A Pilgrim Day Off is a planned rest day on the Via Francigena through Lunigiana — typically taken in Pontremoli or Aulla, after the descent from Passo della Cisa. You stop for one night longer than the walk requires, hand your pack to us instead of your own back, and spend the day on something other than waymarks: a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy, a truffle hunt, a porcini foray, or a Parma ham cellar. We move your luggage on to your next stop so you walk out the following morning carrying only a day bag.
This is aimed at pilgrims who are walking multi-day stretches of the Sigeric route through Emilia-Romagna and northern Tuscany and want one day of genuine rest — not a shortened stage, an actual day off — without losing time from their itinerary or having to backtrack for a car.
What’s Included
- Luggage transfer — we collect your pack from your rest-day hostel in the morning and deliver it to your next night’s accommodation, timed to your onward stage
- One gourmet experience — your choice of a Parmigiano Reggiano tour, truffle hunt, porcini mushroom hunting, or a Parma ham tour (details below)
- Local knowledge on where to actually rest — hostel recommendations along this stretch, most of which require a pilgrim credential and fill up in summer
Luggage transfer routes, availability and pricing depend on which stage you’re resting between, so contact us with your dates and we’ll confirm pickup and drop-off before you arrive.
Where to Base Your Rest Day
Most pilgrims take their day off in Pontremoli, the first proper town after the Cisa Pass, or a stage further on in Aulla. Both have pilgrim hostels that require a credential and operate seasonally — book ahead, especially July and August.
Pontremoli
- Ospitale San Lorenzo — the former Capuchin convent on Via Cappuccini, fully renovated with room for up to 60 pilgrims across multi-bed rooms and single rooms. The main pilgrim reference point in town.
- Ostello Castello del Piagnaro — a foresteria inside Pontremoli’s hilltop castle, 21 beds across 6 rooms, shared bathrooms. Open April 1 to September 30.
Aulla
- Ospitale Abbazia di San Caprasio — run by parish volunteers at Piazza Abbazia, 14 beds, kitchen on site, donation-based. Open April to October; email ahead as check-in runs 3–7pm only.
All three require a regular pilgrim credential and are donation-based or low-cost by design — they are not hotels, and treating them as a fallback rather than the plan is the right approach in peak season. For the full list of pilgrim hostels between Parma and Pontremoli, including prices, beds and booking contacts, see Where to Stay on the Via Francigena.
Gourmet Experiences for Your Day Off
This stretch of the Via Francigena runs through the edge of the Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Lunigiana truffle and porcini territory — it would be a waste to walk through it and not stop.
- Parmigiano Reggiano Dairy Visit from Pontremoli — a working caseificio visit with tastings, easily done as a half-day from either Pontremoli or Aulla
- Truffle Hunts, Fire Cooking, Wine & Ham in Pontremoli — local truffle hunting with a licensed cavatore, plus wine and cured meat, all based around Pontremoli itself
- Porcini Mushroom Hunting in Borgotaro and Lunigiana — foraging in the hills that produce Fungo di Borgotaro IGP, one of the most respected porcini in Italy
- Parma Ham Tour — a Prosciutto di Parma producer visit in Langhirano, best combined with a rest day taken closer to Parma or Fidenza rather than Pontremoli
Porcini hunting is seasonal — it depends on rainfall and is realistically an autumn activity (September–November), so it won’t be available on demand year-round the way the dairy and ham visits are. Truffle hunting has a longer season but is still weather-dependent; we’ll tell you honestly if conditions aren’t good rather than run a walk in the woods that finds nothing.
How to Book
Contact us with your walking dates, which stage you want your rest day on, and which experience interests you. We’ll confirm hostel availability isn’t something we control directly — book those yourself, ahead of time, using the contacts above — but we handle the luggage transfer and the gourmet day around whatever accommodation you’ve arranged. Get in touch here.
Pilgrim Day Off — FAQ
What is a Pilgrim Day Off on the Via Francigena?
A planned rest day taken mid-walk, usually in Pontremoli or Aulla after crossing Passo della Cisa. Instead of a shortened walking stage, you stay an extra night, we transfer your luggage to your next accommodation, and you spend the day on a food experience rather than the trail.
Do I need to book pilgrim hostels separately?
Yes. We handle luggage transfer and the gourmet experience, but pilgrim hostels such as Ospitale San Lorenzo, Ostello Castello del Piagnaro in Pontremoli, and Ospitale Abbazia di San Caprasio in Aulla take their own bookings directly and require a pilgrim credential. Book ahead, particularly in July and August.
How does the luggage transfer work?
We collect your pack from your rest-day accommodation and deliver it to your next night’s stop, timed to when you’ll arrive on foot. Routes and pricing depend on the specific stage, so contact us with your dates before you set off.
Can I do a truffle hunt or porcini hunt on my rest day?
Truffle hunting runs across a longer season and can usually be arranged around Pontremoli. Porcini hunting is rainfall-dependent and realistically an autumn activity, September to November — it isn’t available on demand year-round the way the Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma ham visits are.
Where should I take my rest day — Pontremoli or Aulla?
Pontremoli has the most hostel capacity and the most food experiences on offer, so most pilgrims base their day off there. Aulla works well if you’re a stage further along and want to break up the walk to Sarzana instead.
About Gabriele
My grandfather had a farm. He delivered milk to the local Parmigiano Reggiano cooperative every morning — the same kind of small family caseificio we visit on our tours today. The cheese was made a few kilometres away. The balsamic vinegar aged in the attic. We ate prosciutto that had been hanging in the cellar for two years.
I took all of this completely for granted, moved abroad, and then spent years being quietly horrified by what passed for Italian food everywhere else. Parmigiano that tasted of cardboard. Balsamic vinegar that was basically caramel syrup. Pasta from a tin. I’m not going to name countries.
I started Emilia Delizia in 2008 because I wanted people to understand what they were missing — and because watching someone’s face when they taste real 25-year balsamic for the first time never gets old. Seventeen years in, same producers, same obsession. Lonely Planet liked it. Channel 4 called us when they needed someone who actually knew the acetaias in Modena. TripAdvisor gave us 4.9 out of 5, which I’m choosing to interpret as proof that the other 0.1 of a star is simply unattainable.
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