A small "Way of Saint James" that connects Florence to Livorno

The Route of San Jacopo winds for 174 km along an ancient road route more than two thousand years old, the Via Cassia - Clodia, a Roman road that, passing through Florence, connected Rome to the strategic port of Luni.
In the Middle Ages, pilgrims headed to Rome or Santiago de Compostela stopped in Pistoia to pay homage to the relic of the Apostle James (or Jacopo), which arrived in the city from Galicia in 1144 and is still kept today inside the Cathedral of San Zeno. Thanks to this deep and widespread cult, Pistoia is called the Santiago Minor, the Little Santiago.
The Route is a journey through wonderful Tuscan art cities and can be considered a part of the long itinerary, in the heart of Europe, towards Santiago de Compostela, crossing the Via della Costa and the French Route, or embarking from Livorno to reach Barcelona and the Catalan and Aragonese roads.

The Route is a concentrate of art, history and nature in the heart of Tuscany. The stage that passes through the Prato area is particularly interesting from a naturalistic point of view. From the bank of the Bisenzio river, towards the hill of Le Sacca, there are the ruins of the Former Cicognini Boarding school, the Villa Carlesi-Fossombroni and, going down towards Figline, the Romanesque church of San Pietro. Immersed in the nature of the Protected Area of Monteferrato, you can see, from the highest point, the dome of the Cathedral of Pistoia. Continuing in the  countryside on the Via Baronese, away from traffic, you reach the Fortress of Montemurlo and from here, skirting vivarium and foothills villas, you reach Pistoia.

Proposed stages:

1st FIRENZE - PRATO
27.1 km; difference in height 190 m

2nd PRATO - PISTOIA
27.1 km; differencein height 350 m

3rd PISTOIA - PESCIA
29.6 km; difference in height 300 m

4th PESCIA - LUCCA
26.3 km;difference in height 190 m

5th LUCCA - PISA
28.6 km

6th PISA - LIVORNO
35.9 km

Total length: 174 km
Overall positive altitude difference: 2,050 m

www.ilcamminodisanjacopo.it