Via Romea Germanica (Italy)

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Brenner – Brennero on the Austrian border / St Peter's Square in Rome
• Length: 1,017.9 km
• Duration: 46 stages, averaging just over 22 km, longest 34.7 km (Monselice–Rovigo); realistically six to seven weeks
• Elevation: ↗ 12,770 m / ↘ 14,114 m
• Highest / lowest point: 1,377 m on the Brenner at km 0 / −3 m at km 494.7 in the Po Delta lowlands near Sant'Alberto
• Landscape: Eisack valley and the Ritten, the Wine Road, the Valsugana and the Brenta gorge, the Po Plain, lagoons and the Adriatic coast, the Apennines with the Casentino forests, Tuscan and Umbrian hills, volcanic tuff towns in Lazio
• Operator: Associazione Europea Via Romea Germanica with its support associations in Germany and Austria; a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2020
• Waymarking: orange arrows on a white background and aluminium signs with the association's symbol and the lettering "VIA ROMEA"; the small stickers are easy to miss
• Pilgrim passport: Italian credenziale for 3 €, German Via Romea pilgrim passport for 7 € (as of September 2026)
• Traces of St. James: shared route with the Jakobsweg Brenner and the Jakobsweg Südtirol as far as Bozen
• Connecting routes: to the north the Via Romea Germanica (Austria), from Montefiascone the Via Francigena (Italy)
• Best time: April to June and September to October; in high summer the Po Plain is hot and shadeless, and the Brenner and the Apennines can have snow into spring

Overview

This is not a Way of St James to Santiago but a road to Rome. It follows the travel account of Abbot Albert von Stade, who went from the Elbe to Rome in 1236 to have Pope Gregory IX approve the reform of his monastery. In his Annales Stadenses he later put the route into the mouths of two monks: Firri asks, and Tirri asks back "Qua via vis procedere?" – which way do you want to take? One of the answers leads over the Brenner, through the Valsugana, via Padua, Ferrara and Ravenna and across the Apennines to Rome. The Italian section follows exactly this line.

Italy is by far the largest part of the whole: of the almost 2,200 kilometres between Stade and Rome, nearly 1,018 lie south of the Brenner. You walk through six regions, from South Tyrolean vineyards via the Brenta towns of Bassano and Padua, the flat Polesine and the lagoons near Comacchio to the Adriatic, then straight across the Apennines, through the Casentino and the hills between Arezzo and Orvieto into Lazio.

And mostly you walk alone. One pilgrim who walked the whole route in 2025 met her first fellow pilgrims, in her own words, only beyond Città della Pieve, "after 2,000 km". There are few pilgrim hostels, but plenty of agriturismi, monasteries and parishes – and from Montefiascone the well-developed world of the Via Francigena.

Other Names

The operator calls the route Via Romea Germanica, the German road to Rome, because it brought pilgrims from the German Empire to Rome. Older texts call it Via Romea di Stade or Via Romea Stadense, after Albert's home town; some Italian sites write Via Romea Germanica Imperiale because, according to the Emilia-Romagna tourist board, Saxon emperors and Hohenstaufen rulers also favoured it. It is not identical to the Via Romea Strata or the Via Francigena, even though it shares the last few days with the latter.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not So Ideal For

Ideal if you want to walk the length of Italy once, not as a postcard trip but with lagoon, rice field, Apennine forest and tuff town on consecutive days. Ideal if art draws you: Giotto in Padua, the mosaics of Ravenna, Piero della Francesca in Arezzo, Orvieto Cathedral. Ideal too if you have already walked the Camino and now want to reach Rome on foot – without the crowds of the last Francigena weeks, at least until Montefiascone.

To be honest, though, it is not for you if you are looking for Camino community: one pilgrim who walked this section in six weeks in 2018 did not meet a single other Romea pilgrim and wrote that the typical hostel life of Spain was missing. Not for you either if long days on asphalt and embankments bore you – between Padua and Ravenna the land is flat to the horizon, hot and full of mosquitoes in summer. And not for you if you like to turn up spontaneously: many places to stay answer late or not at all, so book days ahead.

