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lunigiana

Via Francigena

The Francigena Route

The Francigena Route is a set of routes that led from Western Europe, precisely from France, to Rome.

These routes then continued towards Puglia, where there were ports of shipment for the Holy Land, a destination for pilgrims and crusaders.

In 990 the Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric went to Rome to meet Pope John XV. Through his travel diary he recorded the 80 stages between Rome and the shipment for England (near Calais in France).

The route was called Itinerary of Sigeric and later Via Francigena, as it is known today.

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For our choice we divided the Francigena Route, along its passage through the Lunigiana, into six different stages:

From the entrance in Tuscany through the official door of Passo della Cina, in the Comune di Pontremoli, until Sarzana. The aim is to allow hikers to fully admire and enjoy the naturalistic and historical beauties of the Lunigiana area.

We thank enormously the friends and colleagues of Sigeric, a cooperative of tourist guides, for their great help in narrating the 6 stages and historical notions.

Curiosity for tourists: it is in Lunigiana, from the point of the Quattro Strade di Caprigliola (town in the Comune di Aulla), that the pilgrims from northern Europe saw the sea for the first time after weeks of long travel!

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Via Francigena

Third Stage in Lunigiana

From Pontremoli to Filetto After passing the convent of SS. Annunziata and the town of Pontremoli, the Francigena path runs along the sides of the

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Via Francigena

Second Stage in Lunigiana

From Groppoli Valdantena to Pontremoli From the hilltop village of Groppoli Valdantena, the path descends steeply towards the Civasola stream, one of the many waterways

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Via Francigena

First Stage in Lunigiana

From the Cisa Pass to Groppoli Valdantena The Cisa Pass, the most important pass in the northern Apennines, marks the entrance to the Via Francigena

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Via Francigena

Fifth Stage in Lunigiana

From Terrarossa to Ponzano Superiore From the Castle of Terrarossa, in the Comune di Licciana Nardi, the Via Francigena continues south, towards the town of

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Via Francigena

Fourth Stage in Lunigiana

  From Filetto to Terrarossa From the walled village of Filetto, the route continues in the direction of Virgoletta, in the Comune di Villafranca. Before

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Via Francigena

Sixth Stage in Lunigiana

From Ponzano Superiore to Sarzana Coming down from Ponzano to Sarzana, our itinerary reaches the ruins of the Castle of the Brina, one of the

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