Via Francigena

Even the toes in Pietrasanta are museum-worthy. This one had daisies growing from cracks.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

Pietrasanta Surprised Us and We’re Not Over It

ByGriffin Smyth July 18, 2025July 18, 2025

View of the Apuan Alps with dramatic marble quarry scars on the cliffs, seen from a roadside canal near Marina di Massa, Italy. A yellow house sits in the foreground under a cloudy sky.

Italy | Travel Spotlight | Via Francigena

A Walk to the Sea through Roman Ruins and Marble Mountains

ByGriffin Smyth July 14, 2025July 14, 2025

Scenic view of Monteriggioni, a medieval hilltop village in Tuscany, Italy, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. The town’s intact stone walls and towers stand prominently against a dramatic sky — a perfect vantage point from the Via Francigena trail.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

Where to Stay Near Monteriggioni, Tuscany (With Castle Views)

ByGriffin Smyth July 8, 2025July 9, 2025

A hiker carefully crosses a shallow stream on stone steps while walking the Via Francigena trail in Italy, surrounded by dense green foliage and midday sun.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

Aulla Was Closed—Except for the Castle and the Wine

ByGriffin Smyth July 4, 2025July 12, 2025

Stone arched bridge crossing a rocky river in Pontremoli, Italy, with a bright yellow clock tower and red museum building in the background, all set against rolling green hills and a dramatic cloudy sky.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

The Road to Filetto (and a Night at the Gingerbread House)

ByGriffin Smyth July 4, 2025July 12, 2025

A sweeping view over Pontremoli, Italy, capturing the town’s iconic green-domed church, narrow rooftops, and medieval stone towers. The Magra River curves gently through the scene with a historic bridge spanning it, while golden evening light brushes the surrounding hills and buildings with a warm glow.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

Why a Rest Day in Pontremoli Was Exactly What We Needed

ByGriffin Smyth July 3, 2025July 12, 2025

A backpacker pauses on a narrow trail above Pontremoli, with sweeping views of green valleys, red-roofed villages, and the Apennine Mountains in the distance. The foreground shows tall grass and shrubs, while the sunny, cloudless sky adds to the sense of open adventure in rural northern Tuscany.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

The Mountain We Didn’t Walk (with a Little Help from Claudio)

ByGriffin Smyth July 2, 2025July 12, 2025

Golden sunset viewed from Le Spine Pub & B&B near the Cisa Pass, with a warm glow fading behind the Apennine mountains. A wooden sign and rustic benches sit in the foreground, overlooking the rolling hills of northern Italy.

Travel Spotlight | Tuscany | Via Francigena

Walking Over the Cisa Pass and Into a Pub Called Le Spine

ByGriffin Smyth July 1, 2025July 12, 2025

A man in a red shirt leans happily out of a second-story window at La Vecchia Quercia, a charming ivy-covered B&B in Emilia-Romagna. The facade is completely blanketed in lush green vines, with purple shutters and wrought-iron railings adding rustic character under a brilliant blue sky. The scene feels like a postcard from the Italian countryside.

Fornovo di Taro | Travel Spotlight | Via Francigena

Best B&B on the Via Francigena? We Found a Gem in Emilia-Romagna

ByGriffin Smyth June 30, 2025July 12, 2025

A rough gravel path curves through golden fields and lush green hills just outside Noceto, Italy. The landscape glows in the warm light of early evening, with distant vineyards, scattered farmhouses, and a clear blue sky stretching overhead.

Travel Spotlight | Via Francigena

We Walked 15 Miles and Accidentally Slept in a Monastery

ByGriffin Smyth June 30, 2025July 12, 2025