Route & Landscape

Alps and Valsugana (km 0–265): From the Brenner you follow the Eisack via Sterzing (km 17.2) and Franzensfeste (km 39.4) to Neustift Abbey (km 45.9) and on to Brixen (km 49.4). Via Feldthurns you reach Klausen (km 64.0) below Säben Abbey, climb via Barbian onto the Ritten to Klobenstein (km 84.4) and descend to Bozen (km 102.0). The Wine Road leads via Tramin (km 126.6) and Kurtatsch to Salurn (km 143.9), then via Lavis to Trento (km 174.2). Through the Valsugana with Levico Terme (km 195.4) and Borgo Valsugana (km 210.5) you walk into the Brenta gorge at Cismon del Grappa (km 242.2) and out again to Bassano del Grappa (km 264.7).

Plain, lagoon, Adriatic (km 265–539): Along the Brenta via Piazzola sul Brenta (km 298.0) to Padua (km 323.8), past the Euganean Hills at Monselice (km 345.7) and through the Polesine to Rovigo (km 380.4). At Polesella (km 400.8) you reach the Po, at Francolino lies the south bank, then Ferrara (km 423.0). Via Traghetto and Argenta (km 469.7) you head into the lowlands on the edge of the Valli di Comacchio, three metres below sea level at km 494.7, to Casalborsetti (km 517.7) on the Adriatic and along the coast to Ravenna (km 539.4).

Apennines, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio (km 539–1,017.9): Via Forlì and Meldola (km 585.5) the route climbs through the Bidente valley via Civitella and Galeata to Santa Sofia (km 618.1) and Bagno di Romagna (km 642.0). At the Passo Serra it crosses the Apennines, then the Casentino via Chitignano (km 679.3) and Subbiano (km 696.9) to Arezzo (km 717.0). Through the Chiana valley it continues via Castiglion Fiorentino to Cortona (km 755.0), past Lake Trasimeno to the west to Città della Pieve (km 815.4) and Orvieto (km 860.5). Via Bagnoregio (km 880.4) you reach Montefiascone (km 894.1) above Lake Bolsena, then on the Via Francigena Viterbo (km 912.1), Sutri (km 952.1), La Storta (km 998.6) and Rome (km 1,017.9).

Stages, Terrain, and Difficulty

The operator divides the Italian section into 46 stages. We follow this division using places on our map; where an official stage end is not on the route, we choose the nearest map location – Frassineta instead of Valle Santa, Sant'Alberto instead of the Valli di Comacchio, Bagnoregio instead of Lubriano. Kilometres from the Camino Ninja map, calibrated exactly to 1,017.9 km. Around half of the route runs on paths, mule tracks and unpaved farm tracks, the rest on minor roads and embankments.

