I'm Stefano, and I guide people through the Tuscany most tourists never see. Want to hike in Tuscany with me?
Last updated 8 October 2026
Everyone knows about the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Hundreds of thousands walk it every year, books have been written about it, and it has become almost a cultural pilgrimage for modern seekers.
But almost nobody knows that Tuscany has its own Camino, on the old pilgrim roads to the relic of St James in Pistoia.
The Cammino di San Jacopo connects Florence to Livorno across about 172 kilometers, passing through some of Tuscany’s most beautiful and historically significant cities. Unlike the famous Spanish route, this path remains genuinely uncrowded, allowing you to experience what pilgrimage walking felt like before it became mass tourism.
Walking the Cammino and want a rest day in real nature? I guide private day hikes within reach of every stage. See the hikes on a map
The Route: Florence to Livorno
As far as Lucca, the Cammino follows the ancient Via Cassia-Clodia, a Roman road that has connected these territories for over two thousand years, and from Pisa to Livorno it picks up the Via Aemilia Scauri. The official route has six stages, from Piazza del Duomo in Florence to the sea at Livorno. The distances below are the route association’s and add up to just under 175 km (Visit Tuscany gives 172.5 for the whole walk):
Florence to Prato (27 km) - You leave the Renaissance capital past the Medici villas of Careggi and Castello, the Etruscan tombs around Quinto and the parish church and castle of Calenzano. Prato welcomes you with its often-overlooked treasures: the Swabian castle, the green-and-white striped cathedral, and the relic of the Holy Girdle.
Prato to Pistoia (27 km) - River paths along the Bisenzio, the Monteferrato protected area, the Rocca di Montemurlo and the old Lombard abbey of San Salvatore in Agna guide you to Pistoia, the spiritual heart of this entire pilgrimage.
Pistoia to Pescia (30 km) - You pass the Pieve di Groppoli, Castruccio’s castle at Serravalle and the villages of Buggiano and Uzzano before the medieval town of Pescia, whose cathedral keeps the body of Sant’Allucio. A variant climbs to Montecatini Alto, where you can also sleep and split the stage in two.
Pescia to Lucca (26 km) - The Via della Fiaba leads to Collodi and the park of Villa Garzoni, then through the hill villages of San Gennaro, Petrognano and Segromigno in Monte and along the Via dell’Acquacalda, lined with proto-industrial buildings, before arriving at Lucca’s magnificent Renaissance walls.
Lucca to Pisa (29 km) - The fifth stage leaves Lucca along the Ozzeri canal, then climbs the slopes of Monte Pisano on shaded paths and old paved tracks before dropping to Ripafratta. One of the most dramatic sections passes beneath the Castello di Ripafratta, a 12th-century fortress perched above the Serchio River gorge. This medieval stronghold once controlled the vital passage between the rival republics of Lucca and Pisa, and its ruined towers still stand over the valley, though restoration works have closed the castle for now. The castle sits where the river narrows through rock walls, creating a wild contrast to the surrounding agricultural plains. From here, the path follows the Serchio on the Puccini cycle and foot path, through Pontasserchio, before arriving at Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli beneath the famous Leaning Tower.
Pisa to Livorno (36 km) - The last stage crosses Pisa past Santa Maria della Spina, follows the Navicelli canal to San Pietro a Grado and runs through the coastal pine forest into Livorno, past the Fortezza Nuova and the Fortezza Vecchia. It ends on the seafront at the church of San Jacopo in Acquaviva, which the association calls its Finisterrae: medieval pilgrims sailed from its pier for Santiago or Jerusalem.
Short on days? Pisa makes a natural place to stop after five stages, but the official route ends at the sea in Livorno.
Pistoia: Little Santiago
The centerpiece of this entire pilgrimage is Pistoia, which holds something extraordinary: a relic of St. James sent straight from Santiago de Compostela.
The relic, a fragment of the saint’s skull, came from Compostela at the request of Bishop Atto of Pistoia. The diocese dates its arrival to July 1144; most tourism accounts say 1145. This remarkable gesture, essentially a diplomatic and spiritual handshake between Compostela and Pistoia, established Pistoia as a legitimate pilgrimage destination and made the city famous throughout medieval Europe. It earned Pistoia the nickname “Santiago Minor” or “Little Santiago.”
In Pistoia’s Cathedral of San Zeno, the relic rests in a gilded silver reliquary that Lorenzo Ghiberti made in 1407, in front of the magnificent Silver Altar, which goldsmiths worked on from 1287 to 1456. Outside, between the cathedral square and Via degli Orafi, stands Italy’s only Camino de Santiago milestone, a gift from Galicia in 2019 that marks the distances to Santiago and to Rome along the old pilgrim roads. Santiago is roughly 2,500 kilometers away. Standing in that square, you feel the weight of centuries, the footsteps of countless pilgrims who passed through this same space with their own burdens, their own questions, their own need for something beyond the everyday.
