Way of San Jacopo in Tuscany
A small Camino de Santiago from Florence to Lucca
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.

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