1. Brenner – Brennero → Sterzing – Vipiteno (17.2 km) — Down from the pass via Brennerbad and Pontigl, a gentle downhill start.
2. Sterzing – Vipiteno → Brixen – Bressanone (32.2 km) — Long, via Mauls, Mittewald and Franzensfeste to Neustift Abbey.
3. Brixen – Bressanone → Klausen – Chiusa (14.6 km) — Short, via Feldthurns on the slopes above the Eisack.
4. Klausen – Chiusa → Klobenstein – Collalbo (20.4 km) — The climb via Barbian onto the Ritten, lots of ascent.
5. Klobenstein – Collalbo → Bozen – Bolzano (17.6 km) — Across the Ritten plateau and the steep descent to Bozen.
6. Bozen – Bolzano → Tramin – Termeno (24.6 km) — Via Montiggl and Lake Kaltern onto the Wine Road.
7. Tramin – Termeno → Salurn (17.3 km) — Kurtatsch, Margreid and the language border at the Salurn gorge.
8. Salurn → Trient – Trento (30.3 km) — Through the Adige valley via San Michele and Lavis to Trento.
9. Trient – Trento → Levico Terme (21.2 km) — Via Povo and Pergine into the Valsugana.
10. Levico Terme → Borgo Valsugana (15.1 km) — Short and flat along the Brenta.
11. Borgo Valsugana → Cismon del Grappa (31.7 km) — Long, via Grigno into the narrow Brenta gorge.
12. Cismon del Grappa → Bassano del Grappa (22.5 km) — Through the Canale di Brenta out into the plain.
13. Bassano del Grappa → Piazzola sul Brenta (33.3 km) — Long and flat; Carmignano di Brenta lies 1.7 km off the route.
14. Piazzola sul Brenta → Padua (25.8 km) — Along the Brenta via Limena into the city of St Anthony.
15. Padua → Monselice (21.9 km) — To the Euganean Hills and the castle hill of Monselice.
16. Monselice → Rovigo (34.7 km) — The longest flat stage, through the Polesine; you can split it at Anguillara Veneta.
17. Rovigo → Polesella (20.4 km) — Via Pontecchio and Guarda Veneta to the Po.
18. Polesella → Ferrara (22.2 km) — Across the Po to Francolino and into the Renaissance city.
19. Ferrara → Traghetto (30.1 km) — Through the fields and canals of the plain south of Ferrara.
20. Traghetto → Argenta (16.6 km) — Short, via Consandolo.
21. Argenta → Sant'Alberto (32.3 km) — Into the lowlands of the Valli di Comacchio; Sant'Alberto lies 1.3 km off the route.
22. Sant'Alberto → Casalborsetti (15.7 km) — Through the lagoon landscape to the sea.
23. Casalborsetti → Ravenna (21.7 km) — Along the Adriatic coast and into Ravenna.
24. Ravenna → Forlì (29.8 km) — Flat towards the southwest; the map passes about 4 km from Forlì's old town.
25. Forlì → Cusercoli (28.0 km) — Via Meldola into the Bidente valley, the first hills.
26. Cusercoli → Santa Sofia (20.9 km) — Via Civitella di Romagna and Galeata.
27. Santa Sofia → Bagno di Romagna (23.9 km) — Over the hills into the Savio valley and its thermal baths.
28. Bagno di Romagna → Frassineta (14.2 km) — Short, but the big climb to the Passo Serra at around 1,150 metres.
29. Frassineta → Chitignano (23.1 km) — Down into the Casentino; Bibbiena lies 2.5 km off the route.
30. Chitignano → Subbiano (17.6 km) — Through forest and olive groves into the Arno valley.
31. Subbiano → Arezzo (20.1 km) — Via Capolona and Giovi to Arezzo.
32. Arezzo → Castiglion Fiorentino (24.6 km) — Via Rigutino and the Pieve a Sassaia.
33. Castiglion Fiorentino → Cortona (13.4 km) — Short, but the final climb to Cortona is steep.
34. Cortona → Pozzuolo (24.2 km) — Down into the Chiana valley, past Lake Trasimeno.
35. Pozzuolo → Paciano (21.0 km) — Via Gioiella and Vaiano into Umbria.
36. Paciano → Città della Pieve (15.2 km) — Through hill country to Perugino's town.
37. Città della Pieve → Ficulle (22.5 km) — Down into the Chiana valley, then steeply up to Ficulle at the end.
38. Ficulle → Orvieto (22.6 km) — Via Allerona Scalo to Orvieto's tuff plateau.
39. Orvieto → Bagnoregio (19.9 km) — Via Porano and Lubriano, with views of Civita di Bagnoregio.
40. Bagnoregio → Montefiascone (13.7 km) — Short, up to the heights above Lake Bolsena.
41. Montefiascone → Viterbo (18.0 km) — On the Via Francigena along the ancient Via Cassia.
42. Viterbo → Vetralla (16.8 km) — Below the Monti Cimini to Vetralla.
43. Vetralla → Sutri (23.2 km) — Via Capranica to Sutri.
44. Sutri → Campagnano di Roma (24.9 km) — Via Monterosi into the Campagna.
45. Campagnano di Roma → La Storta (21.6 km) — Via Formello through the Parco di Veio to the edge of the city.
46. La Storta → Rome (19.3 km) — Through the Insugherata park and over Monte Mario to St Peter's Square.

