Santuario della Verna to Assisi: Way of St Francis Part 2 of 4,
May 19 - May 30, 2026

Overview

We’ve designed four connected pilgrimage tours on the Via di Francesco, allowing you to walk a single section or link them together for a continuous journey from Florence through Assisi to Rome, following Francis’s footsteps. This is the second of those four itineraries.

This pilgrimage from La Verna to Assisi carries walkers deeper into the spiritual landscapes of St. Francis, tracing his footsteps through forested ridges, rustic towns, and Umbrian valleys. Departing the sacred heights of La Verna, you gradually leave the wild Casentino woods behind, entering the gentler hills and river valleys of eastern Tuscany and Umbria. Along the way you pass through historic towns like Pieve Santo Stefano and Sansepolcro, cross into Umbria at Citerna and Città di Castello, and head onward through Pietralunga and Gubbio — site of the legendary peace with the wolf — before reaching the valleys around Valfabbrica and Valdichiascio, and finally ascending into Assisi itself.

The terrain alternates between forest paths, ridge trails, and rural roads, with steady ascents and descents that grow more constant in Umbria. The route offers not only natural beauty but rich Franciscan resonance: eremitages, chapels, small sanctuaries, and landscapes that echo Francis’s own movements and contemplations.

This segment seamlessly connects to your earlier Florence → La Verna walk and links forward into the Assisi → Rieti section. It allows pilgrims to experience a complete arc of Francis’s geography — from the mountain of his mystical encounter to his birthplace, resting place, and onward journey. The walk is typically divided into 10 stages, covering roughly 180 km in total across this northern route. Throughout, you’ll be supported by accommodations, luggage transfer, and guide resources, enabling you to focus on the interior journey even as you follow the exterior path.

By the time you arrive in Assisi — heart of the Franciscan legacy — you will have walked through forests, hills, towns, chapels, and valleys intimately tied to the saint’s life, culminating in the Basilica and sacred sites that await at journey’s end.