Via Francigena was a major pilgrimage and communication corridor in medieval Western Europe used to reach Rome and Jerusalem through the port of Brindisi. Declared ‘Cultural Route of the Council of Europe’ in 1994, The Via Francigena is based on the travel of Sigeric ‘the Serious’, Archbishop of Canterbury who visited in 990. The route runs through the entire Italian peninsula, from lake Como to Brindisi, along the Sigeric corridor from Pavia to Rome. It goes through the Po river plain and crosses the Cisa Pass to Tuscany, and moving behind Rome, goes through the Southern Apennines up to the Adriatic Sea.

Note: For the time being, it is recommended to take the train to skip the Palagiano-Taranto section.

Countries

Legend

Development status
  • Certified Section of at least 300 km that has successfully undergone the certification process in line with ECF’s European Certification Standard. It is the highest quality level on the EuroVelo network
  • Developed with EuroVelo signs Developed route (see category below) with continuous signing along the route, incorporating EuroVelo route information panels.
  • Developed Route developed for cyclists and signed in line with the respective national standard (i.e. it is part of a local, regional or national cycle network). There must also be a website providing information to users. Developed route can be heterogeneous in terms of infrastructure: type of cycling infrastructure, surface, width, gradients, etc
  • Under development Route containing sections that require further development (e.g. stretches on public highways with high levels of traffic). Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Planning Undeveloped route with no detailed information publicly available on the Internet. The itinerary communicated is a proposal for the best possible option currently available. It may also contain dangerous sections. Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Public transport link

Markers

  • Natural Heritage
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Cultural Heritage
  • Culinary Delights
  • Maritime Heritage / The Rhine / The Meuse
  • Other Point of Interest
  • Bus station
  • Train station
  • Mobility info center

National & Regional Information

Federazione Italiana Ambiente e Bicicletta

National EuroVelo Coordination Centre

The Italian National EuroVelo Coordinator's website provides plenty of information about cycling in Italy. Further information on cycle tourism is provided on their 'Bicitalia' website. Italian only.

+39 02 84073149

Albergabici

If a hotel, farmhouse, bed & breakfast or camp site is happy to accommodate cyclists, FIAB's Albergabici® service is the way to tell cyclists who are touring their area or just out for a day's excursion about their services. The website offers over 2000 places to stay, tailored for road bike, mtb or touring holidays and with e-maps to help you find accomodation along EuroVelo and national routes.

Bicitalia

If you're interested in the network of Italian national long-distance routes, then this is the right site for you. The aim of the site is to provide online maps of the network of cycleways, together with information about places to stay in and points of interest. The Bicitalia network includes 20 national routes. Download the tracks under 'Routing/GPSx'!