Mentioned for the first time in 1256 by Alberto di Stade, a Benedictine monk, the via Romea Germanica was one of the most important pilgrimage and trading routes leading from northern Europe.

The description that Alberto wrote in his Annals is detailed and precise, a sort of practical guide for medieval pilgrimage. Road conditions, distances between each stop, the dangers travellers could meet along the way, places to rest and relax: nothing is left to chance.

Today, Alberto’s journey has become the via Romea Germanica di Stade: 2,200 kilometres long, crossing through three countries for a total of 94 stops (44 in Germany, 4 in Austria and 46 in Italy). In our country, once past the Brenner Alps, the walk continues to the Trentino and Valsugana, passing by the Po Valley, Ferrara, Tuscany, Umbria and, finally, Rome.

In the Tuscan stretch, cities of art, parish churches and monasteries stand as testaments to the history and activities of pilgrims and medieval merchants.