From the Via Francigena to the mountains of the Via degli Dei, from the monasteries of San Benedetto to the
landscapes of the Matera Way: seven itineraries to cross Italy when summer slows down, the
temperatures become milder and walking is once again one of the most beautiful ways to know
truly a territory.
In September the noise changes. The beaches slowly begin to empty, the cities resume the
ordinary rhythm and the first signs of autumn appear in the countryside. The light comes more obliquely.
The days remain long enough to be outdoors, but the heat, at least in many areas
of Italy, loses the aggressiveness of the central weeks of summer. It’s the time when you feel like
put the boots back on. Not to conquer a peak. Not necessarily to accomplish
a business. Just to go. One step after another.
Slow tourism starts here: from
decision to give up speed for a few days. Walking we can’t cross
five regions in one morning. We can’t see ten monuments in two hours. We are forced to
respect real distances. A country which in a car appears around a curve may require
an hour’s walk. A hill must have gone up. A river crossed. The rain expected. Ed
It is precisely this apparent limitation that makes walking so powerful. The territory returns to
have a measure.
The Italy of paths
Italy seems designed to be crossed on foot. Its geography is a web of
mountains, hills, plains, coasts, villages, monasteries, ancient trade routes and routes of
pilgrimage. For centuries we moved along these roads before the automobile redesigned the
our relationship with distances. Today many itineraries have been recovered, reported and organized
to welcome a new generation of walkers. Some have deep religious roots. Others
they follow ancient communication routes. Still others are contemporary routes built
connecting paths, villages and cultural heritage. What unites them is the idea that the journey does not begin
when you arrive. Travel is all that happens before.
Via Francigena. The great road to Rome
If there is a path capable of telling the European dimension of medieval Italy, it is the Via Francigena. For centuries pilgrims, merchants, religious and travellers from Northern Europe they crossed the continent heading towards Rome. One of the most important testimonies of the route is linked to Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury, who at the end of the 10th century noted the stages of the journey made returning from Rome to England. That diary became one of the fundamental references for the reconstruction of the historical itinerary.
Today the Via Francigena crosses more countries and in Italy it descends from the Great St. Bernard through the Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Lazio up to Rome, then continuing along the southern routes towards the ports of Puglia. It takes weeks to walk it in its entirety. But you don’t need to have one month available. La Francigena lends itself perfectly to trips of a few days. And is it perhaps in Tuscany which has built some of the most famous images. San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Siena, the Val d’Orcia, Radicofani. The walker passes through landscapes he already knew from the photographs, but he discovers them with a completely different perspective. On foot you can feel the climbs, the wind, the smells of the countryside. You arrive in the square not as visitors who have come down from a bus, but like people who took hours to reach it. It’s a subtle difference only in appearance.
Why do it in September
The Tuscany of the Francigena still retains bright days in September, while the countryside enters the harvest season. The most exposed traits can still be
warm and require water, sun protection and morning departures. But compared to the most torrid periods
of summer the journey can become progressively more pleasant. In the Alpine areas, at the
On the contrary, September already requires greater attention to weather conditions.
A journey hundreds of kilometers long inevitably passes through different seasons at the same time.
- Way of St. Benedict. Italy of the Monasteries and the Apennines
Norcia. Subiac. Montecassino. Three names are enough to understand the historical depth of this
path. The Way of St. Benedict connects some of the most important places related to life and
to the spiritual legacy of Benedict of Nursia crossing Umbria and Lazio up to the abbey of
Montecassino. It’s a journey into the central Apennines, far from the major tourist routes. Yes
walk through woods, plateaus, small towns, hermitages and monasteries. Here the religious dimension is
evident, but you don’t have to be a pilgrim to perceive the value of the route. Saint
Benedict belongs to European cultural history. The Benedictine monastic network had in
centuries a fundamental role in the conservation and transmission of knowledge, in agriculture
and in the organization of many territories. Walking among the places linked to its history therefore means
cross an important part of the formation of medieval Europe.
Subiaco, the stop that’s worth the trip
Among the most impressive places is the Sacro Speco of Subiaco, built around the cave in the
which, according to tradition, Benedict lived as a hermit. The monastery seems to cling to the
rock face. Entering after hours of walking changes the perception of the building. It is no longer alone
a monument to visit. Become part of the journey. This is one of the most
interesting of spiritual paths: architecture and landscape are not two separate experiences.
