October 16, 2024
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
— Robert Frost
The Apennine Mountains extend about 750 miles along the length of Italy. It is one of Italy’s three major mountain ranges, along with the Alps and the Dolomites. After spending three weeks on an Eastern European break in five countries, we returned to the Via Francigena to begin our second half of trekking in these mountains.
We had hot and humid conditions during the first half of our trek in the foothills of the Italian Alps and the Po Valley. Now, we faced several days of cool, but very rainy weather. As we hiked, we needed to continually consider whether we could trek on the mountain trails, skip ahead some stages, or take “the road less traveled” to make our way to Rome.
Resuming our Trek in the Rain and Fog
To journey back to the Via Francigena from the Balkans, we took an overnight ferry from Split, Croatia, to Ancona, Italy. After docking in Ancona at sunrise, we traveled 210 miles by train to Fornovo, where we had left the trail almost a month earlier.
Arriving in Ancona, Italy at sunrise; boarding a train back to the Via Francigena trail
When we reached Fornovo in the early afternoon, we immediately began hiking from the train station to rejoin the trail.
Leaving Fornovo, we made a short steep climb into the Apennine Mountain foothills. At the top of the ascent, we had a nice view of the countryside.
The weather was in the 60°s F, much cooler than the 90 degree days we had experienced while trekking almost a month ago. After completing a total of 3.6 miles, we checked into a B&B for the evening.
The next stage climbed deeper into the mountains. However, there was a weather forecast of significant rain, totaling at least one inch. It was already drizzling when we started. In fact, it rained almost the entire 16.1 miles (and 7 1/2 hours) that we hiked.
The first few miles of the route took us on a road. It was also foggy, so our visibility was somewhat limited.
Later, we moved into the forest as the rain intensified. The route climbed almost 2,000 feet in the first six miles, with a total of 3,700 feet of elevation gain for the day.
All the rain made the trails somewhat treacherous, and we had to take our time on the steep, muddy paths.
Making our way on the muddy paths
Even though we had limited mountain views in the fog and clouds, there were a few nice vistas at times.
With the heavy rain, the muddy paths became even more perilous. When we reached the village of Cassio, we decided to road walk on a two-lane highway for the final seven miles to the town of Berceto, our destination for the night. We were getting soaked from the rain and wind, and hiking on the road allowed us to walk at a faster pace and stay warmer. Fortunately, because of the weather, we only encountered a car every five to ten minutes.
When we reached Berceto, we needed to turn off the highway to a path leading to town. The rain was pouring down at that point, and the wind was blowing the water almost horizontally in our faces. The path turned to slippery mud, puddles, and literal rivers for us to traverse. At one point we had to crawl straight up a grassy area next to a drop-off to avoid the impassable mud and water on the trail. Navigating through that small section was some of the most difficult hiking we had ever done.
Finally at the top of the grassy climb, we stood back up and took a deep breath. As we began walking again, lightning flashed in the sky and loud thunder clapped above us. We quickened our pace and finally reached our B&B.
Even with our pack covers, some of our clothes inside our backpack were wet. The B&B owner came to the rescue, allowing us to put these clothes and our trekking gear in her dryer. When we reached the next town, we bought a box of kitchen trash bags and lined the inside of our packs as an extra precaution for future storms.
Pivoting to the Road Less Traveled
With yet another day of rain ahead of us, we discussed how to continue through the mountains. Given our experience thus far, hiking the dirt trail was no longer an option for us. We pondered whether to skip ahead by bus or train to our accommodation, bypassing the next stage.
Then we remembered that there was an official “bike route” option to the Via Francigena. While this alternative was not on a literal bike path and just ran along paved roads, it was marked and drivers would be expecting to see people on them.
After hiking hundreds of road miles last year during our California Missions Trail trek, we felt confident about this choice. So we opted to walk on the bike route for the 16.9-mile stage.
After about five miles of climbing on the paved road, we reached the Cisa Pass at 3,414 feet in elevation.
Following the Via Francigena bike route; reaching Cisa Pass in the rain and fog
When we arrived at the pass we entered the Tuscany region. The rain and fog made it almost impossible to see anything, but we sat down for a five minute break to take in the deserted scene.
The rest of the day was spent descending over 3,000 feet. With the rain and fog, we were fortunate to encounter just a few cars on the winding road. As we walked, we intersected with the Via Francigena hiking route several times. In each instance we noted the amount of puddles and mud on the trail, validating our decision to stick to the road.
When we arrived in the town of Pontremoli, we walked through an arch to the cobblestone streets of the old town. After finding our guesthouse, we changed into warm, dry clothes.
Pontremoli translates to “trembling bridge,” and has a large bridge over the Magra River. It was first settled in about 1000 BC. We took a short walk around when the rain stopped to admire some of the medieval buildings along the river.
Views of Pontremoli
The next stage also had more rain in the forecast, and several stream fords on the mountain trails, so we decided to hike on the paved bike option again to the town of Aulla.
During the first eight miles of our 14.9-mile day, the roads were busier than we would have liked. At least the rain held off, and we just had a little precipitation during the entire stage.
Once we were through the busy section, we enjoyed walking on roads through a nice forested area.
With our arrival in Aulla, we were through the major mountain stages and into the foothills on the other side of the range. We had just one more stage until a rest day in the city of Sarzana.
The beginning of the next 16.1-mile stage took us through three miles of very busy traffic. There was construction taking place, causing the cars coming into Aulla to back up for a couple of miles. Normally we walk against the traffic, but because of the idling cars’ fumes, we opted to walk with our backs to the traffic, making things a little more harrowing.
Finally we turned off to some quiet back roads.
As we hiked, we could see several hill towns in the distance.
