Photo © Alessio Grazi

Via Francigena: how to prepare for your journey

What you need to know before departing to make the most of your Via Francigena adventure in Tuscany

by Claudia D'Aliasi

Traveling along the Via Francigena (the ancient road from Canterbury to Rome) can be a challenging adventure or a spiritual experience. Either way, it is certainly an opportunity to discover beautiful landscapes and ancient cities at a slow pace.
Wayfarers and pilgrims walk the Francigena with various reasons: to reconnect with nature, to meditate on their lives, to engage in a healthy outdoor activity, for religious reasons, due to a desire to do something together or to take a break from routine.

Whatever your motive, you must prepare for your trip well in advance, plan your travels, pack your backpack properly and be aware of the rules for traveling safely.
And maybe this article will help you!

Contents

1.

Planning your itinerary: when to depart?
2.

Choose the stages and where to sleep
3.

Trains and buses: how to get to the starting point?
4.

Train before you leave
5.

What to pack in your backpack?
6.

Signage and the latest precautions

Planning your itinerary: when to depart?

Via Francigena: the route to Gambassi Terme - Credit: Alessio Grazi

The Via Francigena offers an itinerary that is a paradigm of the new way of traveling: slowly. A path that enriches history and personal experience but also a qualified cultural and environmental offering for a conscious tourism, respectful of the territories and their populations.

One of the first things to do is to choose the timing of your trip.
In spring, you will see beautiful blooms while the weather is mild, perfect for walking. Indeed, this is the favorite time of year for wayfarers, along with sunnier summer. The days get longer, so you will have more daylight hours at your disposal, but it is still best to set out early in the morning and avoid the hottest hours of the day. Fall is variable but allows for incredible colorful landscapes, while winter and the cold weather it brings is considered more challenging.

The second thing to decide is how many days you can devote to your trip. Even if you only have one day, don’t worry, there are many stages that can be done in a day, or you can break up a stage into smaller pieces.

Don’t forget to check the weather regularly and be ready to change plans if necessary.

Choose the stages and where to sleep

San Gimignano - Credit: Antonio Cinotti

The Tuscan extent of the Francigena is nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) in length and runs through 38 municipalities from Pontremoli to Radicofani, with more than 1,000 accommodation options available to travelers.

Once you have decided on the time and duration of your trip, plan an itinerary that suits your goals, interests and physical fitness. Don’t forget to check the distance to be traveled, the uphill and downhill gradients and to select your rest stops along the way.

The Via Francigena di allows you to visit splendid cities such as Lucca and Siena, charming villages such as San Gimignano and San Miniato, just to name the generally favored points of departure and arrival. If you want to include some visits in your itinerary, you will be spoiled for choice.

Be sure to contact the accommodations before you set out to check availability since at certain times of the year, finding a place at the last minute can be tricky.

Trains and buses: how to get to the starting point?

Nature train - Credit: Antonio Cinotti

Some stages of the Via Francigena can also be reached by regional trains or on the local buses. The train, for example, makes it possible to arrive to and depart from Lucca and Altopascio. To plan the route, we recommend that you use the tools provided by the Tuscany Region.

Some stages of the Francigena are also traversed by the Nature Train, for travel as it was once upon a time, on vintage locomotives. Starting from Siena, you get to Buonconvento from where San Quirico d’Orcia and Bagno Vignoni can be easily reached.

Train before you leave

The Tuscan extent of the Via Francigena is shorter than the Camino de Santiago, but the route is more challenging so good physical preparation is recommended. However, if you decide to take an easy route, you do not have to prepare too much in advance. The important thing is to improve your physical endurance with at least 2 or 3 walks per week, gradually increasing the distance and including different terrains. Train in the same shoes you plan to wear on the walk and with a loaded backpack to get used to the weight.

Remember that a healthy diet before and during the walk will help you balance nutrients well and provide you with the energy you need.

What to pack in your backpack?

What to pack in your backpack

You will really appreciate hiking shoes that are comfortable and perhaps already worn in. But your best friend will be a comfortable and lightweight backpack!

Leave any unnecessary things behind and instead pack only clothes and underwear, a Swiss Army knife, first aid kit, mosquito repellent, a foot relief balm, sunscreen, a flashlight, a rain poncho ... and the Pilgrim’s Credential, the “Pilgrim’s Passport” to be filled out along the journey by collecting stamps from the arrival points, as a memento of your journey.

Packing a light backpack is important but do not sacrifice important things such as an adequate water supply and a few energy bars. The ideal weight is around 10% of your body weight, but this also depends on the length of our trip—the longer it is, the less your backpack should weigh so as not to overload your joints.

Once you lighten the load, your backpack should be worn properly, snug against the back and with the belt fastened at the waist to take some of the weight off the pelvis.

Signage and the latest precautions

Francigena signposting

Along the way, you will see signs with different logos and symbols, but the official Francigena route has its own specific signage.

You will also find the official Alpine and Speleological Rescue tags that help speed up any rescue efforts, especially in isolated or sparsely populated places. Each tag displays a unique code that, when communicated to mountain rescue and 112 emergency line operators, allows you to be immediately located.

Bring a paper guidebook with you or download the trail so that you can be sure you’re on the right path, which is well marked in any case.

You can even make use of the GeoResQ App to communicate your location, track your route and call for help at the touch of a button.

Along what is sure to be an unforgettable experience, you will meet new people, but if you don’t want to set out alone, you can ask a friend to walk with you. You can even choose to be accompanied by an environmental guide, such as on an organized tour.

Check out our section on Tuscan walks and our page on Frequently Asked Questions about the Tuscan stretch of the Via Francigena. All the best on your adventure and enjoy the walk!