Albert's "Alpes" in the Middle of Italy: Crossing the Passo Serra

Anyone who thinks of the Apennines as mere uplands should read Albert von Stade. In his list of stations beyond Ravenna are names you will find again today as stage towns: "Furlin" is Forlì, then "Meldola", "Civitella" and "balneum sanctae Mariae" – the bath of St Mary, today Bagno di Romagna with its basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. Right after that he notes "Alpes", the mountains. Then follow "Champ" for Campi in the Casentino, "Sibean" for Subbiano and "Aretium" for Arezzo. The line he wrote down almost 800 years ago is the same one you walk on stages 25 to 31.

The "Alpes" are the Passo Serra, around 1,150 metres high. Until the 19th century, according to the operator, this pass was the only connection between Romagna and Tuscany on this line; emperors, armies and Rome pilgrims from the north took the route over the ridge. In 1998 a memorial stone for the Romea was placed at the pass, and in Frassineta stand the remains of an 11th-century watchtower.

Today the crossing is the most scenic and physically hardest day of the Italian section: out of the Savio valley via the Passo dei Mandrioli and the Nasseto plateau to the pass, then down through dense beech forest to Corezzo and Frassineta. You are on the edge of the Casentino Forests National Park. If you like, take the official variant along the ridge at the pass to the Franciscan sanctuary of La Verna, where Francis is said to have received the stigmata in 1224; it is around ten kilometres long and a constant up and down.

In practice this means: start early in Bagno, carry water and food for the whole day, and do not cross the pass in snow or thunderstorms. You can stay at the Rifugio Casa Santicchio near Corezzo, which the operator names as a stage end; book in advance.

From Montefiascone on the Via Francigena

Beyond Orvieto the route gets busier. In Montefiascone the Via Romea meets the Via Francigena, the Franks' road from Canterbury to Rome, and from then on runs practically on the same route: via Viterbo and then from Vetralla to the outskirts of Rome. So on the last 120-odd kilometres you no longer walk alone but with pilgrims from all over Europe, and you find more pilgrim accommodation than in the 900 kilometres before.

Albert knew this stretch too: "Mons Flascun", "Viterbium", "Sutrium" appear in his list, then "Roma". If you only want to walk the last few days, you can join in Viterbo or Sutri.

Highlights Along the Way

• Neustift Abbey (km 45.9) — Augustinian canons' monastery founded in 1142 outside Brixen; this is where the Jakobsweg Brenner begins.
• Trento (km 174.2) — city of the Council of 1545 to 1563, with its cathedral and the Castello del Buonconsiglio.
• Ponte degli Alpini, Bassano del Grappa (km 264.7) — the covered wooden bridge over the Brenta, based on a design by Palladio from 1569.
• Padua (km 323.8) — Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel, a World Heritage Site since 2021 together with the city's other fresco cycles, and the Basilica of St Anthony.
• Ferrara (km 423.0) — Renaissance city of the Este with the Castello Estense, a World Heritage Site since 1995.
• Casalborsetti (km 517.7) — the only place where the route reaches the Adriatic; behind it the lagoons.
• Ravenna (km 539.4) — eight early Christian and Byzantine monuments inscribed as World Heritage, San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Dante's tomb.
• Arezzo (km 717.0) — Piero della Francesca's Legend of the True Cross in San Francesco.
• Cortona (km 755.0) — Etruscan hilltop town above Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal defeated the Romans in 217 BC.
• Orvieto (km 860.5) — the cathedral on its tuff plateau with the corporal of the Miracle of Bolsena, plus the Pozzo di San Patrizio.
• Civita di Bagnoregio (near km 880.4) — the village on its crumbling tuff cone, reachable only by a footbridge.
• Viterbo (km 912.1) — the Papal Palace where the longest conclave in history sat from 1268 to 1271.
• St Peter's Square, Rome (km 1,017.9) — the goal, after almost 2,200 kilometres from Stade.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

Most of those who walk the whole route arrive on foot over the Brenner: the Via Romea Germanica (Germany) covers 1,094.8 kilometres from Stade to Scharnitz, the Via Romea Germanica (Austria) 82.1 kilometres through Tyrol to the pass. Many, however, walk only the Italian part or individual regions, such as the Apennines from Ravenna to Arezzo.

