The Via degli Dei: Walking from Bologna to Florence Across the Apennine Nobody Tells You About

The Via degli Dei is a walking route of roughly 130 kilometres connecting Bologna to Florence across the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine. It partly follows the trace of the Via Flaminia Militare, the 2nd-century BC Roman road that linked the two cities through the mountains. The name comes from the place names encountered along the way: Monte Adone, Monzuno, Monte Venere — pagan deities whose names have stayed fixed to the peaks.

The trail starts from Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, and within a few hours you are already in the mountains. The path climbs toward the calanchi di Badolo — formations of grey clay that look like a lunar landscape — then enters the chestnut and oak woods that cover the Emilian slopes. The first night is spent in Badolo or Madonna dei Fornelli, small villages where hospitality is simple and genuine.

The second and third days are the heart of the route: the climb to the Passo della Futa, walking the ridge with views across both slopes, then descending into the Mugello woods. The path alternates between stretches of cobbled mule track — the basalt paving of the Flaminia Militare, still in place after two thousand years — and forest trails. In some places you walk literally on the Roman road, with the ruts left by cart wheels still visible in the stone.

The final stretch, from San Piero a Sieve to Fiesole, is the most panoramic: the climb to Monte Senario with its silent monastery, the crossing of olive groves and vineyards, and then the descent toward Fiesole as Florence reveals itself below — the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Arno — a view that, after four days of forest and mountain, takes your breath away.

The Via degli Dei takes 4–6 days. Accommodation is good: hostels, B&Bs and agriturismi throughout. You eat in the borghi — tortellini on the Emilian side, ribollita on the Tuscan. The best seasons are April–June and September–October.

In recent years the Via degli Dei has grown more popular, but it remains a world away from the crowds of the Camino de Santiago. You can walk for hours without meeting anyone, sleep in villages where residents outnumber pilgrims, and cross a piece of Italy that the Autostrada del Sole — passing beneath these same mountains in a tunnel — has rendered invisible.

Practical guides

• How to get to Bologna: trains, planes, cars and buses
• What to see in Bologna in 2 days: complete itinerary through arcades and towers
• Where to stay in Bologna: neighborhoods, accommodation and practical tips
• Where to eat in Bologna: best restaurants, trattorias and street food guide