- self-guided hotel-to-hotel walking, luggage transported
- real sense of pilgrimage on ancient trails with sweeping views
- discover Italy's gastronomic capital of Bologna
- marvel at the great art city of Florence
Combining culture and full, rewarding days of walking, much of which is through majestic woodland, this is a magnificent pilgrimage between two great cities: Bologna, Italy’s gastronomic capital, in Emilia Romagna and Florence, perhaps the world’s greatest art city, in Tuscany. Linking the two is the Via degli Dei (the Route of the Gods), a series of ancient drovers’ roads and mule tracks that lead through beech woods and along broad, grassy ridges between rugged peaks named after gods.
"A highlight of the walk was being able to walk literally out of Bologna and into Florence. From the centre of Bologna there is a 666-arch colonnaded walkway to the magnificent church of San Luca, which overlooks the city. Beyond San Luca, you’re into the countryside."
Philippa Barr, ExpatLiving Singapore
You follow this most of the way, with stays at traditional wayside inns adding to this sense of pilgrimage. The views from the ridges are inspirational, and to witness the subtle daily changes in landscapes as you walk from the Apennines into Tuscany's Mugello Hills is immensely satisfying.