Along the way the Romea crosses or shares several routes from the Camino Ninja network:

• Jakobsweg Brenner — the same route from the Brenner to Neustift, where it begins and leads in the opposite direction to Innsbruck
• Jakobsweg Südtirol — shared from Neustift via Brixen, Klausen and the Ritten to Bozen
• Via Postumia — crosses at Piazzola sul Brenta
• Cammino di Francesco — crosses in the Apennines at Frassineta near La Verna and also ends in Rome
• Via Francigena (Italy) — shared route from Montefiascone to Rome

Continue the pilgrimage?

Rome is the goal, but not the end of the network. If you have your stamps and certificate and want to keep going, you will find two routes south and east from St Peter's Square:

• Via Francigena del Sud — the continuation of the Franks' road towards Apulia, to the old ports for the Holy Land
• Cammino di San Tommaso — from Rome straight across the Apennines to Ortona on the Adriatic, to the tomb of the Apostle Thomas

Preparation & Practical Information

Pilgrim passport and app. The Italian association issues a numbered credenziale, available for 3 € in the online shop of its partner SloWays (as of September 2026); the German association's passport costs 7 € and is valid for the whole route from Stade. With a stamped passport, the pilgrim office of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi at St Peter's Square issues you the Testimonium. The Opera Romana requires at least the last 100 kilometres on foot; an Italian guidebook, however, gives 250 kilometres from Lake Trasimeno for the Romea – if in doubt, ask the association. With the Camino Ninja App you have the map and track offline; the easiest way to plan the route is directly in the app, where you put your stages together and plan suitable accommodation at the same time.

Accommodation. Real pilgrim hostels are rare, most likely in parishes, monasteries and, in Lazio, on the Francigena. Otherwise you sleep in agriturismi, B&Bs, affittacamere and small hotels; in Ravenna, Ferrara and Padua the choice is large, in the Apennines and the Polesine small. Book two or three days ahead, ideally by phone.

Navigation and season. The waymarking is continuous over long stretches but patchy in towns and fields; the GPS track is indispensable. In spring the farm tracks on the plain are often muddy; in 2018 one pilgrim stood knee-deep in grass during a flood. In summer, start early.

What the journey will cost you

To be honest, there is no current price list for the Italian section. The pilgrim passport costs 3 € from the Italian or 7 € from the German association, and the Testimonium in Rome is free (as of September 2026). In 2018 one pilgrim quoted around 15 € a night in pilgrim hostels and 30 to 60 € for a single room in a B&B, affittacamere or hotel – prices have risen since, so take these figures as a lower limit.

Above all, budget for room prices: in South Tyrol and in cities such as Padua, Ravenna, Cortona or Orvieto you pay considerably more than in the Polesine or the Apennines. On top come tourist tax, breakfast at the bar, dinner and the occasional train ride.

Getting Here

To the start. Brenner station is right on the pass. From the north you take the train via Innsbruck, from the south via Bozen and Sterzing.

From the finish. From St Peter's Square it is a few minutes to Roma San Pietro station, from where regional trains run to Roma Termini with long-distance trains to the north and connections to Fiumicino airport. If you want to break off a stage, you will find a railway line in the valley almost everywhere – except in the Apennines between Meldola and Subbiano, where only buses run.

• Italian railways: trenitalia.com — regional and long-distance trains from the Brenner to Rome
• Operator: viaromeagermanica.it — stages, GPS tracks, accommodation, credenziale
• Testimonium in Rome: turismoroma.it — requirements and pilgrim offices at St Peter's Square ---