Via delle Abbazie and Italy's other abbey routes
Italy has many abbeys and, happily, many routes that tell their story. Some carry a name similar to ours, though ours is ridden on a gravel bike. Here you'll find the differences, to help you find your way, and an invitation to discover the others too. Many are older than ours, looked after by public bodies and volunteers.
Via delle Abbazie in a nutshell
A secular gravel-bike pilgrimage that links 29 places (abbeys, monasteries and hermitages) along three routes, Ponente, Centro and Levante, from the Alps to the Abbey of Montecassino. It covers about 4,458 km in total, with GPX tracks, a roadbook and a free credential. It is an amateur, non-profit project to share knowledge, and the opening is planned for 2027.
How to tell them apart
Three questions are enough: where is it, how long is it, and is it on foot or by bike? Via delle Abbazie is the only national gravel route; the others are local or regional itineraries, often on foot.
| Route | Where | Length | How | Managed by | Shared with Via delle Abbazie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via delle Abbazie | From the Alps to Montecassino, 3 routes | ~4,458 (Ponente ~1,701 · Centro ~1,306 · Levante ~1,451) | Gravel bike | Independent project (A. Bariselli, C. Sabatti, A. Razio) | — |
| Cammino delle Abbazie (Via Benedicti) | Lazio: Subiaco → Trisulti → Alatri → Casamari → Sora → Montecassino | ~150 (9 stages) | On foot, waymark 'B' | CAI Alatri with the Lazio Region | Subiaco, Casamari, Montecassino: the finale of all three routes |
| Strada delle Abbazie | South of Milan: South Milan Agricultural Park and Ticino Park | 117.3 (loop, 6 stages) | On foot and by bike | Metropolitan City of Milan / South Milan Agricultural Park authority | Chiaravalle and Morimondo (Centro route) |
| Ciclovia delle Abbazie ("Via delle Abbazie") | Marche, Chienti Valley: Civitanova Marche → Tolentino | 68.8 | By bike, e-bike friendly | Marche Region (Marche Outdoor) | Abbadia di Fiastra (Levante route) |
| Il Cammino delle Abbazie. Lo Spirito e la Terra | Umbria-Marche Apennines, loop from Fabriano | 250 (loop, 16 stages) | On foot | Università del Camminare, City of Fabriano | Same area as Fonte Avellana (Levante route) |
| Cammino delle Abbazie. La Via di Santa Fede | Piedmont, from the Abbey of Santa Fede (Cavagnolo, Turin) | network of routes | On foot, by bike, e-bike | Abbey of Santa Fede community | Piedmont (Ponente route) |
| Cammino di San Benedetto | Norcia → Subiaco → Montecassino | ~300 (16 stages) | On foot (bike variants exist) | Way of St Benedict association | Subiaco and Montecassino |
| Via degli Abati | Oltrepò, Piacenza and Parma Apennines, Lunigiana | ~190 (Pavia → Pontremoli) | On foot | Network of Via degli Abati towns and associations | Bobbio, San Colombano (Ponente and Centro) |
How to combine them
The finale in Ciociaria: Subiaco → Casamari → Montecassino
All three routes of the Via meet in Subiaco and reach Montecassino via Casamari. This is the same Benedictine thread followed by the CAI Alatri's Cammino delle Abbazie and by the last section of the Way of St Benedict. If you love walking, park the bike and hike the CAI-waymarked finale (sign 'B', about 150 km in 9 stages), or come back later on foot.
Milan: a day on the Strada delle Abbazie
The Centro route passes Chiaravalle and Morimondo. Add a day for the Strada delle Abbazie loop in the South Milan Agricultural Park to see Viboldone, Mirasole and San Lorenzo in Monluè as well.
Marche: a detour along the Chienti
The Levante route visits the Abbadia di Fiastra, which is also on the Marche Abbey Cycleway (Ciclovia delle Abbazie). With one or two extra days you can ride on to Civitanova Marche and discover Santa Maria a Piè di Chienti and San Claudio.
Fabriano and the Umbria-Marche Apennines
Riding the Levante route near Fonte Avellana? Spend a few days walking one of the four loops of Fabriano's Cammino delle Abbazie.
Bobbio, a crossroads of ways
At San Colombano in Bobbio the Via delle Abbazie meets the Via degli Abati (Pavia–Pontremoli). It is a good place to change pace.
Our spirit
The more people discover Italy's abbeys, on foot or by bike, the better for the places and for those who look after them. If you run one of these routes and want to correct something or work together, write to us at thaleaproject@gmail.com.
Information on other routes comes from their official websites and public sources (September 2026). Always check opening times, accommodation and trail conditions with the respective organisers.