Via degli Dei

The Via degli Dei (Path of Gods) is a 135 km hiking trail that connects the Italian cities of Bologna and Florence across the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, named after some of the locations crossed during the journey, such as Monte Adone, Monzuno (Mons Iovis, Mount Jupiter), Monte Venere (Mount Venus) and Monte Luaro (Lua being the name of the Roman goddess of atonement).

It is a historical path that the Etruscans and Romans traveled to develop their trades, which merchants and travelers undertook during the Middle Ages, which saw tragic moments such as the Second World War and which today has seen the revival of small Apennine villages along the path.

There are many websites where you can read about the hike, the history and how to plan the journey. Here are some of the favorites:

• Official Tourist Information Site of Bologna
• Via degli Dei - Italy
• Bologna Uncovered

The Via Degli Dei is quite simply a walk back in time. It is a journey on an ancient Roman road that winds through villages and scenery that you must see to believe.

Here is our itinerary for the walk, which is pretty much the same as the one you will find in most of the online guides. We walked by ourselves (not with a group), arranged for hotels along the way, and finished in 6 days.

• September 27 - Bologna-Casalecchio Di Reno-Sasso Marconi/Badolo (15 miles / 24km)
• September 28 - Badolo-Brento-Monzuno-Madonna Dei Fornelli (12 miles / 20km)
• September 29 - Madonna Dei Fornelli-Firenzuola (15 miles / 24km)
• September 30 - Passo Della Futal/Monte Di Fo-Santagata (15 miles / 24km)
• October 1 - San Piero A Sieve-Bivigliano-VettaLe Croci /Olmo (17 miles / 27km)
• October 2 - Vetta Le Croci-Fiesole-Piazza DellaSignoria (12 Miles / 20km)

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Below are some photos we took along the way of our trip.