Skip to content

Best Pilgrimage Hikes in Italy

We track 164 routes that match this search in Italy. They average 36.5 km and 798 m (2,618 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 521 km.

That is 1 percent of the 12,574 routes we map in Italy. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 36.5 km against 9.0 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 798 m (2,618 ft) on average versus 326 m (1,070 ft) across the wider area.

Historic pilgrim ways come with waymarking, infrastructure and a rhythm built up over centuries of use. The mix is broad: 19 are rated easy and 102 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Hard

Via Romea - Part Tuscany - Alternative la Verna

Casentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park · Emilia-Romagna

Distance
24.3 km
/ 15.1 mi
Elevation gain
535 m
Typical duration
6 hr 9 min
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Via Francigena - Variant Collecchio

Parco Fluviale Regionale del Taro · Emilia-Romagna

Distance
15.3 km
/ 9.5 mi
Elevation gain
337 m
Typical duration
3 hr 43 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 02 Piedmont

Lombardy · Italy

Distance
94.4 km
/ 58.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,077 m
Typical duration
25 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 03 Lombardia

Emilia-Romagna · Italy

Distance
118 km
/ 73.6 mi
Elevation gain
2,606 m
Typical duration
31 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 05 Liguria

Emilia-Romagna · Italy

Distance
73.8 km
/ 45.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,623 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 06 Tuscany

Liguria · Italy

Distance
314 km
/ 195 mi
Elevation gain
6,912 m
Typical duration
84 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 07 Lazio

Lazio · Italy

Distance
381 km
/ 237 mi
Elevation gain
9,575 m
Typical duration
104 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 08 Campania

Campania · Italy

Distance
172 km
/ 107 mi
Elevation gain
3,550 m
Typical duration
45 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Francigena - 09 Puglia

Apulia · Italy

Distance
521 km
/ 324 mi
Elevation gain
4,821 m
Typical duration
131 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Romea - Part Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna · Italy

Distance
252 km
/ 157 mi
Elevation gain
5,546 m
Typical duration
67 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Romea - Part Latium

Lazio · Italy

Distance
153 km
/ 95.0 mi
Elevation gain
3,362 m
Typical duration
41 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Romea - Part Trentino

Trentino – Alto Adige/Südtirol · Italy

Distance
90.2 km
/ 56.0 mi
Elevation gain
1,984 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Romea - Part Tuscany

Emilia-Romagna · Italy

Distance
128 km
/ 79.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,810 m
Typical duration
34 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Romea - Part Umbria

Lazio · Italy

Distance
98.0 km
/ 60.9 mi
Elevation gain
2,155 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Romea - Part Venetia

Emilia-Romagna · Italy

Distance
166 km
/ 103 mi
Elevation gain
3,652 m
Typical duration
44 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Jakobsweg

Stelvio National Park · Trentino – Alto Adige/Südtirol

Distance
9.6 km
/ 6.0 mi
Elevation gain
212 m
Typical duration
2 hr 19 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Via Francigena - Variant

Tuscany · Italy

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
78 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Francigena - Variant Parma

Emilia-Romagna · Italy

Distance
20.4 km
/ 12.7 mi
Elevation gain
449 m
Typical duration
5 hr 5 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Via Romea - Part Tuscany - Alternative la VernaCasentinesi Forests, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park24.3 km535 m6 hr 9 minHardOctober to May
Via Francigena - Variant CollecchioParco Fluviale Regionale del Taro15.3 km337 m3 hr 43 minModerateOctober to May
Via Francigena - 02 PiedmontLombardy94.4 km2,077 m25 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 03 LombardiaEmilia-Romagna118 km2,606 m31 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 04 Emilia-Romagna partEmilia-Romagna149 km3,394 m40 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 05 LiguriaEmilia-Romagna73.8 km1,623 m19 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 06 TuscanyLiguria314 km6,912 m84 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 07 LazioLazio381 km9,575 m104 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 08 CampaniaCampania172 km3,550 m45 hrExpertOctober to May
Via Francigena - 09 PugliaApulia521 km4,821 m131 hrExpertOctober to May

If you only have time for one, start with Via Romea - Part Tuscany - Alternative la Verna, Via Francigena - Variant Collecchio, Via di Linari - tappa 8 - Rigoso - Linari (ruderi). Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

People also search for