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If you are planning to walk to Rome on the Via Francigena, you may be wondering what accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio is like. Read on to find our guide to booking and staying in accommodation on the Via Francigena in Italy.

We’ve written more on the daily stages of walking the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio – you can find that here. You can also find contact details for accommodation on the route in that article.

What type of accommodation is there on the Via Francigena Tuscany and Lazio?

There are many different types of accommodation on the Via Francigena in Italy. Below, we’ve set out the most common types that you’re likely to come across if you walk or cycle through Tuscany and Lazio on the Via Francigena.

You can also view a short video about accommodation on our YouTube channel below:

Pilgrim accommodation on the Via Francigena

Name of accommodation	What is it?
Ostello	An “Ostello” is a hostel. On the Via Francigena, Ostellos tend to be targeted at walkers or cyclists on the Via Francigena. They are likely to have dormitory rooms with bunk beds and perhaps one or two private rooms. Normally you will find shared bathrooms and some cooking facilities. Ostellos may be donation based or charge a set rate.
Ospitale	“Ospitale” literally translates as hospital. You may notice that some pilgrim accommodation in Italy is called “Ospitale”. These tend to be a bit like hostels, but normally run by volunteers from the church or local community. As with hostels, they tend to be basic with dormitories, shared bathrooms and some cooking facilities. Ospitales may be donation based or charge a set rate.
Convento or Monastero	Convento means convent and monastero means monastery. As the Via Francigena is a religious pilgrimage traditionally, there are a number of convents and monasteries along the route in Tuscany and Lazio that will host pilgrims. Facilities tend to be quite basic, some will have private rooms and others dormitory rooms. Many offer dinner and breakfast but others may just provide overnight accommodation. These may be donation based or charge a set rate.

Private accommodation on the Via Francigena

Name of accommodation	What is it?
Agroturismo	Agroturismo accommodation can be found throughout Tuscany and Lazio. These are farmhouses or rural accommodation providers. Often they will have small restaurants or provide food. These are private accommodation operators, not specifically aimed at walkers but many will be glad to host anyone walking the Via Francigena.
Bed and Breakfast (may be called albergo)	A bed and breakfast or basic hotel may also be called an albergo in Italy. These are not to be mistaken with “albergues” that are found on the Camino de Santiago. An albergo or B&B in Italy will normally have private rooms and bathrooms, but may be more basic than a hotel.
Hotel	A hotel on the Via Francigena is similar to a hotel in any area of Europe. You can find a range from 2* to 4* in and around the Via Francigena. Most can be booked online via booking.com

You can find out more about camping on the Via Francigena in our guide here.

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Is there pilgrim accommodation available on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio?

Yes, there is accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio that is specifically targeted at pilgrims walking or cycling to Rome. We have explained more on the different types in the table above. But you can expect to find hostels of different types and convents or monasteries along the way.

There are a few things to be aware of when you book and stay in pilgrim accommodation on the Via Francigena in Italy:

Tips for staying in pilgrim accommodation on the Via Francigena

• We recommend that you book pilgrim accommodation in advance (see below);
• Checking into pilgrim accomodation can be slow and we recommend that you confirm your arrival time in advance;
• Most hostels for pilgrims are run by volunteers, so it’s important to be patient with your hosts;
• It can be helpful to speak a little Italian if you plan to stay in pilgrim accommodation, or to be prepared to use Google Translate;
• You should ensure that you have a sleeping bag or sleep sheet (in summer months), as you will be charged for using blankets (normally);
• Towels and toiletries are not available, make sure you have your own;
• There are likely to be some kitchen facilities in your accommodation, but many of the towns we visited did not have supermarkets, although small deli shops (with limited opening hours) were found more easily;
• Pilgrim accommodation tends to have communal facilities, including basic bathrooms;
• You’re unlikely to get access to WiFi and you may not have exclusive access to a plug in the hostel;
• You may find clothes washing facilities, such as a sink and a drying rack. But this is not always the case and it is rare to find a washing machine available for pilgrims;
• Many accommodation hosts will set rules for guests, such as leaving shoes in designated areas and not placing your backpack on the bed. It’s important to pay attention to this;
• The pilgrim accommodation is not always open all year round, many open for the summer after Easter. Others have different rules for booking during off-peak months;
• Check whether the accommodation will shut it’s doors at night or whether you need a key or code to return.

Do you need to book accommodation in advance on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio?

We would highly recommend booking accommodation in advance when walking the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio. This is particularly important if you are trying to walk the Via Francigena on a budget, want to avoid paying higher prices for last minute accommodation and intend to stay in accommodation aimed at pilgrims walking the Via Francigena.

