{"id":36329,"date":"2025-03-25T14:04:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T11:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/via-francigena-way-from-lucca-to-roma\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T15:05:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T12:05:30","slug":"via-francigena-way-from-lucca-to-roma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/en\/via-francigena-way-from-lucca-to-roma\/","title":{"rendered":"Via Francigena – my experience of walking from Lucca to Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Via Francigena – the walking way from Lucca to Rome. My diary of a 420 km walk in 17 days through Tuscany and Lazio in the Italian Camino.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recommend you to read: 15 the most beautiful places in Tuscany<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How hard is it to walk from Lucca to Rome along the Via Francigena?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Compared to other long routes I’ve walked before, Via Francigena<\/strong> is harder than Camino Portuguese<\/a> <\/strong>but not as difficult as the northern route of the Camino de Santiago del Norte<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the complexity of Via Francigena? Tuscany is a land of rolling hills with fields, vineyards, and olive groves. It is crossed by several rivers – the Arno, Orcha, and Arabia<\/strong>– that form valleys. So you have to spend a lot of time going up and down. If you’re lucky enough to have cool weather, it’s much better than in the heat of the day, as was the case in my case. Although I was expecting a cool autumn, the temperature rose to +27-32 \u2103 almost every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, the peculiarity of the route from Lucca to Rome is that almost every city is located on top of a hill. You have already walked 20-25 km and at the end you have to go up. The stage from San Quirco to Radicofani<\/strong>, which is located on the border of Tuscany and Lazio, is particularly difficult. You will have to climb with an altitude difference of up to 800 meters – and this is at the end of a 32-kilometer day of hiking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the views, delicious cuisine and wines, and the wonderful atmosphere on Via Francigena make up for it. The atmosphere of the Camino, which has not yet been promoted as much as in Spain on the French or Portuguese Route. Overnight stays in hostels at churches or monasteries are a special pleasure and a good experience that brings us closer to the times when the pilgrims did not have the opportunity to book hotels on Booking.com<\/a><\/strong> )))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are preparing to take the route from Lucca to Rome, I advise you to read my diary. I hope you will find this information and my experience useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 0: Lucca<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When planning a trip along Via Francigena, I booked an ostello in Lutsk for the first night. I could have found a hotel for a little money, but I wanted to immerse myself in the Camino atmosphere right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, I spent the whole day in the city – it’s worth staying here for two days. Compared to the neighboring Pisa, where I arrived the day before arriving in Lucca, I liked it much more. In Lucca you feel the spirit of artisanal Tuscany<\/strong>. But Pisa <\/strong> – is a tourist anthill where there is nothing to do except for a tower and a couple of museums and cathedrals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I bought a credence in the museum of the Cathedral of Lucca. I bought mine for 5 euros. If you start in Siena, there are six different points where you can get credencsal<\/strong> – all of them can be found here.<\/a> Every evening I stamped the places I was staying so that at the end of the journey in St. Peter’s Basilica I could get Testimonium<\/strong> is a certificate issued to pilgrims who have walked at least the entire or only the last 100 km of the Via Francigena (similar to the Compostela<\/strong> on the Santiago de Compostela<\/strong> way).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More details: Via Francigena – Italian Camino, details of the route from Lucca to Rome<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Where to stay in Lucca:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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I did not want to call from Ukraine to Italy to make a reservation. So I wrote letters in two ostellos and quickly received a response of approval from the Pellegrinaio di San Davino<\/strong> (sandavino@luccatranoi.it, Phone: 366 1062641). Payment is in kind. Ostello offers 12 beds, has 4 bathrooms and 3 showers. Even pilgrims with disabilities traveling on the Via Francigena will be able to stay at the Pellegrinaio: they have a room on the ground floor and a bathroom. Check-in is until 7 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 1: Lucca – Altopashio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Distance: 18.5 km
Difficulty of the stage: *<\/strong>
There are shops, bars, cafes and restaurants on the route<\/strong>, water <\/strong>can be asked for in cafes and bars, I met one water tap near Chiesa Romanica di Badia Pozzeveri<\/strong> and Ostello San Pietro<\/strong>(3 km to Altopaschio<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first day of my Italian Camino. I got up in the morning, but I was almost the last one to leave – all the other pilgrims blew up at six and ran away before morning. I was in no hurry, because sleeping peacefully all night is now a luxury for me. That’s why I enjoyed sleeping every night. And then I paid for it in the hot sun. I knew what I was paying for, and I was quite happy with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first day is quite simple and straightforward. You walk from Lucca to<\/strong> Altopashio<\/strong> most of the time along the road for the cars. It’s not a very interesting stage, but it allows you to calmly tune in to a new route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most of the walk on the first day is along the side of the road. But there is also a short trail at the end when the first vineyards begin. It’s not a stressful day, at the end of which you start to see stunning scenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Altopashio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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It’s a nice little town with several restaurants. I came here at about one o’clock, and the ostello (pilgrim hostel) where I planned to stay was still closed. So I decided to have lunch at osteria<\/strong> La Dispensa.<\/strong> They offered dishes with wild mushrooms – porcini. I ordered pasta with porcini mushrooms, a salad, and white wine, and sat outside at a table and enjoyed the flavors and aromas, the sun, and the cold wine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 3 p.m., I checked into the Ostello Donativo<\/strong>, a room with two beds and an elevator (!). I was joined by Monserrat from Barcelona, with whom we became very good friends. We spent the evening together, drinking beer, talking, walking around the Altopashio, which is a very small but pretty town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind<\/strong> that if you come later, between 15:00 and 19:00, the restaurants will be closed. Lunch from 13:00 to 15:00, dinner after 19:00. But you can also order a drink at the bar and have an aperitif (nuts, chips, snacks, etc.) to accompany your beer or glass of wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accommodation in Altopashio<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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