Overview
In the green heart of Italy, you can follow in the footsteps of the saint of Assisi to his hometown along a path that winds its way through villages, monasteries, churches and forests. You can hike, cycle or travel on horseback along the Via di San Francesco, along two itineraries starting from the Sanctuary of La Verna and Rome.
The first, the Via del Nord, takes you 189 kilometres across 10 stages. Leaving the Sanctuary of La Verna, in the province of Arezzo, you cross the Casentino Forests National Park. You then enter Umbria in the Upper Tiber River Valley, with rolling hills and enchanting villages, from Città di Castello to Citerna, to the splendid Gubbio and, finally, Assisi.
These are the 247 kilometres and 19 stages of the Via del Sud, running from Rome through Sabina to cross the border into Umbria. You then travel through the Valle Reatina, or Sacred Valley, and visit its four sanctuaries, before continuing into the Valnerina. Some of Umbria’s most beautiful cities await: Spoleto, Trevi, Foligno, Spello, until your final destination, the city of Saint Francis.
You will be guided by signs and bands painted yellow and blue, the colours of the St Francis’ Way, and the Franciscan Tau. It is a pilgrimage that invigorates the body and regenerates the spirit.