Why Walk This Path?
For spiritual seekers: Pistoia has honoured its relic of St James for nearly nine centuries. Along the way you stop at old parish churches and walk into the cathedral that made the city a pilgrim destination, on a route that ties Tuscany to Santiago.
For history enthusiasts: Every stage reveals layers of Italian history (Etruscan tombs, Roman roads, Lombard abbeys, medieval fortifications like Ripafratta, Renaissance villas, proto-industrial buildings). You’re not just reading about history; you’re walking through it.
For those seeking challenge without extremity: The Cammino is accessible to most fitness levels. The official stages run from 26 to 36 kilometers, on terrain that mixes paved roads, dirt paths, and cobblestone streets. It’s demanding enough to feel accomplished but not so brutal that the journey becomes purely about survival.
For people who want authentic Tuscany: Yes, you pass through famous cities, but between them the route crosses small villages and working farmland that most visitors never see.
The Practical Reality
Terrain: Mostly flat to gently rolling, with some hilly sections between villages. The association rates three stages medium (Prato to Pistoia, Pistoia to Pescia and the long Pisa to Livorno) and the other three easy, and Pistoia’s tourist board puts the total climb at about 2,050 meters. No technical difficulty, but daily distances require good fitness.
Waymarking: Look for small white-and-red stickers on road-sign poles. A scallop shell points west toward Santiago, and a little pilgrim figure points the other way, toward Rome. Now and then they’re paired with the route’s own logo, a yellow shell on a blue background. Outside the towns you’ll also find painted arrows, yellow toward Santiago and orange toward Rome. The stickers are discreet and easy to miss, so slow down at junctions, and in urban areas following the correct path requires attention.
Accommodation: Pilgrim hostels are few, far fewer than on the Spanish Camino, so most nights mean a hotel, an agriturismo or a B&B. In Pistoia the pilgrim house is the Spedale di Sant’Andrea e San Jacopo, beside the church of Sant’Andrea, run by the Confraternita di San Jacopo di Compostella on donations. If you’d rather have a room of your own, I particularly recommend Villa Agnolaccio, a B&B in a historic villa a few kilometers west of the center, right on the line of the Pistoia to Pescia stage. I know the owners well: they welcome pilgrims and understand what walkers need, from a comfortable room to a proper breakfast before a long stage.
Season: The route is walkable year-round, though summer can be very hot, especially on stages crossing open plains. April to June and September to October offer the best conditions.
Duration: At one official stage a day, the full route to Livorno takes six days, or five if you stop in Pisa. You can also walk individual stages or focus on specific sections.
Pilgrim credential: The association doesn’t print a credential of its own. It accepts the pilgrim credenziale handed out by two volunteer groups, the Comunità Toscana Il Pellegrino and the Confraternita di San Jacopo di Compostella; it isn’t sold, and the first asks only for the postage. You get it stamped at lodgings, churches, museums and monuments along the way. Walk at least 50 km with a stamped credential and you can ask for the Jacopea, a certificate in Latin modeled on Santiago’s Compostela, at the Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte on Pistoia’s cathedral square. Check with the issuer before you go: Visit Pistoia currently lists the Baptistery as temporarily closed. At the far end, the church of San Jacopo in Acquaviva in Livorno issues a second one, the Jacopea Iuxta Mare: phone ahead, the association’s guide lists the numbers.
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What Makes This Different From the Spanish Camino
Solitude: Even during peak season, you’ll encounter far fewer pilgrims. Some days you might meet only a handful of other walkers. This creates a completely different experience, more contemplative, more intimate with the landscape.
Urban walking: This path leads you directly through the historic centers of major Tuscan cities like Pistoia. You’re walking medieval streets, not around them.
Cultural density: Every few kilometers brings another church, villa, or historic site worth exploring. The challenge isn’t finding things to see. It’s deciding what to skip so you can maintain your walking rhythm.
Food: This is Tuscany. The food is extraordinary. Every stage offers opportunities for genuine Tuscan cuisine, not pilgrim menus, but the same restaurants locals use.
Language: In smaller villages and rural sections, Italian becomes essential. Unlike the Spanish Camino where English has become the lingua franca, here you’re more likely to need basic Italian for interactions.
A Rest Day in the Hills
The Cammino is a self-guided pilgrimage, and that is part of its meaning. You navigate it yourself, at your own pace. I am a hiking guide, not a pilgrimage outfitter. I will not pretend to run the route for you.
But the path threads through the exact hills I work in every week. It is my home ground, and it passes the cities I guide from.
