Those who travel the Via Francigena today, on foot or by bicycle with the natural rhythm of the wayfarer of the past, embracing the custom of “slow travel” back, can discover routes rich in history and traditions; can encounter monuments that still evoke the practice of pilgrimage, such as the cathedral of Fidenza; can rediscover hidden gems of architecture such as the Romanesque Pieve di Bardone, at the foot of the ancient pass of Monte Bardone (Cisa); can visit and touch shrines and relics that have attracted pilgrims for centuries, such as the mysterious and famous Holy Face venerated in the cathedral of S. Martino di Lucca, or the beautiful “majesties” (effigies of the Virgin) made of Carrara marble, placed on the houses facades along the roads of Lunigiana and Versilia.
Treasures are not only the “sacred places”, but also the numerous “profane places” such as the medieval thermal bath in Bagno Vignoni, near Siena. Or the natural Roman baths in Bagnaccio. You can still walk on the flagstones of the Roman via Cassia, emerging in the grass in Capranica, among the hazel groves, places linked to the memory of Charlemagne and the chanson de geste. Or visit the area of Baccano, near Rome.
With nature and history, the ancient infrastructure of travel also arises: granaries and fortified bridges, hospitals, post stations, cisterns, mills, ancient inns…

European Association of Via Francigena Ways