Way of San Jacopo in Tuscany

Automatic translation:
In Tuscany there is a small Camino de Santiago! It is the Cammino di San Jacopo, from Florence to Lucca: a four-day walk on the route of the Via Cassa-Clodia, a real stretch of the Camino towards Santiago that from the cradle of the Renaissance leads to the walls of Lucca through Prato, Pistoia - the little Santiago - and Pescia.

Our hotel is located in Montecatini Terme, right in the middle of the path and will be a comfortable base for departure and return. Your home in Tuscany with all the comforts dedicated to walkers.

It starts from Florence: a few steps and you already feel like a traveler walking among Etruscan gardens and necropolis, noble villas and ancient parish churches. Prato, first stop, is a little known jewel, with its Swabian castle, its cathedral with multicolored marble, the influence of the Chinese community that enlivens and enriches it. And then Pistoia, which houses the relic of San Jacopo in its Cathedral, which came directly from Compostella; the medieval village of Pescia and the nearby Collodi, the city of Pinocchio, up to Lucca, the city of ovens and shops, ancient walls and hanging gardens that decorate tall medieval towers.
On your way, protected nature reserves, fortified villages, jewels of industrial archeology and Roman roads still marked by the passage of ancient wagons; a concentration of art, nature and history in four surprising days of walking.

Day 1: From Florence to Prato (14 km / 27 km)
One of the (many) wonders of Florence is that it only takes a moment to pass from the lively maze of streets in the center, animated by shops and tourists, to the silence of a garden, to the song of cicadas in a road that goes up the hill, running parallel to the ancient route of the Via Cassia: you are now leaving the city, yet it already seems so far away.
On your street, Medici villas and Etruscan archaeological areas - the Necropolis of Palastreto, in Quinto Fiorentino - churches and small villages, placid streams that flow under pedestrian bridges.
And then the Pieve and the Castle of Calenzano, a fortified village that hosts every year a beloved medieval carnival and a festival of street arts, up to the views of Prato and the arrival in its historic center: a precious but little known jewel, in dominated by the Emperor's Swabian Castle and the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, which houses works by Filippo Lippi, Paolo Uccello, Donatello and Michelozzo.
The wealth of Prato is also its mixture of cultures, Eastern and Western that coexist and complement each other: for dinner ravioli and sweet cantucci, why not?
Note: if the kilometers seem too many or you want to spend a few hours visiting Florence, you can walk to Sesto Fiorentino station and from there reach Prato by train.

Day 2: From Prato to Pistoia (20 km / 27 km)
Greetings Prato, and now you walk along the bank of the Bisenzio river, recently re-naturalized: now it is a paradise for various species of birds and otters, a very special environment that heralds today's stage, immersed in nature.
The itinerary is full of surprises: Figline and the beautiful Romanesque church of San Pietro, with the tabernacle of Sant'Anna; a few kilometers, and you immerse yourself in the Protected Area of ​​Monteferrato, a natural paradise from which you can glimpse the finish line of this day, the dome of Pistoia.
Then the Rocca di Montemurlo, with its crenellated tower that stands out imposingly protected by centuries-old trees, the village of Montale, ancient villas surrounded by gardens and nurseries - in turn concealing, like caskets, treasures of contemporary art.
Finally, here is Pistoia, "the little Santiago": among the treasures kept by the cathedral there is also the relic of San Jacopo, which arrived in Pistoia directly in the Compostella in 1145.
Note: if the kilometers seem too many, don't worry - you can reduce them by taking the train from Agliana station to Pistoia.

Day 3: From Pistoia to Pescia (10 km / 29 km)
Today a long, surprising, ever-changing stage awaits you: gentle ups and downs, hilly paths and flat stretches, villages and castles.
Leaving Pistoia, go up Colle Lucense, the ancient name of the hill from which pilgrims first sighted the bell towers of Pistoia; greeted the little Santiago, continue between ups and downs immersed in the countryside, from the Pieve di Groppoli to the fortified village of Serravalle, along the bank of the Nievole stream and in Montecatini, with its beautiful historic thermal baths and their miraculous water.
Then continue among parks and gardens, citrus groves and ancient selviati, fortified villages - Stignano, La Costa and Uzzano, famous for their Romanesque churches: from Uzzano you can admire a unique panorama that extends up to San Miniato, in the beautiful days.
The goal of the day is Pescia, with its beautiful Cathedral.
Note: if you prefer a more relaxed day, you can choose to stop in Montecatini and walk to Montecatini Alta for lunch in the picturesque Piazza Giusti, then reach Pescia by train from Montecatini Bassa.

Day 4: From Pescia to Lucca (20 km / 27 km)
Ready for the last day of walking? The fairytale is not over, it continues intersecting with that of Pinocchio: from Pescia, in fact, walk along the Via della Fiaba to Collodi, the town of the most famous puppet in the world, and then immerse yourself in a fairytale garden, full of exotic plants.
Then continue along cobblestones marked by the wheels of ancient wagons, secondary roads with beautiful churches to peek into before continuing your journey, skirting canals overlooked by mills and oil mills, and finally along the Serchio cycle path as far as Lucca.
Lucca is the most beautiful of goals: the Francigena pearl enclosed by high passable walls, the ancient center a labyrinth of cobbled streets, shops, ancient amphitheaters that have turned into lively squares where children play.