Via Francigena: Lucca to Siena

Today you are expected in the city of Lucca, the historic capital of the area. The city walls wrap around its narrow streets and the vibrant Piazza dell’Anfiteatro. Take time to stroll along the ramparts and do not forget to pay the cathedral of San Martino a visit. Seek out the small carved labyrinth on the wall. Medieval pilgrims traced its winding path with a fingertip as a symbolic prologue to their adventure. Find it and let the journey begin here before you shoulder your backpack.

The walk starts within the city walls of Lucca. Soon you leave the stones behind and head out into the open, where ditches, vegetable gardens and orchards slowly pass you by. It is a relatively gentle warm up, meant to let your feet and mind get used to walking and to discover Tuscany step by step.

You follow quiet roads past Antraccoli and Capannori, with churches, small squares and cosy old farmhouses. At the parish church in Capannori you can take a short break at one of the many pilgrims’ labyrinths on this journey. After that it becomes quieter: after Porcari the path winds along farm tracks between fields, vineyards and canals, with the occasional short stretch beside a busier road, so keep an eye out there!

Just before the end, the old abbey of Badia Pozzeveri appears, a lovely spot for one last break in the shade of cypresses. After that you soon walk into Altopascio, passing the church of San Jacopo and the remains of the medieval hospital that overlook the square. You turn off towards your accommodation for the night and end the day with a shower, a glass of wine and the sounds of the lively village around you.