THE “VIA DEGLI DEI” AND THE “VIA FLAMINIA MILITARE” ROMAN ROAD

The “Via degli Dei” is a spectacular trekking and tourism trail opened between the 1980s and 1990s by a group of local walkers with the aim of joining the regional capitals of Emilia Romagna and Tuscany with a new, poetically-named network of paths running right along the peaks of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.

A hilltop route connecting Bologna to Florence has existed from the time of the Etruscans. Under the Romans, the track was turned into a military road, which then became a pilgrim path in the middle ages. The Roman transapennine road, known as the Via Flaminia Militare was built in 187 BC by the Consul Flaminius to connect Bononia (Bologna) to Arezzo and eventually to Rome itself.

Over the centuries, all trace of the old Via Flaminia Militare disappeared as a result of urban expansion, but the Via degli Dei has now uncovered much of the stonework that is left, and incorporated it into this fascinating Tuscan-Emilian trail. For about 11 km the Via degli Dei follows stretches of the original sandstone block surface of the Roman road, creating a fascinating journey in time that can be enjoyed on foot or by mountain bike.