Way of the Gods. From Bologna to Florence crossing the Apennines
The name seems to promise mythology. It actually derives from some mountains crossed by the route,
with names like Monte Adone, Monzuno and Monte Venere. The Way of the Gods connects Bologna and
Florence crossing the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. It has become in recent years one of the paths
most popular in Italy, especially because it allows you to start from the heart of a big city and arrive
in the heart of another after a few days of paths, woods and ridges. Bologna is leaving and
progressively the urban landscape disappears. Hills, small towns and the Apennines arrive. In
some sections of the route encounters evidence of ancient Roman roads, linked to the so-called
Military Flaminia. Then we descend towards Tuscany. Florence appears at the end. Arrive on foot in a
cities that millions of people reach by train, car or plane produces a sensation
particular. The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore is not just a monument. It is the signal that the
trip is ending.
A contemporary journey with ancient roots
The Way of the Gods, in the form in which we know it today, is a relatively modern itinerary,
but it uses paths and routes that have been crossed by man for centuries. It is a good example of how the
slow tourism can recover minor infrastructure and restore economic value to territories that
otherwise they would risk remaining on the margins of large flows. Hostels, bed and breakfasts,
trattorias, bars and small services in the towns become an essential part of the experience.
Matera Way. Towards Matera, but looking at everything that comes before
Matera possesses such strength that it risks obscuring the journey necessary to reach her. The
Cammino Materano overturns this perspective. Matera becomes the destination, but the real story
it’s the road. The project includes several routes that converge towards the city of the Sassi. Among the most
known is the Via Peuceta, which connects Bari to Matera crossing internal Puglia and the
Basilicata. We start from the Adriatic Sea and gradually enter a landscape made up of olive groves,
countryside, woods, ravines and small towns. Bitetto, Cassano delle Murge, Santeramo in Colle,
Altamura. Each stop changes the image of Puglia that many travelers possess. Not
only the sea and white farmhouses. There is a vast, agricultural, silent hinterland, in which the
path allows you to read the relationship between city and countryside.
Arrive at the Sassi on foot
Then Matera arrives. The profile of the city appears after days of walking and has a meaning
completely different than arriving by car. The Sassi are not simply the goal
photographic. They are the end point of a physically traversed geography. Here too, September can
be an interesting month, but temperatures in the Mezzogiorno can remain high.
Dawn departures, sufficient water and careful planning are indispensable.
Dante’s Way. Between Florence and Ravenna on the trail of the poet
There are paths built around faith and others around history. Dante’s Way
adds literature. It ideally connects Florence, the city where Dante Alighieri was born, to
Ravenna, where he died in 1321 and where his tomb is located. The route passes through Tuscany and
Emilia-Romagna, Apennines and villages that allow us to reconstruct not only the biography of the
poet, but also the landscape of medieval Italy. Dante experienced exile. He knew streets, courts,
cities and territories far from Florence that he would never see again. Walking among those places today
means transforming a figure often confined to schoolbooks into a real man
within a geography.
Literature returns to landscape
That’s the charm of the route. Some names encountered in the Comedy stop being
just words. Mountains, rivers and cities regain a consistency. The path thus becomes a
form of physical reading. It does not replace the book, of course. It expands it. It’s an itinerary
particularly suited to Italian Tradition because it demonstrates how tourism, literature and territory
can become a single story.
- Francis’ Way. Umbria seen with other eyes
Assisi is one of the best-known spiritual destinations in Italy. But getting there by walking means
completely change the relationship with the place. The Franciscan routes cross Umbria and
neighboring territories connecting some of the most important places in the life of Francis of Assisi. The network is
articulated and can be traveled according to different itineraries. What remains constant is the
landscape. Woods, hills, olive groves, hermitages, small villages and cities of art build an Umbria in the
what nature and spirituality seem to continually overlap. Spoleto, Trevi, Foligno, Assisi,
Gubbio: according to the chosen route, the walker meets some of the most important centers of the
region.
Assisi after the road
Entering Assisi after days of walking is different from arriving directly in front of the Basilica
of St. Francis. The city appears progressively. First from afar, lying on the side of the
Mount Subasio. Then closer and closer. The fatigue of the last stretch changes the meaning of the arrival. IS
one of the reasons why pilgrimages have always attached so much importance to the route. One
goal reached slowly acquires a weight that no fast vehicle can replicate.
- Wayfarer’s Path. On foot above Lake Como
The last itinerary changes scenery completely. The Wayfarer’s Path runs along the
eastern shore of Lake Como, following ancient routes connecting towns, mountains and
valleys. The lake often remains below the walker, appearing among the trees and behind the terraces.
Abbadia Lariana, Mandello del Lario, Varenna, Bellano, Dervio, Colico: the route allows you to
build different stages and, thanks to the presence of the railway along a good part of the bank
oriental, can also be addressed in daily sections. It is a valuable feature for those
wants to approach tourism on foot without immediately embarking on a week-long journey.
The lake away from the road
Lake Como is one of the best-known Italian destinations in the world, but the Sentiero del
Wanderer allows you to observe it from a different perspective. The longest lakesides are left
frequented and you climb through woods, hamlets, mule tracks and terraces. Famous villas and locations
remain part of the landscape, but no longer constitute its sole centre. It’s a way
intelligent to distribute the journey over territories less crossed by large flows.
