itineraries of Tuscany.

From Prato to Fucecchio, the Via Medicea passes through stunning territories that the Medici family lived in. Along the almost 80 km way, we will come across four Medici villas, today UNESCO World Heritage Sites, villages, mountains and valleys and lots of historic-artistic traces. 

A perfect area for trekking in Tuscany is the Apuan Alps Park. Two of the most classic itineraries which you can follow on your own or with one of the Park’s guides are:

• The Grotta all’Onda path, a 10 km itinerary from Camaiore to the cave situated 710 meters above sea level on the summit of Monte Matanna.
• The “Anello del Monte Forato”, a 5 hours trekking to the characteristic Monte Forato (literally Holed Mountain);

If you want more than a mountain walk, Tuscany’s Apuan Alps offer interesting vie ferrate - protected climbing routes equipped with fixed cables, steeples, ladders, and bridges. 

The route Via degli Dei (literally the route of Gods) connects Bologna to Florence, retracing an ancient historic road used since Roman times to join the towns of Felsina (Bologna) with Fiesole (Florence).

Named also “Military Flaminia,” the Via degli Dei is a 130 km route characterised by paved roads and dirt tracks passing through the Apennines.

If you are looking for a trekking path not far from Florence you must take the Renaissance Ring (Anello del Rinascimento), a 250 kilometres long route divided into 8 stages. It is ideal for walking or mountain biking and each section of the Ring has a public transport link with Florence, so you can also choose to cover just one portion.

You will come across monasteries, castles, hospices to welcome pilgrims, ancient walled communities, country churches and sections of paved roads that go back to Roman or Medieval times.

Another ring route not far from Florence is the SOFT, acronym for Sorgenti di Firenze Trekking (Florence Springs Walking), a system of hiking trails with other twenty-two secondary trails in the Mugello valley, along the Florentine Apennines. The Giogo Casaglia Park, offers several thematic trails suitable for all kind of hikers. The Rovigo stream loop trail, for example, is an easy excursion of 11 kilometres through the woods of the Mugello while the Gothic Line Ring Route is a medium leve hiking trail that takes us through the traces of history, including a stretch of the defensive line built by the German army during the final stages of the Italian campaign.

Would you like to walk the soft hills of the Chianti area? From Greve to Radda, there are many circuits crossing this beautiful range of hills with its fortified hamlets that stand out in the middle of woods and farm fields. The Cintoia Circuit follows part of the outline of an ancient Etruscan road and heads into the woods of the Chianti. Another great ring route starts from Radda, an old medieval town that was the headquarters of the Lega del Chianti in the 1200s. In Gaiole in Chianti you can follow the Lecchi circuit, a 15 kilometres route that brings the historical and natural treats of the Chianti region into full view.

Vetta Mare is a path of 136 kilometers divided into seven stages, which runs through some of the most beautiful places of Tuscany from Mount Amiata to Porto Ercole. The route is largely signposted and crosses the large wooded expanses of the Amiata as well as the hilly and rural landscapes of the Maremma. The legs are approximately 15-20 kilometres each and suitable on foot or mountain bikes.

On Elba Island, take the Great Elba Crossing, a roughly 70 kilometres excursion route that cuts across the island from east to west. This hiking route, considered one of the most beautiful walks in Italy, can be done in four to five days, through hiking single stretches is just as doable. The walk allows visitors to see all the ecosystems present on the island, from the coasts to the forests, before arriving at the peak of Monte Capanne, over 1,000 metres high.

In spring and autumn join the Walking Festival island excursions, one of the most important hiking and excursion-related events in Italy, taking place every year in the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago. Discover the treasures, tastes and traditions of the islands of Elba, Pianosa, Giglio, Giannutri and Capraia.