If you are walking or cycling the Via Francigena, it may not always be possible to book accommodation far in advance. But, based on our experience we would suggest that you try to secure your accommodation one day ahead of arrival. Even better if you can book two to three days in advance, especially if your stay coincides with a weekend. Many Italians and locals will go out walking on the weekend and may therefore book the hostels aimed at walkers in advance.

There are areas where booking further in advance is more important. For example, the larger and more touristic cities and towns such as Siena and San Gimingnano. This is especially important if you are planning to book private accommodation, rather than accommodation aimed solely at walkers. However, Tuscany in general is popular with tourists throughout summer months, therefore accommodation even in smaller towns can become busy throughout peak season.

How to book accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio?

The Via Francigena website keeps an updated list of accommodation for pilgrims walking or cycling the Via Francigena. We have indicated contact details for the most popular pilgrim accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio in our article here.

In our experience, the accommodation aimed exclusively at pilgrims, will not be listed on Booking.com. However, private accommodation, such as B&Bs, agrotourism accommodation and small hotels, will be found on Booking.com. This is the best way to book this type of accommodation.

For pilgrim accommodation, a few places have websites or Facebook accounts. But, the best way to contact them will be via email or on the telephone. We found that some hostels, convents and monasteries responded quickly via email however, others did not reply. In general, we got a better response from calling them on the telephone to arrange our accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio. For this reason, one of our top tips for walking the Via Francigena in Tuscany is to get an Italian SIM card, or to ensure that your phone and current SIM will work in Italy (more tips published soon.)

Find out more about whether you need to speak Italian to walk the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio (published soon).

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What is accommodation like on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio?

Accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio ranges quite considerably depending on the type of accommodation you stay in. As we’ve set out above, there are different types available to walkers. The accommodation aimed at walkers and cyclists (pilgrims) tends to be quite basic with communal facilities. Whereas, private accommodation can be quite luxurious. Tuscany and Lazio are popular tourist areas and therefore there is plenty of tourist accommodation available.

The main thing to be aware of is that space in pilgrim only accommodation can be quite limited. Often, the hostels for pilgrims will have around 10 beds, sometimes up to 20. But, in peak months, there may be more people walking and therefore a bed in pilgrim accommodation can be hard to come by.

Is accommodation on the Via Francigena the same as accommodation on the Camino de Santiago?

We noticed a few differences between accommodation on the Via Francigena and accommodation that we had experienced on the Camino de Santiago.

Firstly, on the Camino, there are many “albergues” which are specifically for walkers and pilgrims. These are very well established and have been hosting pilgrims for years. This means that staying in an albergue is a really easy experience. In our experience on the Via Francigena, checking into hostels tends to take longer. Often, you will have to wait for the host to come and check you in. This tends to be because hostels for pilgrims are mostly run by volunteers and B&Bs are run without reception facilities.

The other difference we noted is that you always need to book Via Francigena accommodation in Tuscany and Lazio in advance. On the Camino, many albergues offer beds on a first come first served basis on arrival. This is not the case on the Via Francigena. It is much better to book in advance and alert the hosts to your arrival time in advance too.

We also are aware that albergues on the Camino tend to allow pilgrims to sleep on the floor, or camp in the garden, if the beds are all full. This is unlikely to happen on the Via Francigena. On the Via Francigena, hostels frequently would close their doors at around 18:00, therefore if you arrived after this (without a booking), you would be unlikely to get a bed even if there was space. However, we walked the Via Francigena in spring and it may be that in summer, this is different.

Finally, we also observed that hostels on the Via Francigena generally charge you to use bedding. For this reason, it’s especially important to pack a sleeping bag, unless you want to pay between 4 and 6 Euros for bedding. On the Camino, this rarely happened and any charges for bedding (on the rare occasion) were lower (around 1 Euro).

How much does accommodation on the Via Francigena Tuscany and Lazio cost?

Prices of accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio vary depending on the type of accommodation you are staying in and the time of year. The below sets out an overview of the cost of accommodation on the Via Francigena in Tuscany and Lazio as of 2023:

Accommodation Type	Price
Pilgrim – Dormitory (Donation Based)	Donation based
Pilgrim – Dormitory (Ostello, Ospitale, Convento or Monastero)	15 to 25 Euros per person
Pilgrim – Private Room (Ostello, Ospitale, Convento or Monastero)	20 to 30 Euros per person
Private B&B, Agrotourism or 2/3* hotel	40 to 70 Euros per room

We’ve also written in more detail about the cost of walking the Via Francigena in Italy (published soon.)

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