Emilia-Romagna Hiking Trails: 2025 Events Beyond the Jubilee

Explore the Emilia-Romagna region’s 21 hiking and pilgrimage trails, offering diverse experiences throughout 2025. Initiatives range from nocturnal walks and foraging for ancient pilgrim herbs to sacred music concerts and monastery visits. The “Via degli Dei” trail, uniquely certified by the GSTC for sustainable and responsible tourism, stands out. This internationally recognized path, the world’s first with GSTC certification, links Bologna and Florence across the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, spanning 123 km (67 km within Emilia-Romagna). It showcases the region’s culinary heritage, history, and culture, fostering a welcoming atmosphere among residents and hospitality providers. Appennino Slow offers numerous Via degli Dei activities in 2025, with options from three-day e-bike tours to seven-day walking treks.

Numerous events are planned for 2025 along the 21 trails, developed since 2016 by the Regional Tourism Department, the Emilia-Romagna Episcopal Conference, dioceses, and APT Servizi Emilia-Romagna. These routes cater to both spiritual seekers (aligning with the 2025 Jubilee of Hope themes) and those interested in historical and cultural exploration, offering opportunities for community interaction. The “I Love Cammini” program (March-October 2025) and “Night Walks” (June-September 2025) highlight different aspects of the trails. The “Open Monasteries” initiative (October 4-5 & 11-12) features special Jubilee events in collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Episcopal Conference. The “Emilia-Romagna: Nature, Culture, Spirituality” program (March 2025 – January 6, 2026) presents experiences linked to the Jubilee.

The “Via degli Abati” (also known as the “Mountain Francigena”), a 190km route from Pavia to Pontremoli, features events such as a concert and museum visit on April 12th, and walking tours with evening concerts (August 13th and August 3rd). The “Sentiero dei Ducati” trail (Quattro Castella to Tuscany) offers various CAI events from March 1st to November 23rd. The “Via Romea Germanica” boasts events from the Consorzio Natura in Alto Savio, including conferences, musical performances, guided walks, and “Open Monasteries” weekends in October. A special highlight is the “Pilgrims with Lagotto” initiative (May 9th and October 11th) featuring truffle-hunting Lagotto Romagnolo dogs.

The “Via della Lana e della Seta” (April-November, with luggage transport options) runs between Bologna and Prato, paralleling the Via degli Dei, showcasing stunning landscapes, including the Calvana region and historical sites. The “Cammino di San Francesco” (Rimini to La Verna) offers cultural, spiritual, and culinary experiences, visiting Franciscan sites and enjoying local cuisine. April events focus on the “Terre di Matilde di Canossa,” exploring castles and trails of the ancient Canossa domains. The “Via di Linari” features treks among churches and monasteries (April-May) and “In the Footsteps of Saint Clare in the Apennines.” The “Via Romea Nonantolana” (Modena) offers Jubilee events (March 15th-mid-September) along its historical route. The “Cammino di San Vicinio” trail features seven weekend trekking experiences (April-October) organized by DMCI Percorsi del Savio, Caveja Trek, and Il Cammino di San Vicinio.

Note: Romagna a Tavola promotes these events but is not the organizer. Contact the respective organizers for details.