Via Francigena del Sud: Walking Through Puglia and Basilicata to the End of Italy

The forgotten pilgrimage road to Jerusalem

If the classic Via Francigena — from Canterbury to Rome — is now a celebrated and well-organised pilgrimage route, its southward continuation remains almost entirely unknown. Yet historically pilgrims did not stop in Rome: they pressed on to Brindisi or Otranto, where they boarded ships for the Holy Land. The Via Francigena del Sud retraces this itinerary through Puglia and Basilicata — approximately 400 kilometres from Benevento to Santa Maria di Leuca, the "finis terrae" of the heel of Italy.

It is still a rough-edged trail, with poorly marked stretches and minimal services. But that very incompleteness is part of its charm: here you do not walk in a queue, do not book months in advance, do not compete for a stamp on your credential. You walk through the real Italy, the Italy that mass tourism has forgotten.

The itinerary: the main sections

From Benevento to Troia (approximately 80 km, 4 stages)

You set off from Benevento, a Samnite and Lombard city graced by the Arch of Trajan and the church of Santa Sofia (UNESCO). The first stages cross the Irpinian hills, a land of wheat and vineyards producing Aglianico, one of the great reds of the South. You arrive at Troia, a small city of the Capitanata with a Romanesque cathedral whose rose window is a masterpiece of pierced stone — eleven radial columns creating a hypnotic play of light.

From Troia to Altamura across the Tavoliere (approximately 120 km, 5 stages)

You cross the Tavoliere delle Puglie, the great cereal plain that becomes a golden sea in summer. These stages are the most psychologically demanding: the landscape is flat and repetitive, the sun relentless, shade a rarity. But they are also the stages where you encounter the agricultural soul of Puglia, with its fortified masserie and the tratturi — ancient drove roads, once up to 111 metres wide, now reduced to field paths but still recognisable.

You pass through Lucera, with its Swabian castle and the memory of Frederick II's Saracen colony, and Canosa di Puglia, with its Daunian tombs and the mausoleum of Bohemond, the Norman crusader. Altamura marks the entry into the Alta Murgia, with its celebrated bread and Frederician cathedral.

From Altamura to Taranto (approximately 80 km, 4 stages)

You cross the Taranto Murgia, a landscape of ravines and pastures. The gravine — karst canyons tens of metres deep — shelter frescoed cave churches, some dating back to the 9th century. Laterza, Ginosa and Massafra are the "cities of the ravines", with a cave heritage comparable to that of Matera but almost entirely unknown. Arriving in Taranto, with the old city on its island between two seas, is an encounter with a complex and contradictory reality.

From Taranto to Santa Maria di Leuca (approximately 120 km, 6 stages)

The final stages cross the Salento, the easternmost tip of Italy. You walk between monumental olive groves (some centuries old, devastated by xylella but partly still alive), baroque masserie and white hilltop towns. Otranto, with its cathedral's extraordinary floor mosaic and the Chapel of the Martyrs, is an unmissable stop. Arriving at Santa Maria di Leuca, where the Ionian Sea meets the Adriatic beneath the lighthouse and the sanctuary, is an epilogue laden with symbolism: the land ends, and beyond lies only the sea toward the East.

Practical information

Difficulty and terrain

The route is rated T/E (Tourist-Hiking). There are no technical difficulties: the elevation gain is modest (Puglia is mostly flat or gently hilly), the paths straightforward. The challenge lies in the overall length and climatic conditions — the heat can be ferocious from June to September, and shade is a rare privilege.

Waymarking and navigation

Waymarking has improved in recent years with the trail's yellow markers, but remains incomplete in some sections, especially across the Tavoliere. An up-to-date GPX track is indispensable. Download the stages from the official Puglia Region website dedicated to walking routes.

When to go

• March–May: ideal period. Mild temperatures, Puglia in bloom, long days.
• October–November: excellent; the light of the Salento in autumn is unforgettable.
• Summer: strongly discouraged. Temperatures above 35–40°C, no shelter.
• Winter: possible but with short days and accommodation often closed.

Equipment

• Light trekking boots (easy terrain but long distances)
• Wide-brimmed hat and SPF 50 sunscreen (non-negotiable)
• At least 3 litres of water on the Tavoliere stages
• Polarised sunglasses (the glare is blinding)
• Light rain cape for spring thunderstorms
• Portable charger (few sockets in rural stretches)

Where to sleep and eat

Hospitality is varied: from B&Bs in historic town centres (30–50 euros) to working agritourism farms (50–80 euros), to the occasional pilgrim hostel. Pugliese food is exceptional and affordable: focaccia, orecchiette, friselle with tomato and oil, fresh fish on the coast. Book ahead in the smallest borghi, where options are limited.

A trail the South has long been waiting for

The Via Francigena del Sud is not simply a walking route: it is an act of rediscovery of an Italy that exists but is rarely told. Medieval pilgrims crossed these lands bound for Jerusalem, and along the way they built cathedrals, founded hospitals, created networks of solidarity. To walk here today means recovering that thread, rediscovering slowness as a form of knowledge, and discovering that southern Italy still has a great deal to say to those patient enough to listen, one step at a time.