Walk from Florence to Assisi this September and Go Backwards in Time

Our September 3-19 walk from Florence to Assisi allows pilgrims to enjoy sixteen unforgettable days in some of Central Italy's most beautiful and historic towns. The walk begins in Florence, Capital of the Renaissance, walks through the Casetine National Forest and then carries pilgrims through beautiful Umbrian countryside to the beloved town of Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis.

But that description doesn't really do it justice. What really happens on this walk is that pilgrims begin in Renaissance Florence and walk back in time through to the simpler times of Medieval Italy.

We all know about Renaissance Florence very well. Here a person can wander among treasured artworks like the Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael or The Holy Family by Michelangelo. Or perhaps you would want to stop at the burial place of Galileo at Basilica Santa Croce or ponder the construction of Brunelleschi's dome or spend time in amazement at Michelangelo's David. All are a few blocks away from each other in the must-see town of Florence, on the banks of the Arno River.

In the first days' walks, following the Arno Valley, we are transported back in time. The mighty forest of the Casentino park greets us as we climb first to Camaldoli Monastery, home to monks and hermits for hundreds of years before the Renaisssance. Then it's on to beloved Santuario della Verna, where one of the greats of the Middle Ages, St. Francis of Assisi, received his stigmata. Each step of the way is along timeless nature paths in fresh, mountain air on an itinerary punctuated with scenic Umbrian towns like Sansepolcro, Città di Castello, Gubbio, and finally beautiful Assisi. 

Filled with stories of St. Francis, quiet walks on country paths, and delicious Umbrian cuisine, the Florence to Assisi itinerary shows a side of Italy you would never see on a bus. Here is open Italian countryside, simple and beautiful as it was through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and today.

With experience based on walking over 4,500 kilometers on pilgrim routes in Europe, we've put together a suite of 2017 pilgrimage itineraries in gorgeous Italy that are perfect for either the first time pilgrim or for experienced pilgrims who want a strong support infrastructure helping them along the way. Here's how we do it:

• Full van service is provided each and every day;
• Full baggage service supports us all the way;
• High-quality accommodations are our home each night;
• A limit of 10 per group means close friendships;
• Accompanied by Via di Francesco expert, Sandy Brown, author of The Way of St. Francis: From Florence to Assisi and Rome