We began an ascent in the foothills, walking through the village of Ponzanello. It was first mentioned in the 11th century, and had several beautiful medieval structures.
Walking through the village of Ponzanello
It rained quite hard as we reached the top of a 1,600-foot climb. Then the sun broke through for the first time in four days. We also had clear views back to the Apennine Mountains that we had just trekked through.
One of the things we thought we would miss by taking the bike route over the walking trail was an opportunity to see the Mediterranean Sea as we reached the high point of the stage. But just ahead of us were great views of the Mediterranean. After starting this trek back at Lake Geneva in Switzerland, it was exciting for us to reach this point.
We came to a picnic area as the road began its descent. After all the rainy days with little or no breaks, we stopped to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the sun.
After lunch, we headed down to the city of Sarzana. Its position at the entrance of the Magra River historically resulted in Sarzana being ruled by Pisa, Florence, and Genoa.
We took a rest day in Sarzana and found it to be a pleasant surprise with a series of nice piazzas and great restaurants.
Right before arriving in Sarzana we briefly crossed into the Liguria region. One night we sampled some local Ligurian dishes. Testaroli al pesto is a pasta made with just flour, water, and salt. It is cooked on a greased skillet (testo) as if it were a large crepe. After being cut into diamond shapes, the testaroli is plunged into boiling water. Ours was served with pesto, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. We also tried coniglio fritto con verdure, which is fried rabbit with vegetables. Both dishes were delicious.
Testaroli al pesto and coniglio fritto con verdure
Leaving the Mountain Foothills to Arrive in Lucca
After our rest day, we joined the official walking route as we left Sarzana. The stage started with a climb up to the Fortezza di Sarzanello. It was built as early as the 11th century.
The route weaved through the hillsides, with views of the mountains and other villages around us.
Views of villages and mountains as we hiked
Later, we descended to walk along a canal. However, a portion of the canal trail was closed, so we had to pull out our phones to plot a longer detour around it.
Walking along the canal; figuring out a detour at the closure
Later in the stage we passed an archeological dig at the ancient city of Luni. Close by was a Roman amphitheater that seated about 7,000 people in its heyday.
Because of the miles added by the canal detour and an earlier missed turn that we made, we opted to take a shortcut at the end of the stage.
The shortcut took us by some of the Carrara marble factories that handle the famous white stone popular for sculptures and building decor. The marble quarry was close by and has been in use since the Roman era.
As we came to the end of our 16.2 miles of hiking near the city of Massa, we passed the 400-mile mark of our Via Francigena trek.
We had a long 17.9-mile stage packed with history and natural beauty the next day. Since we stayed in the outskirts of Massa the night before, we began our day by walking through the city. We passed the Cathedral of Santi Pietro e Francesco. It was originally built in the 14th century, but its marble facade was not completed until 1936.
The Cathedral of Santi Pietro e Francesco in Massa
After leaving Massa we climbed into the Apennine Mountain foothills for more views of the Mediterranean Sea.
Also in sight were ruins of the Castello Aghinolf. Dating back from the 8th century, the castle was both a defensive perimeter for the city of Lucca and the Nazis in World War II.
As the stage continued, we alternated between foothill climbs and flat sections along another canal system.
Climbing and hiking along a canal during the stage
One of the day’s highlights was walking through the town of Pietrasanta. It was ruled by Pisa, Genoa, Lucca, and Florence during the Middle Ages. The city’s cathedral was first constructed from the 13th to 14th centuries. Next to the cathedral is a brick tower that was also meant to be finished in marble.
Our stage ended in the city of Camaiore. It dates back to a Roman defensive outpost at the foot of the Apennines to protect the city of Lucca.
A Goodbye to the Mountains and Arrival in Lucca
We had beautiful scenery as we made our final climbs through the mountain foothills the next day. Even a difficult downhill stretch on slippery rocks and mud didn’t dampen our excitement as we finally reached the gates to Lucca’s old town after 15.1 miles.
Lucca was first settled in the 3rd century BC, and later laid out by the Romans as a city with perpendicular main streets and four major city gates. The city gained its independence in 1160 until it was conquered by Napoleon in 1805. It became part of a unified Italy in 1861.
Arriving in Lucca was a milestone for us, as it meant that we were finished with the mountain foothill stages. That night we had a celebratory dinner in the heart of the old town.
We ordered wild boar stew with polenta and ravioli with ricotta cheese and spinach in a homemade walnut sauce. Both dishes were tasty.
Wild boar stew with polenta and ravioli with walnut sauce
Lucca is known as the city of 100 churches, and our rest day sightseeing began with a visit to the 11th century Chiesa di San Michele in Foro. The church’s exterior has a wedding cake-like carved facade, making it an icon of the city.
The 13th century mosaic facade set San Frediano apart from the other churches that we saw.
Our favorite church was the 11th century Duomo of San Martino.
Inside is the Volto Santo, a carved wooden crucifix that legend attributes to Nicodemus. Unfortunately, the crucifix was being restored and was not on display, but we still found the interior to be breathtaking.
The interior of the Duomo of San Martino
We also marveled at the Piazza Anfiteatro, built in the same space as a Roman-era amphitheater.
Lucca’s fully intact Renaissance-era city walls are about 2.6 miles long, and we took some time to walk a short distance of it.
Making our way along the walls
The last eight stages and 116.8 miles through the Apennine Mountains in the rain, wind, and fog had been some of our most challenging of our entire trek. In the end, we were grateful that we kept hiking and did not skip any days as we chose the “road less traveled.”
With our arrival in Lucca, we were looking forward to trekking through the heart of the Tuscany region, with upcoming overnight stops in San Miniato, San Gimignano, Montreriggioni, and Siena.