So here is what I can offer a pilgrim. Say you want a rest day from the road, or a day in real nature rather than on cobblestones. I guide private day hikes in the hills around the route’s cities:
- Around Florence: the mountains and forests an hour north of the city.
- Around Montecatini and Pistoia: a spa-town base with Apennine reserves nearby.
- Around Lucca: day hikes from the walls, by train or car.
- Around Pisa: hiking trails near Pisa, from Monte Pisano and its medieval ruins to the marble mountains.
If your rest day falls in Lucca, at the end of the fourth stage, the closest is the Nottolini aqueduct. It starts from the city, near the station and the walls, and the arches themselves run for about three kilometres. My walk there covers 9.1 kilometres with barely 50 metres of climb, as far as the Parole d’Oro.
Nottolini Aqueduct
The aqueduct doubles as a sundial. Once a day the light runs straight down its corridor of arches, at a time that shifts through the year.
- About 3 hours
- €165 per group
- Reachable by train
- Longer route to a view over Lucca, on request
Easy · 9.1 km (5.7 mi) · 50 m (164 ft) ascent
View this hikeGuided day hikes along the Cammino
The line is the whole Cammino, all six stages from Florence to Livorno. Each pin is a trailhead, and clicking one tells you which stage you would leave from and how far off the line it is.
Firenze stage · 29 km from the route
Balze del Valdarno Private Walk
Lucca stage · on the route
Nottolini Aqueduct Private Tour
Pistoia stage · 25 km from the route
Lago Nero
Prato stage · 7 km from the route
Acquerino-Cantagallo Private Tour
Prato stage · 5 km from the route
Calvana Ridge Private Tour
Lucca stage · 27 km from the route
Marmifera del Corchia Private Tour
Pistoia stage · 18 km from the route
Monte Gennaio Summit Tour
Pistoia stage · 8 km from the route
Riserva Biogenetica Acquerino
Pistoia stage · 23 km from the route
Scaffaiolo Lake Private Tour
Cammino di San Jacopo, 174 km where my hikes start Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors
A day on a quiet forest trail is a different kind of walking from the pilgrim road. As a photographer, I can also join you for a day to capture the journey. You return with images that hold what it felt like.
It is a complement to the pilgrimage, not a substitute for walking it yourself.
The Deeper Reason
But there’s something else, something harder to articulate.
Walking alone, you’re inside your own head. Over days, that stops being a problem and becomes the point.
The pilgrim experience isn’t about proving you can read a map. It’s about having the mental space to let the journey work on you, to think the thoughts that only come during long hours of walking, to feel the shift that happens when you move at three kilometers per hour through landscape for days at a time.
For Whom Is This Journey?
This path calls to people who:
- Want pilgrimage without crowds
- Appreciate historical and cultural depth
- Prefer comfortable accommodations over dormitory bunks
- Can walk 26-36 kilometers daily without injury
- Want to combine spiritual seeking with aesthetic beauty
- Appreciate Italian culture, food, and slower rhythms
- Seek something genuine rather than Instagram-famous
This path might not suit you if you:
- Need the community experience of a crowded pilgrimage
- Prefer wilderness over cultural landscape
- Want the specific rituals and infrastructure of the Spanish Camino
- Are on an extremely tight budget (though pilgrim accommodations exist in some locations)
The Journey That Waits
Every year, hundreds of thousands walk to Santiago. Tens of thousands walk the Via Francigena, Tuscany’s famous medieval road to Rome through Lucca, San Gimignano and Siena. Gronze, the Spanish pilgrims’ guide, counted 2,000 to 3,000 people on the Cammino di San Jacopo in 2019 and again in 2022.
If the Francigena’s fame and crowds are what you want first, I cover its best Tuscan stages in a separate guide. The San Jacopo is for when you want that same landscape with almost no one else on it.
Those who walk it get something the crowds don’t: a pilgrimage route that still feels like pilgrimage rather than organized tourism, cities that welcome you as a traveler rather than process you as a visitor, and the particular satisfaction of discovering what most people don’t know exists.
The path runs from Florence to Livorno whether you walk it or not. The relic Bishop Atto brought from Compostela in the 1140s sits in Pistoia’s cathedral regardless of who pays homage. The cobblestones wear smooth under footsteps both mindful and distracted. The ruined towers of Ripafratta stand guard over the Serchio gorge, as they have for nine centuries.
What changes is what you bring to the walk and what the walk gives back to you.
If you’re ready to discover Tuscany’s hidden pilgrimage, whether you walk all six stages or just a portion, the Cammino di San Jacopo waits.
A Rest Day in the Hills?
Walking the Cammino and craving a day in real nature, or a guided rest day off the road? Tell me which city you will be in, and I will plan a private day hike in the hills nearby. Get in touch to start.