In September 2025, I set off on the final stage of my walk from Sagres in Portugal to Rome in Italy.

I started in La Spezia, where I had ended the beautiful Via della Costa in 2023, and generally followed the tracks of the Via Francigena.

The Via Francigena is an historical pilgrims path, stretching 2.230 km from Canterbury to Rome, it crosses 5 countries, 16 regions, and over 600 municipalities, from plains to hills and mountain passes. I walked the last 500km.

Known as a trading route since the middle ages, the route was in fact a multitude of routes leading to Rome. The current Via Francigena is accredited to Sigeric the Serious, Archbishop of Canterbury, when he used the Via Francigena to travel to Rome for his consecration by Pope John XV. He recorded his return journey, and the places he stopped, in a document which is now held by the British Library, and is now the base for the path travelled by many pilgrims. 

I walked the last 500km and beautiful walk, not least between San Miniato and Radicofani, where Tuscany’s rolling hills are around every corner, and fantastic villages (often on to of hill tops) and towns are dotted along the route. 

I met many other walkers, not least between Lucca and Siena, but also quite a few walking to Rome. I only met one person who had walked all the way from Canterbury. But this isn’t the Camino Frances from Saria, but the stage I met and talked to most walkers on my walk from Sagres to Rome.

On the down side, there was no or very limited infrastructure on many of the stages, and when walking in 35C, not least the lack of water taps becomes an issue. 

I also found the white gravel paths, of which there are many in Tuscany, hard on the feet. I took a pair of what turned out to be well worn shoes that I had used on a couple of previous through hikes – that was a mistake.

Finally the arrival in Rome was a massive let down. There were so many people, that it was close to impossible to get into the church to get the Testimonium, even with the stamp book that gives immediate access. Arriving a Saturday during the Jubilee probably didn’t help!

But despite the above, the walk through Tuscany was fabulous and the walk is highly recommended. 

Feel free to contact me for information or questions.