Hiking

They say all roads lead to Rome, and for these five, that’s precisely true. At a moment when hiking is gaining popularity — nearly 30 million French people report having practiced it in the last 12 months, making it the most widespread physical activity — here are five itineraries rich in history and culture, to walk in order to discover Italy differently. From nature trails to villages, the “Antichi cammini d’Italia” (Ancient Paths of Italy) unfold several hundred kilometers across the country, and even beyond to the heart of Europe. All converge on Latium and Rome, and all share the common aim of revealing a preserved Italy.

1/ The Via Francigena, one of the oldest medieval pilgrimage routes

A thousand kilometers through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Italy: a dream come true! The Via Francigena is one of Europe’s most attractive cultural routes. While it links Canterbury to Rome, it is its Italian section that enchants walkers from all over the world the most. From the Grand-St-Bernard Pass to the Eternal City, the Italian stretch, about 1,000 kilometers long in 45 stages, reaches its experiential heart in Latium, through the Tuscia of Viterbo. In Bolsena, on the shores of the eponymous lake, the Eucharistic miracle of 1263 inspired the feast of Corpus Domini; Montefiascone houses the Rocca dei Papi, the papal fortress; Viterbo, an ancient papal city, preserves one of the largest medieval districts in Italy; Sutri offers its Roman amphitheater entirely carved in tuff. At the end of the path, La Storta, the final stop before Saint Peter.

2/ The Saint Francis Way: between forests, villages and sanctuaries

This route, both athletic and spiritually infused, connects the most emblematic places of Saint Francis of Assisi’s life. It consists of two branches that converge on Assisi: the North Way, about 190 kilometers from La Verna where Francis received the stigmata in 1224, and the South Way, about 300 kilometers in 13 stages, which traverses Latium entirely from Rome to Assisi. In the heart of Latium, in the Valle Santa of Rieti, four Franciscan sanctuaries concentrate the memory of decisive moments in the Saint’s life: Greccio, where in 1223 Francis made the first crib in history; Fonte Colombo, where the Rule of the Order was dictated; La Foresta, the site of the grape miracle; and Poggio Bustone, where he received the revelation of the forgiveness of sins. Upon arrival in Assisi, pilgrims receive the Testimonium.

3/ The Benedictine Way: on foot, by horse or by bike through the villages of Umbria and Latium

From Norcia in Umbria to Montecassino in Latium, this route exudes a singular spiritual and cultural depth. The itinerary runs about 300 kilometers in 16 stages — and it is in Latium that the longest stretch unfolds, across the Aniene Valley and the central valleys of the Apennines. In Subiaco, the Sacro Speco houses the cave where Saint Benedict lived as a hermit for more than thirty years, while the Abbey of Santa Scolastica hosted in 1465 the first active printing press in Italy. From there the path continues via Trevi nel Lazio, Casamari with its Cistercian abbey, Arpino (birthplace of Cicero), Roccasecca (linked to Thomas Aquinas) and the Melfa Gorges, before culminating at Montecassino, where around 529 Benedict founded the abbey that remains the heart of the Order. Patron of Europe since 1964.

Ponte di San Francesco,Subiaco

4/ The Romea Strata: on the traces of pilgrims from Central and Eastern Europe

The complete route follows the tracks of medieval pilgrims for over 4,700 kilometers across seven countries, from the Baltic and Central-Eastern Europe to Rome. Recognized as a Council of Europe Cultural Route on June 17, 2025, the Romea Strata comprises 245 stages and more than fifty UNESCO sites along its journey. Its Italian section spans about 1,000 kilometers in 47 stages and touches, in Latium, Bolsena, Montefiascone, Viterbo and San Martino al Cimino before reaching Rome as the culmination of the voyage. Since 2024, thanks to mapping work by a network of volunteers, the final stretch no longer joins the Via Francigena: the Romea Strata now has an autonomous entry into Rome, which defines its identity.

5/ The Via Romea Germanica: from Germany to Saint Peter in Rome, following the path of a 13th-century abbot

The Via Romea Germanica retraces the route of Abbot Albert of Stade, who walked in the 13th century from Lower Saxony to Rome. The Italian section measures about 1,050 kilometers from the Brenner Pass to Rome and joins, in Latium, the Via Francigena at Montefiascone. From that point, the two paths merge and together cross the Tuscia of Viterbo: Bolsena, Viterbo — where every September 3 the Macchina di Santa Rosa takes place, recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity —, Vetralla, Sutri and the Veio Regional Park, up to La Storta. A northern variant in Latium also passes through Civita di Bagnoregio, the famous “dying city” perched on a tufaceous spur in the heart of the Tuscia.

Along the Antichi Cammini d’Italia, each stage offers a plunge into an Italy still preserved, where history, nature and contemplation blend harmoniously. At the end of these long marches, in Rome and in Latium, it is the living heart of the country that speaks.

Mausoleo di Romolo, Roma

To learn more

Projet financé par l’Union européenne – Next Generation EU « Antichi cammini d’Italia »,
PNRR – Mission M1C3 Investissement 4.3 Intervention 274 – maître d’ouvrage MINISTÈRE DU TOURISME ITALIEN, Agence d’exécution ENIT SpA

Sponsored article by ENIT S.p.A.