Emilia is a region to be experienced on foot, revealing itself to travelers and hikers who leave the city behind to immerse themselves in an intertwining of the history and nature, culture, food and wines of the great historical itineraries that were traveled by pilgrims down the centuries.
History, nature and slow tourism
Routes like the famous Via Francigena that crosses the heart of the Parma and Piacenza Apennines, the ancient Via degli Abati an early medieval route, the Via di Linari that touches places of great naturalistic importance such as the UNESCO Tuscan-Emilian Apennines Biosphere Reserve, and the Via Matildica del Volto Santo through the ancient fiefdom of Matilde di Canossa.
A Council of Europe Cultural Route
One of the most popular routes for travelers of all ages is the Via Francigena. On over 1,000 kilometers between the Gran San Bernardo Pass and Rome, it crossed the heart of the Apennines in the provinces of Piacenza and Parma, and was declared a Council of Europe Cultural Route in 1994.
Walking along mule tracks and ancient pathways
The Via degli Abati, also called the Francigena di Montagna, is an ancient late-medieval itinerary used by the monks of the San Colombano di Bobbio Monastery to get to Rome, crossing part of the province of Pavia and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The 190 kilometres of this demanding walk are in part mule tracks, cart tracks and pathways with only small sections giving away to asphalted roads.
Following in the footsteps of the pilgrims of yesteryear
The network of paths along ancient medieval routes that constitutes the heart of the Via Matildica del Volto Santo is an opportunity to set our feet but also our imagination working as we come to the castles of the Countess Matilde di Canossa, crossing villages and trampling the same venerable land traveled long ago by pilgrims on their religious journeys.
Nature, art, fine foods and wines
The Via di Linari, an ancient deviation of the Via Francigena, takes its name from the abbey of the same name on the borders between Emilia and Tuscany. This was a commercial route and an alternative for pilgrims on their way to Rome and Lucca, and today it is a fascinating experience of discovery of nature, art, fine foods and wines.
