Via Francigena

The Via Francigena is an historical pilgrimage route, it ranges from Lucca to Versilia and in medieval times it was the main route for the thousands of pilgrims going to Rome, the holy city of Christendom.
History says that Sigeric, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote down the route on his way back to Rome, where he had visited Pope John XV.

In the Middle Ages it also became an artery of trade and cultural exchanges of extraordinary importance. The heavy influx of pilgrims and traders, led to the building, along its course, of hospices, villages, monasteries and castles that are examples of Romanesque architecture, often well preserved and incorporated into a natural landscape and which enhance its value.

It was possibile to reach the city of Lucca by two street called "via de supra" and "Via de subtus", the first of which ran through the town once called "Feliciaio" while the second ran from the settlement of Lombard origin named Tempagnano. In the city, many hospitals, attached to the main city churches, welcomed and restored the pilgrims.

Information

Parma Turismi
tel. 0521.228152 - info@parmaturismi.it

APT Massa Carrara
tel. 0585.240063 - info@aptmassacarrara.it