You cross the island on foot, from the Mediterranean to the Tyrrhenian Sea, to discover authentic Sicily: this is the Magna via Francigena, an ancient route that still stirs the soul today.
A route for everyone, comprising nine stages, almost 160 kilometres of trails – unpaved roads or lightly trafficked provincial roads – and an average of 20–25 kilometres per leg: the Magna via Francigena is the most natural way to cross Sicily. As people once did, walking and savouring every moment and every kilometre. From Palermo to Agrigento, a unique experience that is beautifully captured in this video made by Leonardo Ofria and Marco Nicontra of Avenir.
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The Magna via Francigena is an ancient route, one that holds within its trails and at every stage the memory of the region. It is a stretch of historic Sicilian road that has linked Agrigento to Palermo since Roman times and was already called "magna" back then because it was wide and passable, and "francigena" because it was associated with the Frankish knights, known to us as the Normans, who came from the French coasts. The project behind the route and its promotion through the Magna via Francigena website aims to connect the various ancient stopping points and compare them with modern trails and with the "regie trazzere", Sicily's historic road heritage.
There are many stories and curiosities to discover along the way, but perhaps the best way to find them is by walking it; and there is little you need to know before deciding to set off. The Magna via Francigena is suitable for everyone: believers and non-believers alike, more or less sporty. Along the trails you might encounter enthusiastic trekkers, ordinary tourists, pilgrims and people of all ages. What is certain is that they are all united by a passion for walking, a simple and wonderful act that allows you to experience the landscape slowly yet mindfully.
Those who worked on the project also love walking, and you can tell from the excellent result: the website contains all the information you need, from descriptions and maps of the various stages to a detailed list of all accommodation facilities. Nothing is missing, not even the materials that make a walk a "true pilgrimage route": as with the far better-known Camino de Santiago, there are the credentials and the testimonium, which we recommend you request. Thanks to the credentials – which must be stamped at every stage completed – you will be able to benefit from favourable terms for accommodation and meals as a pilgrim. The testimonium, meanwhile, is the certificate you will receive if you have covered at least 100 kilometres.
Every municipality along the route is described on a clear information sheet that also lists and highlights its historical background, archaeological areas and protected sites, because walking mindfully means getting to know the territories you pass through while respecting their culture and distinctive character. It is clear that undertaking a journey of this kind is not merely a sporting and tourist activity, but perhaps above all a moment of deep personal reflection through connection with nature.
Walkable in full or in part with no restrictions, the Magna via Francigena passes through three provinces of the region: Palermo, Caltanissetta and Agrigento; from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Mediterranean, the route crosses Sicily starting from the regional capital. It begins at its symbolic landmark, Palermo Cathedral, and by following Corso Calatafimi you reach Monreale and its Cathedral, walking side by side with the Itinerarium Rosaliae.
From here, crossing the valley, you pass beyond the Conca d'Oro and arrive at the hills of Santa Cristina Gela and the lake of Piana degli Albanesi. The route continues through expanses of wheat fields towards the sanctuary of Tagliavia and on to Corleone, from where it heads inland towards Prizzi. You enter the village of the Sicani after circling the artificial lake, and from here you continue towards the Riserva naturale di Monte Carcaci to reach Castronovo di Sicilia, the geographical midpoint of the Magna via.
From here the route follows the course of the River Platani, passing through Cammarata and San Giovanni Gemini, before crossing the railway line and the main road and climbing up towards the rocky crag of Sutera. Beneath the mass of San Paolino, the route continues through the rural villages of Campofranco, Milena and Racalmuto and reaches the centre of Grotte, a small town in the province of Agrigento. The final stages take you across the Platani and into the mining village of Comitini and then Aragona, ending at the centre of Joppolo Giancaxio. The last stretch of countryside brings you to the imposing crag of Agrigento, its Rupe Atenea, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the Valle dei Templi.