Why September
September has a particular quality for those who walk. It’s not automatically the month
perfect: Italy is too long and geographically different for a rule to hold
everywhere. In the Alps the weather can worsen rapidly and as the month progresses the daylight hours
they decrease. In the South, the heat can still be intense. In the Apennines, thunderstorms and changes
weather requires attention. But this very transition makes September interesting. I
colors start to change. The grape harvest animates many campaigns. Villages catch up on a rhythm
less summery. In a number of destinations, the tourist pressure of August decreases. The walker
get back to having space.
Thirty days are not needed
One of the most frequent misunderstandings about the world of walking is to think that to start you need
weeks. It is not so. A large itinerary can be traveled in full or divided into
segments. A weekend on the Francigena can be a complete journey. Three days on the Way of the
Gods can become the first part of a path to end later. A stage of the
Path of the Wanderer can be enough to understand if that way of traveling belongs to us. Tourism
slow is not a race of kilometers.
The backpack teaches you to choose
Walking for several days introduces a small revolution: everything we decide to bring
will have a weight on our shoulders. Suddenly the difference between necessary and superfluous becomes
very clear. An extra change weighs. A bottle weighs. An inserted object “if needed”
weighs. The backpack forces you to choose. And it’s a lesson that continues off the path. Who
He has walked for days with few objects and often finds that he needs much less than
how much he imagined.
Shoes come before photography
The romantic component of the journey must not make one forget that practice. An itinerary goes
prepared. You need to know the length and difference in level of the stages, check the accommodation facilities,
Check the weather forecast and find out about the conditions of the route through the canals
officers. You need footwear already used, not inaugurated on the day of departure. Adequate water
at the stage. Protection from sun and rain. A small first aid kit. In the most isolated routes it is
it is important to know the points where you can get supplies. And you have to be willing to change
plan. If the weather gets seriously worse, stopping doesn’t mean failing.
The luxury of having little
After two or three days something happens. The day becomes elementary. Wake up. Do
breakfast. Pack your backpack. Walk. Stop. Eat. To start again. Arrive. Make a
shower. Have dinner. Sleep. Decisions decrease. And with them a part of the noise decreases
which normally fills our days. Maybe that’s also why the paths have
conquered people very different from each other. Not everyone seeks spirituality. Not everyone is looking for sports.
Some are simply looking for a space in which to return to having time.
The countries that fast tourism does not see
There is also an economic and territorial value. Many paths pass through small distant municipalities
from the main tourist routes. The walker sleeps, eats, buys water, enters a bar,
uses local services. It does not necessarily bring large figures in a single day, but distributes
your own spending along the way. For villages affected by depopulation and reduction of services,
a constant and respectful flow can be an opportunity. Of course the walk alone
does not solve structural problems. But it can bring attention back to territories that traditional tourism
would cross without stopping.
Slow tourism is not going slowly
It’s mostly a different way of looking. We can travel a road slowly without
see nothing. And we can cross a city in a few hours with great care. The slowness
useful is not just a question of physical speed. It is availability for the meeting. Stopping to talk
with those who run a small bar. Asking for the name of a mountain. Entering a church that does not
he was on the guide. Tasting a product because someone told us the story. Change
route because an inhabitant suggests a detour. The path creates conditions because everything
this happens more easily.
Italy at the speed of our steps
In the car the landscape flows. On the train it appears and disappears behind a window. On foot
we have to go through it. If there’s a hill, let’s go up. If the country is ten kilometers away, those ten
kilometers really exist. We feel the temperature change as we enter a forest.
We recognize the smell of the earth after the rain. We hear the bells of a country before that
to see its bell tower. These are small details, but in the end they constitute the memory of the journey.
When it finally comes
Then comes the goal. Rome. Florence. Matera. Assisi. Ravenna. Montecassino. Or simply the
station from which we will return home. We stop. Let’s take off the backpack. Feet hurt and
suddenly it seems strange not to have to continue. Let’s look at the road we’ve traveled on the map
and we find that, seen like this, it appears incredibly small compared to the effort required to
cross it. It is at that moment that perhaps the deepest sense of the path is understood. Not
we got further than we could have done with a car. On the contrary. On several days
we traveled a distance that a train would have covered in a few hours. But we saw everything
what was in between. September is one of the best times to try. The Via Francigena, the
Way of Saint Benedict, the Way of the Gods, the Matera Way, Dante’s Way, the ways
Franciscans and the Path of the Wanderer are only seven possibilities. Italy offers many more.
You have to choose a direction, pack your backpack and get started. Because sometimes the way
Better to rediscover Italy is not to look for a new place. It’s reaching it more slowly.