On our Via Francigena Light Tour we ride from Siena to Rome in five days riding around 60km with 800m of climbing per day.

Departing from Siena this bike tour immediately joins the Via Francigena and traces its path southwards, beginning in the incomparable heart of Tuscany: the Val d’Orcia, taking in the hill top towns of San Quirico d’Orcia and Vignoni Alto.

From there, it crosses into Lazio, leaving behind the tourist trail and ventures into lesser known towns and villages, with highlights such as Viterbo and Lake Bolsena. Finally, an unforgettable finish line awaits in Rome.

The Via Francigena Light tour is 5 days and 5 nights, starting in Siena and finishing in Rome.

Day 1: Siena – San Quirico d’Orcia

We begin riding immersed in the colli senesi: the Chianti hills that surround the city of Siena. Moving southwards, the landscape today will become increasingly Tuscan as we move towards the Val d’Orcia – a cinematic film set of cypress trees and vineyards. This was, in fact, the location for the famous home-coming scene in the movie Gladiator.

Later in the day we arrive in Buonconvento where each year the Nova Eroica gravel cycling event is hosted. The center of the old town is a charming thoroughfare, devoid of traffic and offering a multitude of food and drink options for the cyclist with a calorie deficit. One last climb and we reach our first stop in San Quirico d’Orcia.

Day 2: San Quirico d’Orcia – Proceno

On the second day we leave Tuscany and enter Lazio. Though towards the end of the day we will cross the official border, there is in fact no stark difference; the countryside evolves as the second day progresses. Today will finish in a landscape reconisably different from that in which we began. But before departing from Tuscan territory we cycle through the perfectly preserved hilltop town of Vignoni Alto.

Though the distance cycling today is the same as yesterday, there is more climbing to be done! Criss-crossing the Via Cassia we climb up to the castle of Radicofani on the way to our own castle dwelling for the night where we will be greeted by a typical dinner “laziale” (the adjective for things from Lazio) and accommodation in the ancient medieval stronghold of Proceno run by the Countess and her family who have been keepers of the buildings and their surroundings for centuries.

Day 3: Proceno – Viterbo

After the night in Proceno the third day starts with a descent and then a steep climb to Aquapendente; its central piazza a thriving hub of local life, especially on market day. If time allows, some people-watching over a cappuccino is not a bad idea. The sparkling surface of Lake Bolsena accompanies us for the middle part of the ride.

The town of Bolsena itself provides a welcome stop with relaxing lake views and a chance to cool off if the temperatures are high. We skirt the lake and eventually leave it behind and dive into the woods; here the Via Francigena becomes narrow single track, seemingly unchanged for hundreds of years. Just as old is the ancient Roman road between Montefiascone and Viterbo where we lay our heads for the night.

Day 4: Viterbo – Campagnano

Departing Viterbo we are in the heart of the ancient territory of the Etruscans; the tiny town of Vetralla seemingly frozen in time. We ride through an almond grove, ducking under the low branches, as the trees are watched over by a tumbled-down tower. Here, the perfectly cultivated vineyards of Tuscany seem far away.

After the next waypoint of Sutri we hit more gravel before arriving at the waterfalls of Monte Gelato. A relaxing dip if weather allows and we are back on the road for the last big challenge of the day: the 300m long 16% climb up to Capagnano di Roma, our last stop before arriving in Rome.

Day 5: Campagnano – Roma

It is a day of two halves on this last downward-trending day of our Via Francigena cycling tour. We set off into the Parco Regionale di Veio – a regional park and nature reserve – rattling across the cattle grids before passing across the circular road around Rome.

After the last gravel sector we enter in the urban environment urban, we carry the bikes through the underpass beneath the train lines, as the centuries old pilgrimage route clashes with modernity. The final kilometres are a flat respite for the legs, as we follow the bike path and eventually trace the route of the river Tiber all the way into central Rome and Saint Peter’s Square. The perfect spot for some celebratory photographs, a hug or high five.

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