Historic Center of Altopascio – Saint Roch loop from Ponte a Cappiano

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Italy

Tuscany

Pisa

Santa Croce Sull'Arno

Historic Center of Altopascio – Saint Roch loop from Ponte a Cappiano

Moderate

4.6

(5)

riders

Historic Center of Altopascio – Saint Roch loop from Ponte a Cappiano

03:02

43.9km

270m

Cycling

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 25, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Riserva delle Cerbaie e del Padule di Fucecchio

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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6.09 km

Ancient Via Francigena in Galleno

Highlight • Trail

In the initial part of the stage from Altopascio to San Miniato, at the end of the hamlet of Galleno, you come across a beautiful stretch of the ancient Via Francigena as it was in past times: the track begins with a cobblestone road (initially parallel to the state road) that soon goes into the woods on a fairly flat and easy footpath, rideable also by a city-bike.
After the wild and deserted Cerbaie hill, you descend towards Ponte a Cappiano, where a hostel has been achieved inside the ancient Medici bridge.

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13.3 km

Historic Center of Altopascio

Highlight • Historical Site

Altopascio (town of 15,000 inhabitants) has been inhabited since Roman times and became more important in the Middle Ages through its Spedale (inn, first mentioned in 1084) for the pilgrims traveling on the Via Francigena, which led from France to Rome . This formed the basis of the later Order of Saint James of Altopascio.
Altopascio is also known as the “city of bread” because of its centuries-old tradition of grain cultivation.

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13.3 km

City Gate

Highlight • Historical Site

One of the three gates of Altopascio

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13.5 km

Saint Roch

Highlight • Religious Site

Oratorio di San Rocco: This is an oratory built in 1645 on the site where, according to tradition, the plague in Altopascio stopped. It is located at the junction between the road to Florence and the one to Fucecchio. The oratory is owned by the municipality and celebrations in memory of the saint are held there on August 16th.

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15.6 km

Gravel path between Altopascio and Galleno

Highlight • Trail

From Altopascio, the VF cycle route follows the pedestrian route to Galleno.

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18.6 km

Wooden Bridges and Forest Trails in Riserva delle Cerbaie

Highlight • Trail

The Riserva delle Cerbaie is a beautiful natural park in the province of Pisa, Tuscany.

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33.6 km

Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Fucecchio

Highlight • Settlement

Piazza Vittorio Veneto is the main square of Fucecchio. Located on the Poggio Salamartano, the square is surrounded by symbols of the power of the ancient Tuscan families that ruled Fucecchio.
The square is home to important buildings such as the Palazzo del Podestà, the former Palazzo Corsini, and the Museo di Fucecchio.

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35.6 km

Arno

Lake

42.5 km

Medici Bridge at Ponte a Cappiano

Highlight • Bridge

Located on the Via Francigena, it houses a hospice for pilgrims.
The Medici Bridge of Cappiano on the Usciana canal, emissary of the Fucecchio Marshes, had in the past an important role in the internal navigation system, allowing, until the nineteenth-century reclamations, commercial relations in the stretch between Pistoia and Pisa.

Its current form dates back to the first half of the sixteenth century when Cosimo I de' Medici decided to rebuild it, as documented by the marble epigraphs affixed to its brick structures. The open and covered bridges and the various annexed buildings date back to that period: the inn, the ironworks, the mill and the house of the administrator of the farm.
However, there was already news of this bridge in the Middle Ages, managed by the Hospitallers of Altopascio and included in the Via Francigena itinerary. In 1325, during a conflict between Florence and Lucca, it was destroyed. It was subsequently rebuilt and equipped with a tower and drawbridges, a lock to regulate the flow of water and eel fishing. There was also a mill and a water-powered saw for cutting wood. See: viamedicea.it/it/lungo-il-cammino/ponte-mediceo-di-cappiano

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